short and sweet

I hope that this will be short...
We have had some exciting times! Levi is almost done with soccer (this Saturday is the last game) and hockey is getting started! We have let him be goalie now...and last Sunday he took one in the chest, one on the forehead part of the helmet, and one in the face mask. I tell you what it did not even faze him. He kept right after the puck, never loosing sight and never forgetting what he needed to do. I was a PROUD MAMA! He really works hard at the goalie thing, so hard that you can tell that he's not all that into the whole scoring thing. That would not be a problem on any other team (no one wants to goalie), but on his team there are 3 that like to goalie. Most are older (one is 12 one is 9) so they usually let Levi have his way. Levi also got hurt during his first game. I walked out on the rink when heard him cry here was the conversation:
me: "Pop tall, Levi you're tough"
Levi: "No, I'm not"
me: "Where does it hurt?" (I knew, but what the heck)
Levi: "MY KNEE" (yeah, not the answer I thought-yes I thought it was a bit higher than that-and his shin guards go past his knees)
me: (as I kiss my hand and put it on the shin guard) "If you are not okay then no goalie next game"
Levi: "I dried up"
and off he went...
All the while Benjamin (who had no nap, but was really good) is posing for his picture taken about a million times with some girls.
BOYS!

It's FRIDAY

It is time for Jacob to come HOME! I must admit that this week has been a very long week...
Jacob has been in Las Vegas since Tuesday and I have been a single parent, a job I am NOT cut out to be full time! It has been a great week and I really have done well ( I have only done drive-thru once-but may do it again tonight) that means I have cooked, done dishes, kept the house picked up (as much as a construction site can be anyway), bathed the children, and managed to come to work every day! I must admit I love my boss, she has been so kind to me this week-daycare does not open until 0730 and the kiddos have to be picked up by 1715 (sorry 5:15 I operate on a 24 hour clock, you'll have to learn it- I don't always convert) it takes me 45 mins to get to work so I get to work at 0830 then leave at 1615-that's no 8.5 hours, she has let me use leave time to make up for the hours this week, usually I just make up the time when Jacob's home, but he's not here, is he. All three of us are ready for daddy to be home.
A woman at work got married last Saturday-Benjamin's favorite here at work, I am so happy for her, and I am glad to hear someone wanting to be happy in marriage. There are at least 3 people getting divorced here at work. It really makes me sad, never do I think that people believe their marriage will end in divorce. So, I'm happy for D, because she has a good guy (maybe almost as good as mine) and it's good to have more happy couples in the world.
The new toy room is proceeding full steam ahead. We have the room tore down to the studs so that we can seal and put new insulation up and drywall. I had planned on working on the room this week, but bedtime came so quickly after supper that it just didn't make it on the list of stuff to do...
Benjamin is talking all the time. I do not think I have heard mom, mama, mommy, mmmmooooommmyyyyy as much this year as I have this week. He misses his dad. Benjamin likes the construction zones and pounds everything. He is a worker... Last evening he was "helping" me pack Levi's lunch and wanted one to bring to work today. I packed his lunch and he has carried it everywhere, and cried when I put it in the fridge here at work.
Levi is super excited for his dad to get home and his jam packed weekend of soccer and hockey. He is going to his friend R's after school. It is amazing watching him learn to read. He loves his books and figuring things out...
I start a cake decorating class on Monday with some friends, I'm pretty good already, but there are somethings that I don't know how to do like FLOWERS...

Well, it's getting toward the end of the week and we are BUSY! Levi is now a two sporter-soccer and roller hockey. Both Jacob and I are sure that Levi will make a great goalie for both sports. He tends to stay back and guard the goal. Pretty good, huh?! He is going to be TIRED a lot. He is loving school and using his glasses while he reads to me. There is so much to report that I can't think of anything. His schedule is amazing and I have now gone to color coding the calendar to make sure we are all in the right spot on the right day.
Jacob is working a lot and will be gone on business all week next week. Wow, already! My children and I will have to struggle by next week, I'm sure that we will make it. Jacob will be starting back with saxophone lessons soon, so our home will be filled with new music. (my friend Amber-who I am learning that I miss when she's not around teaches Jacob's lessons then we make a supper for her... one day her and her husband will learn to SCUBA with us)
Benjamin is the only one that just goes where he is told. To say that Benjamin loves Levi's hockey stuff is an understatement. Benjamin's ability to follow the game is amazing. Soccer seems to just be a good time for Benjamin to play.
I start a fun class on Monday evenings. Cake decorating. Monday will be my first class, but I am already pretty good at putting what is in my head in or on a cake. I have made all of my boys' birthday cakes, mostly from scratch and love to carve the cake then decorate. I do not know how to make a frosting flower and a few others things that I hope that I learn. I made a cake for Jacob's birthday one year and now I cannot find the recipe.
We are all fine and bracing for a busy weekend, church function on Saturday, unusual soccer and roller hockey back to back on Sunday (very unusual). We are working on the upstairs toy room hoping to have it done before cold weather!

It's FALL

Last night Jacob and I went to the my least favorite store in the world--Wal Mart. I would live a happy life if I never went to another Wal Mart again, but there is no where else to get stuff-although I rarly do grocery shop there I go to Hy Vee! Anyway we got some Halloween decoration to surprise Levi. We usually do not decorate for Halloween, we are never home and never have any trick or treaters...We alway go to Keri's and Jacob and John stay there and pass out candy, Keri and I take the kiddos to the local nursing home and on one street. They make more candy than they can carry we usually have to take an extra bag for candy overflow. So it is alway pretty fun, this year I think another family is going with us, partly because we will need 2 cars anyway, so we might as well spread the wealth. Jacob and I had the spiderweb spread out and the lights up as Levi was coming home from AWANAS he was surprised and so was R. They love it and all we have left is to put some spiders on the web.
Last weekend we were at my parents had a good time and we were able to make it to the U of I Homecoming parade-it was the first REAL parade that Levi's been to, it was FUN! Jacob had fire school and I left the kids with my parents and went shopping with E. It was really fun to just do whatever I want. We went to the city market and got some peppers that were art!
This week is the Levi's school's homecoming! Today was crazy hair day, I will try to get a picture and post it--Levi's hair is fun!
Soccer game this Sat and I work this Sat evening, it will be busy, but good!
take care,
Paula

PICTURES

Just a quick note before you enjoy the pictures. Sunday when I watched Keri's kids went slendidly! There were only a few issues, mostly because of age differences J is almost 7 the boys are 5 so there are some play style differences and Julie feels like the only girl, she kind of is...and Levi has a power wheel GATOR, J likes to drive it, well, she is a bit of a woman driver and backed up, not watching where she was going and ran over her brother, G, up to his shoulder. G is 13 months, yeah he was alright, he's pretty tough, being the youngest of 4...
ENJOY, I tried to make the comments match the pictures...
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FUTBOL??? Levi informed me he is not playing football-he's playing soccer...











The swarm... the black team is Levi's in this pictue are on the left L, in the middle R (Levi's best buddy), and then Levi on the right

Levi fell and his friend K was there to help him up! Great teamwork, later in the game Levi passed the ball to K and she scored!

Levi's glasses-not sure if you can see the lighter blue flames. Jacob is amazed at how unkidlike he looks with his glasses-he looks so much older...

These are my kiddos being kiddos...

What is with kids and verticle blind? In these pictures Levi was getting annoyed with me taking pictures, hence the poses...

These are at Jasmine's son A's birthday party...

I saved the best for last! I gave Benjamin his first haircut this weekend (Saturday afternoon). He was the second haircut I gave...

Levi got what he wanted and I was good with it, he's 5 and his hair goes so fast...Plus this is the first time he's wanted his hair to do anything but lay on his head.

Benjamin's hair is A LOT longer than Levi's I tease Jacob that I am going to keep the sides short and let his hair grow to his ears!

Here they are right after the cuts!

On the way to church, where I must admit the people th0ught they were cute. Later that day I had Keri's kids, I heard R saying he wanted a mohawk to look like Levi, Levi said "but this way they can tell us apart easier". Everyone gets Levi and R mixed up and if any of us adults are with them people will "how old are your twins" they are always so surprised when they find out they are just friends--no relation at all...

I am so lucky-but I am ranting and raving

I have really gotten "hooked" on a blog- Freezerbuns. I must admit that her struggle and so many others struggle to get pregnant makes me feel very strange. I remember my miscarriage and then the "hard time" I had getting pregnant, but the emotions that D has gone through to get her twins is amazing. The determination that some people have to have children is amazing and I am in awe of them. I love my children, but honestly I'm not sure how I would have felt had Levi not come as kind of a surprise-I had resigned myself as a childless woman. I know that I have mentioned Amber in the past, but I see how much she wants a child, and just hasn't gotten pregnant. I have another friend, M, who has had several pregnancies and only 2 children, and one on the way, but she is SICK. I don't mean just a little bit of morning sickness I mean hyperemesis (yes, it's a medical diagnosis). M is nauseated all the time, unless she is puking. She takes medication to help her keep food and fluids down EVERY 90 minutes AROUND THE CLOCK. Yes, she sets an alarm clock so she wakes up to take her meds. I remember having to set my alarm clock to pump-that SUCKS. When M was pregnant with J (now 3) M was honestly green. She would puke so hard she would pee, then the soles of her feet would get burns because her urine was so concentrated. M had always wanted a big family, so she tried again after J even went on Clomid with no baby, now she is pregnant and unable to keep food down again. With this case in mind I think of all of those who cannot get pregnant and try so hard, how awful would it be to finally get pregnant and not feel good. Before Benj was born I didn't know that I didn't feel good, but WOW did I feel lousy. I hope those who are having trouble getting pregnant feel good while they are pregnant, otherwise what a double whammy. I know that Freezerbuns is really feeling big-my gosh she has twins! I hope she has a healthy delivery... and a healthy baby. My friend D exposed me to another blog about a little girl with CDH (congenital diaphragm hernia) and little baby Elli's struggle and how sad to see the end of her struggle. It could happen to anyone. When reading babygirlreed2be it really angered me, I got to hold Benjamin when he was a couple of days old (I love Overland Park Regional Medical Center's NICU), but Elli's parents did not get to hold her until her 19th day, just the hours before she died. She was at the same Childrens hospital that Keri's 3rd baby, K, was at- Keri did not get to hold K until discharge was in sight. It just seems dumb that we in the medical community would believe that these babies would do better with tubes and wires and not human contact? I mean seriously? There can not be that big of a difference between a preemie and a sick baby-touch is what it is all about.
I think that reading some of the infertile blogs made me appreciate my family, and how much compasion I have inside of me.

I think I have gone crazy

Last night at soccer practice we (the soccer moms who all happen to be EMS widows-I mean wives also) were talking about Saturday's game-it is at 0900 and it is about an hour away. So much for sleeping in at all...anyway one of them Keri has to work and she was talking about her husband John getting all the kiddos ready that early-it is hard I'm sure-I'm not looking forward to it and I only have 2 not 4. Then the conversation turned to Sunday's training for the rescue team. Keri again has to work. I never watch her kiddos, not sure why-she always says the 6 is a long way from 2, but she watches my kids and doesn't mind saying that 6 is not far from 4. Anyway I know that finding someone to watch kids on Sundays must be hard and expensive! So I offered to watch all 4. I think it will be fun, I have some stuff to do and the big kids will help, the only thing that will be a challenge is managing the 3 little ones-Benjamin is not used to sharing my lap with anyone, but tolerates Levi, I will have to feed G, and K is always wanting to sit on my lap. Hopefully I will keep them all busy enough that it will go fine.
Levi got his glasses last night. I took pictures and I will post them when I can. He looks SMASHING in them. I still am not totally sure he needs them. The other day we were walking to the car and he saw a snail on the driveway. I could hardly see it. He claims he got close to see it. It looked like a rock-I'm not all together clueless. I guess he just needs them for close up. Last night Jacob went over how to open the case and put them on/take them off without touching the lenses. He also showed him how to clean them, put the cleaning cloth in Levi's backpack with a note to his teacher for her to help him for a while. I imagine soon the fun of glasses will subside and he will not want to wear them, then he will have to wear them...Oh, he even had me take a picture of his profile to show off the black flames. I'm not sure the pircture really shows the detail, but I will post it.