Just a quick update for the sake of updating:

*Softball season has started up for me again, and although our team isn’t doing too great so far, I’m loving it of course. Seeing my girlfriends every week is great, and we still have a fun time together.
*It was discovered that I have some kind of a wicked flippy underhanded pitch. You’re reading the blog of the newest pitcher for the Sunnyside Sluggers. I nearly passed out from being so nervous during my first pitching game!! Surprisingly enough, I did pretty well (only walked three batters the whole game) and I really liked it!!
*Andy graduated from pre-school last week!! Kindergarten here we come!
*I had minor surgery this past Friday. Spent this weekend recovering. Was put under for the first time ever. Very nerve-wracking, but all turned out well.
*Felt good enough to cook huge dinner for entire family on Monday. Discovered a great new mexican dish to cook (courtesty of my neighbors) and shopped at a mexican store, hehe.
*My parents and relatives are all going to Vegas in two weeks for my cousin’s wedding, and I’m SOOOO SOO SOOO sad I’m not going!
*We booked our vacation for Arkansas a couple weeks ago, we’ll be going down in September for my aunt’s wedding. Looking forward to the vacation, but not the drive! Yuck!
*Three more weeks of Tball….I’ll be glad when it’s over.
*And now my updates are over.

I can’t believe Sammy is three today. It feels like he should be twenty, he’s been here so long! It’s gone by so fast! I love this kids so much, and in a million kind of ways. He’s been a challenge, but I can’t imagine what my life would be like without him. Surely not nearly as full. Happy Birthday my boy, mommy loves you a billion gazillion.

Going out for my birthday turned out fantastic! We went to a club to see a band, and just had the best time together! A BUNCH of my friends came out, along with my brother and sister, and to say we had fun is an understatement.

It always feels good when your friends come out to celebrate your birthday. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve had awesome birthdays and I’ve had cruddy birthdays. This one turned out fantastic…couldn’t ask for anything more.

I do love to get my party on.

I broke two dishes yesterday.
Then I cried.
They weren’t just any old dishes…they were from our “casual” set of dishes we registered for, for our bridal shower. Heavy ceramic, cobalt blue. We’ve used them nearly every day for the last 10 years!
I was unloading the bane of my existance dishwasher and I dropped a bowl onto the stack of dishes. One cracked totally in half, and another was badly chipped on the edge. I had to throw them both away, and I had tears in my eyes when I did it. It just struck me as so sad…yet another tangible mark of time gone by. They were the first of our bridal dishes that have been broken. I’m sure this seems silly, and I know it kind of is…but such is life. It’s the little things that get ya.

Tomorrow I turn 32. Yikes. NOT so little of a thing there, hehe.

I was on the phone with my aunt several weeks ago and we were chatting, just catching up on life. I was telling her all the things going on when I realized that I basically have the life I thought I wanted when I was younger. I gave an ironic kind of laugh and said, “Be careful what you wish for, I guess!”
Not that I’m not happy, because I am. It was just that it all of a sudden dawned on me that I guess this crazy life is what it’s all about.
I’m the team manager of Andy’s t-ball team, and that’s been taking a lot of time. It’s a lot of work taking care of the “administrative” end of things, plus figuring out ways to help coach little kids. I have two other dads that are also coaches, and that helps a lot. So at least I’m not doing it totally on my own. We’ve only had practices twice a week thus far, and the games start next week. We meet 2-3 times a week, and it’s just a lot at this age, I feel. But, I also realize that as time goes on and the kids get older…the more serious the sports become. It just seems like it’s here so fast…the life of becoming a t-ball mom (or soccer mom, hockey mom, etc.). I also registered Andy for Kindergarten last week, which was yet another wakening. Believe me, like I said, this was the life I wanted. Maybe it was just easier to rationalize it when they were babies, and I had more “control” over things. It’s a little overwhelming.
I totally feel like I’m rambling here, and not making much sense. I actually took a sick day today from watching kids…I’m not feeling all that well. I just wanted to take the time to write, even though these thoughts are not coming out the way I wanted them to.

Jim, the kids and myself on Easter Sunday.

The crazy pace of life has picked up exponentially and although I have a lot to write about, I haven’t the time at the moment. Rest assured things are good, just busy. Love to you all. xoxox

Our waterpark trip was great! The kids loved it. We totally surprised them with the trip. They didn’t know where we were going until we got there. They had been seeing commercials for this particular resort all summer (and winter) long and had been begging to go. They were beyond thrilled with it.
The really great part of it was that Jim and I actually got to relax a bit while the kids were playing! The big play area that was for the little kids was completely roped off, so they couldn’t get out of that immediate area. Jim and I were able to sit at a table while the boys played, instead of having to constantly hover. It was great!! I can’t believe they’re finally getting old enough for that. We’re almost home-free!! I haven’t uploaded any of the pictures yet, soon hopefully.

Jim and I have been doing really well lately. I know I mentioned before in a couple posts that we had been going through quite a rough patch. And when I say rough, well, it was just bad. But it’s gotten so much better. We’ve both been making an effort not to be so jerky (who knew it could be so hard not to be sometmes, lol) and it’s really paying off…imagine that, lol. I am really happy with where we’re at, and it feels great. It was horrible and ugly there for a while, but it really just serves to make the good part now seem that much better. Coming through stuff like that really makes you realize you’re in it for the long haul. We’re a long way from perfect, and we probably always will be, but that’s okay. We’re good, and we’re good with that.

I am so sick of this shitty weather I could just spit nails. The kids are going crazy and that makes
everything ugly. We. Want. Out!

I’m having some daycare issues that need to be resolved. We’re having a hard time with the little boy that I’ve been watching for the last two and a half years. I just wrote the mom a long letter today and I’m nervous as hell about it. We’ll see what happens. It’s too long to get into here, but it’s just some behavior issues that are getting worse instead of better. It’s going to take a lot to resolve it and I’m worried, but hopeful that things will turn out okay. Stress!!!!

I have a TON of shopping to do this week for the upcoming Easter weekend. Not only do we have Easter with both families (Jim’s on Saturday, mine on Sunday). We also have FIVE birthdays within this week and a half!!! Cray-zay!

And because God truly has a sense of humor, not only has it been snowing, but I also came down with a hideous cold yesterday.

Yay life!

Well, not REALLY leaving, lol, I wish. Just for a day. We’re taking the kids on a little mini-getaway to a waterpark hotel overnight. They don’t know about it, and it’s a place that they’ve been wanting to go for MONTHS, thanks to all the commercials on tv. I’m having a hard time not telling Andy about it, because I know he’ll freak, hehehe.
The thing is, we got close to a foot of snow (a little less) here overnight last night. YES, SNOW. For spring break. I cannot tell you how f’n AWESOME that is NOT!!! So of course, Jim has been out working all night and early this morning. Hopefully they’ll be done in time for us to leave. In case you can’t really tell….I AM SO MAD! We don’t plan much of anything for the four months over winter, because Jim is on call all the time for the snow. The ONE time we plan ONE night at a hotel, at the END of March for SPRING BREAK and we get this freak snowstorm. This is absolutely outside my capabilities of staying calm. GRR!
I wish we were going somewhere like 700 miles south of here.

Jim has been down in Springfield this week so I’ve been going it alone over there the last couple days. It’s been on the rough side, but I think we’re doing good. It’s just hard having kids here all day, and then not getting a break at night at all.
Yesterday’s weather was absolutely beautiful though, so I think that was really a great plus. We were outside a bunch and even had a park playdate in the evening. That kept the kids going all day, and by evening we were all wiped out enough to relax and get to bed pretty easily. I even made a fun dinner, which the kids both gobbled up with no arguement. LOL, considering it was St. Patrick’s Day, it was probably the LEAST Irish meal I could have made…. cheese/chicken quesadillas and homemade guacamole and salsa.
Tonight we’ll be having dinner over at my parents’ house, and then Jim will be home late tomorrow afternoon.
I’ve missed him more than I thought I would, which I think bodes well for us. Things were pretty rocky for us a little bit there, but I think we’re getting over the hump. I’m excited for him to be back home.