Thankful on Thanksgiving

Well as you know we had our Thanksgiving a little early, so that Jeremy could enjoy all the food. If you are wondering if he enjoyed it.........I think he had 2nds, 3rds, and 4ths.......actually I caught him back in the kitchen again after everyone left. However I looked the other way because I knew that he would not get to enjoy the leftovers after that day! We had a great feast! I took over our families Thanksgiving dinner after Ian was born. I don't know why but I wanted to make sure that I knew all the family "secrets" to put on a successful holiday meal. I think my feast has gotten better and better each year. I know I was not near as stressed this year as I was the first time I did it 6 years ago! Here are Jeremy and Carter very patiently waiting for the turkey!





Our menu consisted of:

Turkey

Ham

Crockpot dressing

Sweet potatoes with almonds

Macaroni Salad

Deviled Eggs

Hominy Salad

Macaroni and Cheese

Pretzel Jello Salad

Pumpkin Dump Cake

Pies from Spring Street Grill

Pecan Pie

We had a great day and great food!!!! I love the tradition of having Thanksgiving at our home. Ian helps me decorate and get the house ready. I am a sucker for traditions!!!!!!! One thing we do is each of get to choose one dish that I will fix for our dinner, so this year Ian picked turkey(which saved me because obviously we were going to have that anyway), Carter picked macaroni and cheese, Jeremy chose his mom's famous macaroni salad, and I picked hominy casserole(which is now a family favorite thanks to my aunt Donna!).

This picture is my bargain of the day! Our PTA cleaned out an old shed we had full of Fall and Winter decor from our carnivals we had years ago. We had a little mini sale at our last meeting, so I snagged all of the cute pumpkins, mums, and fall leaves. I got all of it for 10 bucks!!!! It was 5 pumpkins, 2 mums, and a big bunch of leaves. I was so excited! Ian helped me put it all out for our dinner! I snapped this pic when I put it all on the counter and I just loved it! Carter was so excited over it all! His expression in this pic is priceless to me!

Well I am slowly but surely catching up on my blogging after my hiatus I took! I hope you all had a wonderful time with family and friends and enjoyed your Thanksgiving feast as much as we did!

There's more than just a Tooth Fairy.............

Ok so yes I am behind. I know that, but when I decided to take a vacation this week I truly took a vacation from everything. It was much needed and very therapeutic for all of us. Jeremy had treatment and it was so nice to be home with him and be able to take care of him 24-7. However it was hard keeping the boys semi calm, so that he could rest. I have plenty of Thanksgiving pics and I will try and get them up in the next few days. First things first though, I have a couple fairies in my life I have got to publicly thank. No it is it is not the tooth fairy!

The first one we call the Trashcan Fairy. Now I have to tell you upfront I hate to do trash. I hate to collect it from around the house trash cans, I hate to take out the cans, and most of all I hate to bring them in after trash day. Well one of Ian's chores we added once Jeremy's treatment started was to collect all the trash and help mommy get it to the curb and bring in the cans on Friday nights. Well miraculously there is this amazing fairy that brings in our cans every single Friday. Sometimes they beat me to getting them to the curb on Thursday, but they are always put back up by the garage door by the time I get home from work on Friday. I have a sneaky suspicion I know who my Trashcan fairy is, so I want to publicly say THANK YOU. I promise not to blow your cover, but I do feel I have to let you know how much I appreciate see those cans sitting up by our garage every Friday evening when I get home from a long week. Once again we are truly blessed with amazing next door neighbors.

My next special fairy is who we call the Lunch Money fairy at our house. It is amazing to me that I put money in Ian's lunch count and it never seemed to run out, keep in mind I only put 20 dollars in it..................over a month ago! So to the Lunch Money fairy that I know probably chooses to remain anonymous I know who you are and you know I love you to pieces. You are always there for me and do those things that no one but you would ever think about. I am SO blessed to have you and so is my family.

Well Jeremy was down most of the week with treatment. We are so glad the 10th treatment is over. It was rough as usual, but he made it through. His treatment lasted about an hour longer this week because there is a med that has been added in his treatment that is supposed to help with the neuropathy. Jeremy said he couldn't really tell a difference, but it is worth a shot even if it helps a little bit. We see Dr. B on Wednesday this week, to schedule scans and discuss the last 2 treatments. We had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving, we now have our Christmas tree up and thanks to Nana there are even a few presents under it. No lights on the outside of the house this year, but we are going to put up our blow up Santa and Snowman tomorrow. Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving with your families!!!!!

Alright!

My Heart Melted

Conversation on the car ride home from picking up Ian from taekwondo......

Mom: "Ian are you sure you will be okay doing the taekwondo tournament this weekend without Ms. Gray there? I don't want to drive all the way to Little Rock and then you get too nervous to compete."

Ian: "Will you be there mom?"

Mom: "Of course, I will be there the whole time."

Ian: "Mom you are all I need, I will be just fine as long as you are there."

I am glad it was dark out because I teared up and thought to myself I want to remember this moment for the rest of my life.

Sluggish Sunday

Well I guess it was my turn to have the "bug". I knew at work on Friday I was feeling a little under the weather, but by the time I got home I was laying watching tv getting so tired and achey. I spent all day Saturday on the couch while the boys were being so wonderful playing downstairs. Then I spent all Saturday night and all day Sunday in the bed. Thank goodness Jeremy got home early on Saturday and was home all day on Sunday. Tata came and got the boys Saturday evening, so all Jeremy had to do was take care of me. Thank you Tata! I got some good rest and the house was so quiet and peaceful...........even though I know her house wasn't! Well that is what I heard anyway:)! Did I mention how sweet my husband is? Of course nothing has sounded good all weekend, so as he came home from work he stopped and got me some of my favorite soup. I felt so yucky and icky and didn't know what sounded good, I think I fell in love with my husband all over again because he knew what I wanted even before I did. I am sure by now you are wondering what my favorite soup is! It is Tom Kha Gai a.k.a. coconut milk soup. It is from my favorite Thai restaurant called Pad Thai.
Even though I have been in bed all weekend I have gotten a few things done. I got our Thanksgiving menu done and grocery list made, worked on the boys Christmas lists with all the catalogs and flyers they keep circling things in, caught up on my blog reading, finished my 3rd Yada Yada book, and started a new book called comeback.
Last week was rough on Jeremy. He ended up having to come home about lunch on Wednesday and wasn't able to go back to work until Saturday. Of course by the time he felt better I was in bed sick. Isn't that the luck? Poor Carter too he was so ready to go bowling and we didn't get to take him! Well we have chemo 9 behind us, so now on to 10, 11, and 12. Jeremy and I both dread them so much, but we both know we are that much closer to the end. Jeremy's CEA level continues to stay around 1.7, we are SO happy for this!!! What an answer to all our prayers!!!!
Well off to take some more meds, go to bed early all in hopes to survive work tomorrow, so that I can save my sick days that are quickly dwindling.
*Thank you to great parents that always make sure that we are taken care of and always know when we need a break for mental and/or physical healing.
*Thank you so much to the Lester family for providing us dinner Friday night. You have been SO good to us.

It's a Jungle in There!!!!!

Not sure if you have heard or not, but I LOVE my job! I teach kindergarten and this is my 10th year in education. I can remember when I started college I wanted to do education, then child psychology, then I questioned it and thought should I be generic and do business. I prayed and prayed for God to lead me in this decision and in the end I knew I was meant to pursue education, so off I went. Then I got hired to teach 1st grade and taught it for 6 years. I can remember saying to my coworkers, if I ever say I want to teach kindergarten just slap me because it will mean I have officially lost my mind. Who knew that I would end up in the wonderful wild jungle of kindergarten. I always thought there was no way I could teach kids to line up, wipe there noses, check their backpacks, and teach them how to function in school and become independent. Well I have to at this moment publicly eat crow! I now teach kindergarten and I LOVE it. My job is amazing! I love my students, my coworkers, and the ladies and gentleman I work with :)! However most of all I love those kiddos. The first day of school you always walk in and think oh my goodness it is going to be a long year and of course you think I may not be able to teach these kids anything! Then you get a few weeks under your belt and everyone settles in and the next thing you know you are settled into a wonderful routine and life is good. There is no feeling better than loving my life at home with my wonderful hubby and boys, but to get up every morning and go to a job I enjoy so much is such a blessing.
I keep promising to share a few pics of my classroom, so this week I took a few pics for you to see my daytime world. I mean while some people are getting to watch daytime tv, eat out for lunch, run errands, or sit behind a desk or at a computer.......I am here in this wonderful world of kindergarten. I am teaching students to read, write, count, and work with basic math skills. I am teaching students how to choose a topic and write a sentence about it. I am teaching students to work together, enjoy their friends, respect students and teacher around them. I am mending broken hearts, wiping noses, sending kids to the potty, sending notes home to parents, putting on Dora band aids. I am patting parents on the back, thanking parents for their help, meeting with coworkers on what we can do for those students that are struggling. I am creating centers activities, hosting university observers, writing lesson plans, grading papers. My job description could go on for hours, but please know that I am NOT complaining I love my job every single part of it. Yes there are days where there are more piles of paperwork than others, but when you see the kiddos learning and enjoying it, it is a blessed feeling. I have 2 kids at home and 22 kiddos everyday from 7:45-3:15. So here are a few pics of my daytime world!

Our favorite place in the room! This is where we spend our learning time together!

Our word wall on my cabinets. My desk area and my Elmo. Our school is so blessed with technology. I have an Elmo, laptop, huge screen, projector, Smart Board and palm pilot.

Our 4 brand new computers!

Our Rhythm and Rhyme center

Our Home Living Center

This is my small group area where I pull small groups and work with kids one on one.

Reading Center

My student's tables where they work on activities.

I thank God everyday for steering me into education! This was the job for me! Even though I told those teachers many years ago to never let me go teach kindergarten, I can now honestly say that I am going to happily stay teaching in kindergarten as long as I can!!!!!!! Work for me just can't get any better than this! Well unless I could teach in my living room in my pajamas and slippers!

Super Saturday!

Ok a Super Saturday to me is one that we have NOTHING planned. I LOVE spending the day at home. We had NO where to go at all and it was glorious. Then as if the day couldn't get any better my grandparents came by and picked the boys up for a few hours. I got all the laundry finished up and our weeks worth of clutter put away. When the boys got home it was so GORGEOUS outside, so we hit the backyard to play in the leaves and swing. Did I mention that Carter and I took a 2 hour nap and the best part was waking up to smell my beans that I had cooking in the crockpot, so yummy! I whipped up some cornbread and fried some potatoes and served up a good ole southern meal for dinner. Then the grandparents came by for a visit and surprised us all by taking both boys home with them for the night. Okay I LOVE my boys with all my heart, but a little break never hurt anybody right? So we are relaxing big time! I am watching whatever I want on tv and I am on the laptop, the best part is no one is crawling on top of me or screaming at me to wipe their bottom or get them something to eat or drink! Jeremy is kicked back watching tv and relaxing as well! If you ask me I think it is mainly because he ate so much and he can't move :)! So let the Super Saturday continue! Hope you all have had a Super Saturday too! Bring on a Super Sunday!

Trick or Treat!

What a great Halloween it was!!! Let me begin by saying that every year since Ian was born he has been sick on Halloween. It has varied from the flu, stomach virus, bad cold, etc. He has never had a Halloween where he was completely healthy and could enjoy himself. Well this year he finally was healthy and on top of that the weather was wonderful!!!!! I know this had to be his best Halloween ever! Not only was it fun for Ian, but Carter is to the age where he could walk up to doors and yell out trick or treat! It was so cute! We started our Halloween day by taking Ian and his friend Jett to a lunch at ATA with the superhero Snake Eyes. They had a special workout and a pizza lunch. They had a great time! After that we came home and rested up for a fun night of trick or treating! The three of us dressed up and headed over to the grandparents for treats and pictures! Yes I did dress up.....you will just have to wait until you see the pics below! After that we came home and daddy had the 4 wheeler fired up because when we trick or treat he is our transportation service. We hopped on and headed around the circle where we live. Tyler, Ian's friend from across the street went with us. So we had an Everlast Boxer, an adorable pirate, and Ozzy Osbourne! The boys got a TON of candy. Carter would march right up there to the front door with them, just like he was as big as they were. I had worried it was going to be cold out, but the weather was perfect!

This is the boys Halloween morning!
My Everlast boxer and pirate

Proof that I did dress up! My good ol' faithful Raggedy Anne costume that my stepmom made for me years ago when I was in college. I love that costume now just as much as I did when she made it for me. Thanks Jannie! Carter did not know what to think of me in that wig! He said I no wear that hair!

Ozzy Osbourne and my tough boxer

Part of their loot!

A huge thank you to Mrs. Granbois for the bright blue monster cookies she got the boys!!!!! Carter was covered and it was demolished by the time he finished it!

So as you can see a good time was had by all. Jeremy's treatment last week was a ROUGH one. He was wore out, exhausted, and had a lot of pain until about Saturday. However on Saturday morning he was back up and at work. We were so happy that he was able to trick or treat with the boys. We went this morning and got his hair cut REALLY short, so now it is all blended together. One of the guys is getting really nervous that he is gonna have to end up shaving his head right in the middle of winter because of a promise he made to Jeremy when he was in the hospital! No meds, no dr. appointments this week, we are so happy and going to enjoy the nice break.

I have to say THANK YOU to a dear friend of mine Melissa. We have been friends since college. We both pledged Chi Omega and immediately hit it off. It is funny because we are the same, but different if that is possible. I am loud and goofy, she is quiet and shy. I am a risk taker, she is more on the conservative side. However when we pledged Chi O we immediately became best friends and have stayed that way even after we left college. I love that I can call Melissa and cry, scream, complain, or just visit. She is the person that can always say the right thing and know exactly what I need. There are no words to tell you how much her friendship means to me. The only wish that we both have is that we lived closer together, but the great thing is I know she would be here in a heartbeat if I needed her to and I would do the same. Melissa you know right when I need a pick me up, a special treat, phone call, or text. I don't know what I would do without you. I am so blessed that God put us in that pledge class together in 1996, I could have just easily pledge the year before you got there, but I didn't I waited. At the time I didn't know why I had waited, but it is very clear to me now. I won't go into detail only because I know you wouldn't want me to, but THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. I love you so much and thank God for your friendship everyday.

Well we are using today and our extra hour as recooperation from our week. Between trunk or treats, chemo, dr appts, Halloween, taekwondo, book club, etc. we are exhausted. Of course everyone here is munching on candy and will be all sugared up again by the end of the day! All the boys grab a piece every time they go by. I can resist most of the candy, but when they start giving out homemade cookies, brownies, etc. for Halloween that is when I will be in trouble!

Hope you all are having a Happy Fall!!! Now we go from costumes and candy to planning our turkey dinner!!!!