Remember

I was sitting in church today with my boys, they are doing so well these days.  They have been blessed to be able to come with me 3 weeks in a row to church.  We are so lucky!  I got choked up as I sat in the back row with my boys singing Because I Have Been Given Much.

This year my word to focus on is REMEMBER.

Remember the good, remember the bad, remember you are who you are because of all that you experience.  Remember that it is the little things that make up the big things.  Remember that you are loved, taken care of, and watched over.  Remember that there are so many people praying for you and your boys.  Remember that you have 3 wonderful boys entrusted to you who need consistency and encouragement.  They crave love and attention and positive.  Remember that other people do not always know all the details and you yourself don't always know all the details either.  

This last month my life has taken a spin and I have been taken for a pretty incredible ride.  I have been able to see what life is like with just me and the boys.  No interruptions. I have loved seeing how the boys have changed.  I have enjoyed my time with them and planning activities to keep us busy.  Seeing the smiles on their faces and the sparkle in their eyes is something that can never be made up for.  With kids, you can't make up for lost time.

School started last week for me and the first few days I felt like I was overwhelmed.  A deer in headlights.  Now that the week is over and I look back, the comedy of errors is mostly due to my own lack of preparing for school to start.  This semester I am taking 16 hours.  Two classes are support classes for physical therapy and three are kinesiology classes for my major.  I have three classes that require exercise five days a week and logging my food intake as a part of my grade.  I think there is a reason this is all happening now after my medical tests of the last few months.  It is time to get my buns back into shape and keep up the healthy lifestyle changes I have made over the last year.  I am signing up this week for another fun 5k with some friends for April.  Local friends, maybe I will see you there again??

Happily Ever After

"As much as you may not like it, people are watching you right now. Just like a highway accident causes traffic delays in the opposite direction, the world is also filled with emotional 'rubberneckers'...people who slow to watch other people's lives. Perhaps part of it is curiosity, part of it is fear. 'What if this happened to me?' 'What would I do?' 'I wonder what she did to deserve this?'

People are watching to see how you handle this...what you do, how you act, the choices you make. They are talking about you behind your back, placing bets on how you will fare. I don't say this to upset you; I say this to illustrate the scope of the opportunity at hand. Use this attention to be a light for Christ. Heal properly. Continue to love...Take the high road. Take your time.

Then, later, when someone asks you, 'how on earth did you do it?' you will be able to respond with enlightenment--giving credit where credit is due." Happily Ever After pg. 33 by Kristin Armstrong (Lance Armstrong's ex-wife).

Tonsillectomy

Yesterday Quinten got his tonsils removed.  The ENT was so gracious to let me schedule the surgery as soon as the next day so that I could help him recover before I had to start back to school.  It was 2 days shy of a year from him getting his tubes in and adenoids out. He was so funny, a great patient, and is doing amazingly well.

When we were getting out of the car to go inside he asked if he could bring his glasses with him.  He told me that they might get confused and think he was Kaden and he wouldn't have to get his tonsils out.

All versed up and waiting to go back.  I think this is a great picture showing him relaxed, but the hat makes him look a little like a cancer patient.  He has "Snowy" with him.  When I took him to the ENT the day before to schedule the surgery, they of course wanted blood work done.  The only place that we could get it done and to the surgery center on time was the children's hospital here.  They were amazing!  They had numbing spray and he earned stickers and this teddy bear.  It is his new best friend.  TinTin decided that Snowy was going to get surgery too and get tubes put in his ears.

We had some time to spare before hand and had fun playing together and reading books.  We had to sign an agreement before hand that said we would not take pictures, but the nurses pulled the curtains closed around us and actually asked me to take pictures of him because they said I needed to remember him being so cheerful.

A full body shot to show that Snowy & Quinten both were all ready for surgery.  Tin was joking around with them all and so they were giving him the royal treatment.  Snowy's hat is actually a shoe cover.  They even gave him his own special socks so he could be brave too and not fall.

This boy amazes me.  He did not and still has not cried one bit about getting his tonsils out.  He woke up tired but happy and has done all that has been asked of him.  He lucked into the same great care team that he had the last time.  They were all amazed at how well he did this time.

He was funny, after he finished this green popsicle he called out to the nurse, "Lady! I need another one!" I told him he needed to be a little bit more patient and kind in asking, so he called out, "Ms. Lady! I need another one. Maybe a blue one this time please?"  The nurse said that was a first to have a young patient calling out to her like that.

When we got to the car afterwards he asked, when are they going to take my tonsils out?  He chose fried rice and chicken for dinner and today is has been all I can do to not have him climb and run and jump and play.  I don't know that we will last the full 3 weeks that they ordered of him not jumping on the trampoline.  I will shoot for 2 1/2.  :)  If you didn't see the tired rings around his eyes, you wouldn't even be able to guess that he had surgery.

And the best part is, he no longer snores like a freight train and so far hasn't had any pauses in his sleep.  His 4+ tonsils were the cause of his sleep apnea they think.  Hooray for modern medicine and wonderful doctors who can help solve the problems and make life easier!

And not to forget Kaden & Hyrum....  Here is Kade Man with his gloves on pretending to take care of Hyrum.  I took Hyrum to the doctor today and he has a sore throat.  He came up negative for strep and the flu though but the doctor told him he needs to relax on the couch and catch up on his tv shows.  Hyrum thought that was the best medicine ever that a doctor would tell him to miss school and watch star wars!

DPT - no not the shot!

Tonight I started looking at all the requirements that I need to get into PT school, I have looked before but I am really trying to narrow it down now.  I will have everything school wise taken care of but all the extra volunteer hours, extra tests I need to study for and take along with the long applications are starting to feel a bit overwhelming.  I just need to remember baby steps and find me a good mentor.  Anyone who is a PT or in physical therapy school want to help me figure it all out?  Or do you know anyone who might be willing to help me along the way?  Thanks!

Traditions

I have tried over the year to have fun little traditions with the boys and this is one that I have kept up after the divorce.  We love the Monster Jam!  This year was fun because we scored free pit passes so we got to get in early and see all the trucks up close.  Hyrum also got to bring his friend from church  along.

I think it is safe to say that this tradition is a keeper, I just wished it started an hour or two earlier so that we could get home a little earlier in the night.

*No the boys did not change clothes mid-show, the top picture is from Friday when we scored the free passes.*

My hardest struggle

My hardest struggle is when my three ring circus packs up for the night to go visit their dad.
Welcome to Wednesday nights in my bed!  The night before they take off they usually manage to talk me into a slumber party in my bed.  Thursday nights are Kyle's night.  If it is his weekend then he gets them Thursday at 6pm through Sunday at 6pm.  If it is my weekend he gets them Thursday at 6pm until they go to school the next morning.

Let me explain a little bit more so that you understand.

I am the first to admit that there are times that I need a break from my boys, any parent who tells you that they do not need a break from their kids at times is fooling themselves.  It doesn't need to be a long break, but there are times when a little adult interaction is needed and a chance to go to the restroom without little fingers pushing notes under the door.

And that is my news for the evening.  The slumber party was in vain though because I had them for tonight.  It is still a fun tradition that we have at the moment and it works for us!

The Times They Are A Changing!

So remember back a few months ago when I said, hey if you know anyone single and decent to send them my way, well I have kinda gotten my with and to be honest it is NOT what I want.  Ha!  It is kinda ironic how things happen in life....  I thought that I would enjoy dating lots of different guys, but I don't.  Don't get me wrong, is is great to be told that I am beautiful and attractive..... a really nice change after my marriage actually... but I am at a point in my life where I am just enjoying being Paige and the boys.  

I quite enjoy my free time and going out with different random people, but the second that they say that actually like me and want to get to know me, I am sorta turned off at the moment.  I know this sounds irrational as why else would they ask me out if they were not some what already semi interested in me to begin with, but I am finding myself turning this dating into a game.  The same game that I hate when it is played on me!  

I sit through conversations with guys and find myself forcing myself to pay attention and wondering if my not taking medicine for ADHD would turn the conversation into something a big more amusing.  I often times am trying to talk my way out of the conversation and get off the phone.  This makes me seem weird as I am anything but anti social.... but I am just not into wanting to date to be in a relationship right now.  

Sometimes conversations get confusing and I have to check my phone to see who it is I am talking to and remember to call them by the right name.  I have actually called guys by the wrong name, thanks for being a good sport Will!

This leads me to a conversation that I had with Hyrum back in November that I want to make sure and remember.

H- Mom there is this girl in 3rd grade and she is HOT!

Me- Oh yeah. What does that mean?

H- I think I am going to kiss her!

Me- I don't think you are ready for that just yet.

H- Why not? I've seen you do it and we are both single you know...

Me- Maybe when you are a little bit older.

H- So it's pretty gross then?

Me- Yes Hyrum, yes it is.

H- So why do you do it then?

Me- Silence.

How is that for honestly tonight?  I have missed my blog and the release that comes from writing my thoughts out.  Hopefully you will hear from my a little bit more often in 2013!

"The road of life has many turns. Sometimes the road of life takes us to a place we had planned....sometimes it shows us a surprise around the bend we could never have anticipated.  but often we find it is only when we look back that we can see that what we had thought was a "wrong turn" has brought us to exactly the right place and every step was a right one after all!"

Hello 2013!

I think I have finally updated this with the happenings from the last month.  I am glad that we are in a new year.  2012 has been wonderful to be and the boys, but I am glad for it to be over and see what 2013 brings.  It started out with my being really sick in Houston.  I seem to be lucky on the getting sick times when my boys are gone.  I guess if I have to be sick, at least I am not trying to find people to take care of the boys, it could be much worse.  Over the last 2 months I have had a new team of doctors working on me.  It all started back with getting kidney stones back in October....  I have had the gamut of tests run to check for a myriad of things.  The one that was most concerning to be was diabetes, I have had several of the signs and symptoms of diabetes as well as a family history of it.  They checked my thyroid and many other things.  I had doctors tell me that they were 85% sure before the blood work came back that they believed I had it.  Today though, I was given a clean bill of health and told that everything looks good.  So the mysterious ailments that I have had lately seem to be coming from nowhere medically found and hopefully they leave me alone now that the blood work is here to prove it!  

The boys all came home with pink eye, so their break has been extended while I give them drops and hope for the goop to disappear.  I am enjoying this time with them though as it seems like I did not get to spend very much time with them and was only allowed to talk to them once.  These last few days have been great enjoying them and getting well.  We have managed to play many board games, make treats, and stay up late.  After tonight though, I am ready to get back to a normal routine and have school start for me (it doesn't start until the 22nd) and get back into a more normal routine.

Last semester I with the help of many managed to pull off straight A's!  It was a major feat for me and it was nice to know that all the late nights and early mornings were worth it.  Now I hope to be able to do the same next semester.  On top of my full time job as a mom and student, and my want for play time, I am going to be squeezing in time for studying for the GMAT as well.  It is a good thing that I am at a stage in my life where I enjoy and thrive on learning new things!

First NBA Game

Those who know me, know I LOVE finding a good deal on things.  The weekend before Christmas was no exception, I found San Antonio Spurs tickets online for 90 cents each!  So for less than a movie I was able to take the boys to the game.  Thanks to Aunt Heather for watching TinTin so that we could have this time.

What does 90 cents buy you, you might ask, top row nose bleed tickets, it didn't matter to us though, it was perfect for boys who do not always enjoy sitting still!

The view from the top.

Look how grown up Hyrum is.  He is a giant too!  I love this big guy!

Kaden was hilarious, he wanted his picture taken with the "naked ladies" AKA the silver dancers.  He was smiling so big for the picture that his eyes got squinty.  I love this boy's sense of humor.

Hyrum was telling anyone he could that he got to go to his first NBA game.  The idea to go to the game originated with him wanting to win tickets off the radio for the game.

Outside by the heaters after the game listening to the band.

Christmas

Christmas this year was at my house.  All but my mom and Heidi were able to make it.  We had 16 people plus Tia's dog at the house.  It was definitely full, but loads of fun.  The pictures are in random order.

I got the boys a trampoline.  The backyard isn't big enough for the traditional round, so I found a rectangle at an amazing price.  It was not supposed to show up until Christmas Eve but the FedEx man delivered it the Saturday before.  It ended up being a good thing because it was a beast to put together and got lots of use while all the cousins were here.

TinTin loves Uncle Stu

Tia & Stu got all the boys headlamps for Christmas.  They were having a fun time playing with them in the dark.

Tia is the Monopoly player of the family, and Hyrum was enjoying having others to play board games with.  He is definitely a Buchanan when it comes to playing games.  To say he loves them is an understatement.

The stockings were hung on the entertainment center with care.....  when you don't have a chimney, improvise!

Stu squirrel hunting, AKA testing out the goods that Santa left behind making sure they would be ok for the morning when the boys got up to play.  

Wake up Aunt Tia & Uncle Stu, it's Christmas!

It is always fun to see the notes left behind for the boys in the morning.  Tia & Stu had fun with it this year.  Hyrum was cracking up when he read it, I wish I could have got a picture of his face.  8 years old and he still believes!

Quinten got a trophy from Santa, just what he asked for when I took them to sit on his lap.  What 3 year old asks for a trophy from Santa....mine!

I had taken the boys out to pick a present for the babysitter and Hyrum found the "perfect" present for me.  He hid it behind his back and paid for it by himself.  He had Aunt Heather help him wrap it up and  he decided what to write on it.  In case you were wondering, the perfect present for me happens to be a pink fork, knife, spoon combo that looks like a pocket knife.  Thanks Hyrum, I love it!  Hopefully you get to go on a trip with me to use it.

Jenna and her love for bendy straws earned her a big box of them, now she doesn't have to go through the drive thru asking for them. 

Estella was happy with her Christmas spoils as well.

More board games, of course Hyrum was in heaven.

Christmas morning after the presents were opened we had a long nerf gun fight at the house.  The boys each got new guns, so they were thrilled to get to use them and even have the bullets downstairs.  Uncle Stu had the little 3 on his team and they all battled against Hyrum.  I am not sure who won in the end, but they were all having a great time.

Yet again, more board games.  It seems to be what my family does when we all get together, go out and play and stay in and play games.

*I somehow managed to not get a picture of Brenda, Robbie, April, or a decent one of Heather.  Sorry guys!*

Randoms

Kaden driving at the grocery store like "Ernest."  Apparently Ernest is the best driver with his foot.

TinTin waiting his turn for the blue monster pinata at his 2nd birthday party.

 I was able to go to the boys school Christmas parties.... I still try to get up to the boys school as much as I can even though I am in school.  Luckily I had finals the week before they got out of school so I didn't have to miss anything!

 Quinten had a 2nd birthday party when all my family came into town.  We went to the lake for some kayaking, a bbq, and a bonfire with smores.  It was a really fun night!

 The boys came back from Christmas break looking like cancer survivors with their super short buzz cuts, Kaden was skypeing with Aunt Heidi and wanted some hair back on his head, so I obliged. 

 Double fisting the juice boxes.  I don't put anything past this little guy.  And he is constantly eating or drinking something,

 Kaden enjoys comparing himself to how big the bathtub is, and to how tall he is in my bed.  He asks for his picture to be taken so much when he is awake that I now find myself taking his picture when he is asleep to show him the next morning how much room he takes up.

 TinTin found my hiking backpack and wanted to go on a trip...  me too little buddy, me too!

 I went up to Dallas one weekend in December when I was kid free to an ugly Christmas sweater party. There were plenty of ugly sweaters for sure!

Quinten is free

December 18th Quinten turned 3, or as he says it...free!  This little boy is am amazing addition to our little family.  I love him so much.  He is so witty and brings tons of energy to our house.  He is all boy and loves to wrestle with his big brothers.  TinTin, as he calls himself, has no fear and a vivid imagination.  His favorite thing is to go bye bye to the bank. Why the bank you might ask?  He wants to trade his money for suckers!  Smart boy knows that Mom doesn't buy candy but that if you bring in "enough" money that the bank will trade you.

Dirty face after helping make his birthday cupcakes.

Any present he opened he was ecstatic for and was thrilled to show it off.

I think the camera from Brian was a favorite gift, he sleeps with it every night still!

Blowing out the candles on his "blue monster cupcakes."

For his birthday dinner I took the boys to Texas Roadhouse. Kaden that night was funny and told me that we should eat at this place every time because they want you to throw food on the floor.