Adventures in Pre-K World

Anniversary

2009-12-09T12:28:00.002-06:00

I missed a very important day yesterday:

December 8, 2004 - Anthony James Yaklin was released from Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital after 71 days in the NICU. He weighed exactly 4 pounds that day...

Happy Five Year Anniversary, sweet boy!

Missing

2009-12-09T12:12:00.002-06:00

I seem to be missing a lot these days...

- I haven't been posting on my blog
- I haven't even been reading other blogs...and that's odd considering for a while I was checking them several times a day...
- I am missing having a job to go to every day
- I am missing my motivation

My routine used to be: get up a 5-5:30am, get self and AJ ready to go, drop off AJ at 6:30am, carpool with hubby to work, get stuff done at work, carpool home with hubby, fix dinner, watch TV with family, do a few chores, get AJ to bed, do a few more chores before bed at 10pm.

My routine now:
hear hubby's alarm go off at 5am, stay in bed while he gets ready and leaves for work, let AJ sleep in until about 6:45am, get both of us ready to take him to school, drop AJ off some time before 8am, come home, check Facebook, check email, check online job posting resources, clean house, watch TV...on my really exciting days I actually do the grocery shopping after I drop AJ off at school.

I REALLY need a job...I feel like I am killing more and more brain cells each day...

On the Lookout

2009-11-04T11:57:00.003-06:00

On October 15th I was laid off from my job with absolutely no clue that it was coming. I hadn't been happy for several months, and just earlier that week, Hubby told me I should start putting out feelers to look for something else. Then we had a connection group meeting at our house and I asked for friends to pray for some clarity regarding my job. That clarity came less than 12 hours later when I was laid off.

What to do? Sit around and wallow and feel like a victim? Worrying what we would do without my income and a new house? OR

Look at it as the opening for something even bigger and better that God is setting up for me. Spend more time getting involved in AJ's school. Rest and reflect on what I would really like to be doing.

Someone wise reminded me this weekend that I only have limited space in my life. The past and the future cannot occupy the same space. So you have to move the past out to make way for the future. So I'm putting the past behind me and waiting anxiously to find out the next step.

I have sent my resume out to lots of different places. But in my industry, this part of the year is very slow. I have sent out to other opportunities, but haven't had much luck yet.

I know there is something really good coming. I just have to work on my patience...But I must confess, my attitude and stress level have improved greatly.

Whatever is on the horizon?

BRING IT!

Wordless Wednesday - UH Homecoming Alumni Band

2009-10-28T07:45:00.003-06:00

Does this make me look fat?

Fannish Cookers

2009-10-12T08:05:00.002-05:00

More evidence that my son shares most of his genes with his Daddy:

Last night we went out to eat at a local Mexican restaurant because the Hubby was craving tamales. When the waiter came to take our order, AJ said (loudly), "Mommy, why all those cookers (waiters) talking in Fannish (Spanish)?

I explained to him that we were in a Mexican restaurant. He replied (again pretty loudly), "Mexican?! They REALLY like tamales here!"

Once his food came, he came up with an idea..."Mommy! I got an idea! We should come here to eat every day 'cuz these tamales are really good!"

Yippee...now I have two people in the house who would eat Mexican food three meals a day, seven days a week...(sigh)

Meat Eater

2009-09-17T08:39:00.003-05:00

AJ has been learning a lot about dinosaurs at school recently and is fascinated by the subject. In fact, he announced to me earlier this week that he is going to be a paleontologist. (That's a mighty big word for a 4-year-old!)

On Monday night he watched a show with his Daddy on the History Channel. It was about volcanoes. By Tuesday, AJ announced that he was going to be a paleontologist and when the volcano 'rupted, he would save all the dinosaurs.

Tuesday's project at school was cutting out dinosaur pictures and sorting them as either plant-eaters or meat-eaters. (This will come back to haunt me later...)

When I picked him up Wednesday evening, I noticed that he had not eaten the peanut butter crackers that he wanted me to make for his lunch. When I asked him why he hadn't eaten his lunch, he declared:

"'cuz I'm a carnivore. If you put meat in my lunch I will eat it!"

Guess I need to stock up on the proteins...

I'm still lazy

2009-09-14T08:49:00.003-05:00

There has been so much going on lately between the unpacking, getting AJ settled into his new routine and school, and illnesses that I just haven't had the energy to do much more that a quick status update on Facebook. It's become a crutch for the things that I normally would have blogged about, but it's much quicker than beginning a new blog post.

The house is coming along. We still have a few more pictures to hang and some bookshelves to buy. We bought a really nice couch on Labor Day. It's huge; I can't bend my knees over the front of the cushions if I am sitting against the back. I feel a bit like Lily Tomlin's character "Emily Ann".

AJ really seems to like his new school. We found out on our tour that they will have the pre-K kids doing research on the internet, so Hubby went out and bought AJ his own computer. He is really doing well with it; much better than I would have expected. He could sit there for hours if we let him; just playing games on the PBS and Dis.ney websites. We also bought him some kindergarten software that teaches some math and science principles as well as the pre-reading activities. Kid is just too smart for his own good.

We are gearing up to have AJ's 5th birthday party in our new backyard. It's hard to believe it's been five years already. I keep asking myself where this big kid came from who has grown about 3 inches taller just this summer.

But life is good and we are truly blessed right now. My sanity seems (somewhat) to be returning :)

Casualty of the move

2009-08-18T15:19:00.002-05:00

Considering that we were a bunch of amateurs moving the stuff to the new house, we didn't really sustain much breakage other than a couple of glasses, the electric ice cream maker, and a vase from our wedding.

The most important loss has got to be Fred, our pet Betta fish. Fred had quite the personality and would get excited and swim to see the Hubby when it was feeding time. He almost looked like he was waving his fin at you. Fred got depressed after the move and spent more and more time hiding in his little house. We finally took the little house out of the tank to keep an eye on him. But then he wouldn't come up of the bottom of the tank. Hubby read somewhere that Bettas will do that when they are upset and depressed.

On Saturday, we went to the store to buy some medicine for Fred's tank that is supposed to be a "stress reliever". While we were at the store, AJ was busily picking out replacement fish. His Daddy explained to him several times, "Fred's not dead yet. Give him a chance."

On Saturday evening, AJ asked me whether "it's time for Fred to go live in the toilet." HUH? We had no idea where he got such a notion...

During the rest of the weekend, Fred seemed to be getting worse. You could actually see him gasping to breathe.

I was at home sick on Monday. Early in the morning, Fred didn't look good at all. By lunch, I noticed that he was lying on his side and had quit breathing.

We broke the news to AJ after school. He got really excited and wanted to see the dead fish. He asked again about flushing Fred and wanted to watch.

Hubby took Fred out of the tank, let AJ pet him, and took Fred to the bathroom for a private "memorial service." He wouldn't let AJ go with him, because AJ wasn't grasping the somberness of the occasion.

AJ just told him..."It'll be okay, Daddy. It's just a fish."

He has apparently moved on...

RIP Fred.

A New Reality

2009-07-31T09:09:00.002-05:00

Well, we did it!

Last Friday we closed on the sale of our house and on the purchase of our new home. The previous owners of our new house are just the most AWESOME people! They have been so accommodating through this entire process of cancelled contracts and extended option periods...and I think I mentioned that they threw in the fridge, desk, and guest bedroom furniture into the deal.

Well, they showed up at the closing with a housewarming gift for us! They also mentioned that they had left a "few other little things" around that they thought we might like. Right off the bat, I noticed the two huge beautifully framed pictures that were still hanging on the walls. And the sprinklers, hoses, and hose racks left in the yard. Then, when the refrigerator was being filled, we found three (3) bottles of chilled champagne waiting for us!

Their new house has a swimming pool. They said we should come over to visit and bring AJ to swim sometime. Seriously...they are just really cool people...

Closing went very smoothly. Moving, however, became another story. We rented a 26' truck to move everything in. We apparently own more crap than will fit on a 26' truck, so we had to fill up all of the vehicles of our helpers, also. We made a caravan to unload at the new house. Then Hubby and a couple of guys went back in the truck to pick up the straggling pieces. We got a phone call a few minutes later...the transmission on the 26' truck went out. So everyone headed out with pickup trucks to transfer the rest of our stuff. By the time my dad drove up in his pickup, the brakes were smoking...Saturday morning they had to find a repair shop. Several hours and almost $500 later, we were back on the road.

Unpacking is going pretty well. We have some final "organizational-type" items that we will purchase this weekend to help with the process. AJ has been rediscovering toys that have been packed for a while, and LOVES his new playroom and bedroom. He is settling well into his new school, too.

It's starting to feel like home.

Wordless Wednesday - Getting Bigger

2009-07-22T08:51:00.002-05:00

As we prepare to move into our new, much bigger house, I pause to reflect on how much bigger AJ seems these days...

Super Mustard

2009-07-07T09:47:00.003-05:00

*sigh* My son is strange. I know he was doomed to be, given his genetic makeup, but some days he's a little odder than usual.

On Sundays, we stop for breakfast at the Kolache Factory on the way to church. This weekend, AJ sat playing with the mayo, mustard, and salsa packets while eating his food. You may have heard me talk about his conversations with inanimate objects; today it was the condiments. Each of the packets had their own personality and voice. They talked to each other, posed, interacted, etc. Many of them morphed into superheroes. (What can I say? He's a little boy...) By folding the packet in half, he could turn it into a "mouth" and "talk" with it. Waving them around in the air, they flew around fighting the bad guys. (salt and pepper shakers?) He was so distracted with his play that he didn't notice his Daddy was leaving.

I turned around from refilling my drink to see my husband standing in the doorway yelling to AJ across the restaurant, "AJ! Put Super Mustard down and get in the car!"

I never really thought I would ever hear anyone say that...

Happy Birthday!

2009-07-03T09:53:00.004-05:00

I have spent my entire life being told I look just like you...now my husband tells me that I'm just like you (he thinks that's a GOOD thing!)...I happen to think that's a great compliment.

Happy Birthday, Mom! Thank you for everything you have shown me and for the great influence you have been on me and my family. We love you very much.

Wordless Wednesday - Little Buddies

2009-07-01T08:09:00.001-05:00

Boxes

2009-06-29T16:46:00.002-05:00

Looks like it's time for me to re-start packing. I hesitated to say anything about the contract that was executed late Thursday night for the sale of my house. But the inspections are scheduled for tomorrow. I am hoping that since these people are making an investment in that kind of expense, they will be less likely to flake out on me. Or so I hope...I am keeping fingers, toes, eyes, and everything else crossed.

Tentative closing date is July 24th.

My sanity can't take much more of this roller coaster ride...

Wordless Wednesday - Boxed In

2009-06-10T07:55:00.002-05:00

Will this ever end?

2009-06-09T07:42:00.003-05:00

We spent the weekend at my parent's house celebrating my dad's birthday. It was a really great time. On Saturday, we went to eat and listen to a band that my uncle plays in. On the way there, Hubby got a phone call from the monitoring service for our house alarm. They said that the smoke detectors were going off and wanted to know if they should dispatch the fire department. Since we were 200 miles away, we told them to go ahead. Subsequent emails and phone calls revealed that the monitoring service mis-read the code. It was the motion detectors - not the smoke detectors. Apparently the alarm had not been disarmed before a real estate agent came by to show the house. They tripped the alarm. Way to scare off potential buyers, right?

Well, Sunday morning we got a call rescheduling the showing from the day before. Persistent people!

Monday morning I found a feedback response in my email inbox. The message at the bottom said "we have written an offer and will forward it to you today"! WOO HOO! I guess maybe they were impressed by the security or the fast response of the fire department...don't know...don't care...

WE. HAVE. ANOTHER. OFFER!!

We sent over counter-offer for just a little more money, but we sweetened the deal with the fridge, deep freeze, and all of the window coverings.

Now we wait to hear back...

The "Red River house" is moving closer and closer to my grasp...

UPDATE: The offer from yesterday has now been withdrawn. The husband decided he didn't like the backyard. We are back to square one. I'm tired of this roller coaster...

And now...the REST of the story

2009-06-05T07:52:00.003-05:00

So here's what is going on in our little world...and a followup to my last post.

On Thursday 5/28 we had the inspection scheduled for the new house. We paid for a detailed inspection as well as a termite inspection. A Br.inks guy was there also to give us an idea of what needed to be done to the security system. Everything looks great, we pay everyone, and we head to work.

Friday was our regular day off, and we took AJ to Brenham to the Blue.Bell creamery tour and to make pizzas at a friend's pizza place.

When we pulled into the parking lot, Hubby checked his email and found a message in his inbox "Termination of Contract paperwork". Please tell me I am having a nightmare! The buyer on our house was backing out of the contract AND wanted her $1,000 in earnest money back. She had apparently decided to move out of the country. Seriously? You didn't know this before you started jerking around other families?

Anyway, I had complete meltdown in the parking lot. For three days, I could not even think about the situation without crying. We were suddenly faced with having to find another buyer in 7 days, or lose the option on the perfect house. Need I remind you, a perfect house that we had already spent quite a bit of money on...

Our current house was put back active on the market. Of course, I had already started packing boxes for the move, so we are no where near "show ready."

On Monday, Hubby got a phone call from the appraiser, who did NOT follow the orders he was given, and who was looking for another $350 for the appraisal on the new house. When asked why he didn't call to schedule it with us like he was told, his response was "I don't have to. I don't work for you." Well, then, buddy, I suggest you talk to the people you DO work for to get your money, because I'm not giving you a penny!

I also contacted the listing agent on the sale of our house and told her we were refusing the sign the release of the earnest money to the lady backing out of her contract.

You see, she is claiming her "unrestricted right to terminate for any reason within 10 days of the execution date of the contract." Well, read the rest of that paragraph, lady, and you will see that you only get that right if you paid us the $100 option fee within TWO days after signing. We didn't get the fee until FOUR days after. So sorry - no money for you...

So last night, there is a knock on our door. It was the "terminated buyer's" agent (who lives down the street. He wanted to talk to us to see if we would split the earnest money with the backed-out buyers. Apparently, the buyer's mother got sick in Vietnam and she went back to stay with her. The Buyer's husband is still wanting to buy our house for his father to live in. But they may not be back from Vietnam for another couple of months. The agent explained that they really want to buy our house when they get back. He seemed to be playing the pity card because the lady's mother is sick. Sorry...I have compassion for you...but I also am out a lot of money that needs to be reimbursed.

So as of today, this is the situation. I have a couple of college friends who are real estate agents and have talked the owners of the new house to extend our option period until the end of July. I am terminating our agreement today with the agents who currently have our house listed because they don't seem to be willing to fight for us. We will then re-sign with our friends for both the sale of our house and the purchase of a new one.

In the meantime, we have bought a little more time to find another buyer...and I'm exhausted...mentally and physically...

Because it's a long story...

2009-05-27T08:24:00.002-05:00

I will just point you to hubby's blog post about it, since I haven't had time to write my own version...

Update: The contract has been executed, the inspection is scheduled for tomorrow, and I have boxes EVERYWHERE. Closing is scheduled for June 26th!

Wordless Wednesday - Road Trip

2009-05-20T08:25:00.003-05:00

We went to visit my parents this past weekend...I leave you to discuss who the sign may be referring to... :)

Real Moms

2009-05-08T09:17:00.002-05:00

Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens, and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up.

Real Mothers sometimes ask "Why me?" and get their answer when a little voice says, "Because I love you best."

Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or years or grade...It is marked by the progression from Mommy to Mom to Mother...

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul...It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman with passing years only grows.

This is for all of the fantastic women and mothers in my life...especially my own mother. Happy Mother's Day!

Wordless Wednesday - Monkey Boy

2009-05-06T11:44:00.003-05:00

NOTE: This climbing wall was about 8 feet tall. My little monkey boy just scurried up it without a second thought...

Wordless Wednesday - Swine Flu Safety Bulletin

2009-04-29T12:26:00.003-05:00

Please refrain from this behavior to protect yourself from swine flu.

2009-04-22T07:53:00.002-05:00

I haven't been posting much lately for several reasons. I don't really have much to say; AJ has been such an awesome kid lately and doing so much that I can't keep track of it all long enough to write a post. Then there's the whole house thing. It's still on the market. We are getting regular showings, but no offers yet. It's getting tiring trying to keep everything "show ready" all the time. And don't even get me started on the drama of office politics that I have recently found myself smack in the middle of...AJ and I were sick for a while also. It seems I have been coughing for about 2 months now. I'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired. Know what I mean? I will try to do better. Meanwhile, I can barely even keep up status updates on Facebook...

This weekend is a UH Band Alumni family picnic. Should be lots of fun seeing everyone. Then Sunday is the March for Babies. Team AJ has been able to raise $1,184.00 this year...

Babies, Babies, Everywhere...

2009-04-17T08:42:00.002-05:00

The past several months has seen a big influx of new babies into my real and bloggy world. First was Margaret's little cutie pie Connor, then my friend LW from church had a little boy, next was Nikki's princess Sophia, then JM (my church choir director) had little Abigail last week. Now one of Hubby's "work wives" has been induced this morning. After several attempts, Kim is getting the baby she was wanted for as long as I have known her. The gender is going to be a surprise, but I'm very excited for her and her new little monkey! Here's to sending easy labor vibes to Kim...

Satan

2009-04-13T13:22:00.002-05:00

Saturday I was trying to clean the house to prepare for another showing, but AJ was in rare form and seemed to be bouncing off the walls. I got tired of cleaning a room, only to have him follow behind me and destroy it again. I finally asked Daddy to keep him out of my way. This conversation followed:

Daddy: "AJ, you're making your mother insane...stop driving her crazy. I need her sane."

AJ: "Daddy, why is Mommy in Satan?"

There are some things you just leave alone...