Pretty lilies

137/366

Found these beautiful lilies when I was out and about.  Love this shade of red, and I want them.

The End of an Era

In the last week, my MOPS group disbanded.  MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers.  We had our last meeting last Friday at the church, then followed it up Tuesday with a Mom's Night Out grand finale dinner at Boulder Creek.  We just sat around yucking it up, and trying not to cry. 

And now, my heart is heavy.  I know in my head, I'll still see them around, but not monthly, not every other week, there were months that I'd get to see them every week or more, and I may see them, but not like it was.  The group has been struggling for the last couple years, and something had to change.  

But I hate change.  I'm not good at changing.  

These women have been with me since Christopher was 18 months old.  They were by my side as so many things were horrible. They were with me when he had a feeding tube, when it was horrible.  And vice versa.  They have been praying for me, bringing me food, just stopping by for hugs.  If I stop to list all the milestones that these friends have been with me for, I just cry.  

But it's a new season.  The end of an era.  Chris is in elementary school, jeez, as of tomorrow he'll be a first grader.  I have another year or two as a mother of a preschooler, but I'm not as lost as a parent as I used to be.  I have a wonderful network of friends that I can call upon for support.  Maybe I don't NEED the MOPS group anymore.  I just plain need these women.  This group had been such a Blessing to me, that I can't even begin to describe it in words.  And theoretically, we're going  to transform into just a yahoo group, a group of friends that just get together periodically.  But it won't be the same.  And it makes me sad.  

There, I said it.  It's my fault, I couldn't step up and take over, I wanted to, but I just couldn't.  I hate admitting that I can't do something that I really want to do.   And I feel guilty, and sad, and mad, and sad again, and I'm going to miss these gals so much.  

I hate change. 

Joy in a Hammock

136/366

Apparently, when all my boys decided they were going to get me a hammock for Mother's Day, Chris didn't know what a hammock was.  So Daddy explained it as, "A net that stretches from tree to tree so Mommy can lay down and snuggle with sweetboys outside."  So yesterday, when the screaming was getting to me, I stepped outside, and went straight for my hammock.  I was followed shortly by two sweetboys in their church shoes.  Because that's what they found first.  

Chris comes up and says, "Mommy do you like your net from tree to tree, for snuggling with Sweetboys?"

Yes, yes I do.  And they climbed in and let me stick a half a leg out so we could rock.  Not the easiest self portrait, but certainly the snuggliest.  

And Christopher has decided that for his birthday, in December, he wants a hammock too, and he showed me pointing to two trees behind me, exactly where he wants to put it.  We'll see. 

Pensive Prin

135/366

Thought I would write a bit about how Princess is doing.  She's adjusting.  She had diarrhea this weekend in her crate.  While we were gone this weekend.  Twice.  It made for a couple of rough days.  I think she hasn't been feeling 100%.   There was evidence in the yard, that she may have been in some intestinal distress.  I thought it may have been intentional, and that may have to lead to us giving her back.  She was supposed to be crate trained, but she does Not behave as such.  She pulls and yanks, and hurts me.  And my back is recovering today, doing a lot better than yesterday, but I'm still going to stay in, maybe hit the chiro's office.  And if I do leave the house, we're going to try some new things today, breaking out the pet carrier to put her in when we leave instead of the spacious cage.  Maybe she'll hold it if the crate is smaller, and also the bottom will be easier to clean out.   We'll see how it goes.  

Eric came up with her formal name:  Princess Skitchypants von Poopypaws.  Prin for short.

Fitting.  That pretty much sums up her personality.  She loves watching birds and butterflies, and hates having her picture taken, and is still scared of Eric.   We wonder what she's thinking.  Since we don't know why she's scared, or what she's thinking, we're just going to keep loving her.  That's a good strategy, right? 

This morning, we went out for a walk, she wouldn't go for me.  She was loving bird watching, and watching and listening for any other noise she could hear, but not going potty.  She takes like 20 minutes of prancy dancing before she pees.  Fina was like 30 seconds in and out.  Miss Prin was snuffling about in the grass, getting dew droplets all over her nose, and the sun hitting her pretty brindle highlights just right, and as crazy as she makes me, she was/is Beautiful! 

She's got such a pretty face.  And though she's not the smartest, most obedient wee beastie, she's still a sweetie.  She loves the kids.  We've had to recruit the kids to help out with her.  Christopher is getting really good at leashing her up and taking her for a walk.  Or rather a run.  It's pretty adorable, he runs full out, and she just trots like a pony.  Maybe there's some greyhound in there.  I don't know.  Meanwhile, her job is to Love and be Loved.  And we'll keep working on the rest.  

Happy Mother's Day

134/366

My boys took very good care of me today.  I am Blessed.  They had breakfast ready for me when I got up, honey flakey biscuits with egg and cheese and a cup of already doctored up coffee.   Just like I like them.  I didn't have to say a word.   Eric got me a pedicure at the swanky place down the street.  Gonna be Nice, whenever I cash that in.  And they boys picked out a hammock for me. A lovely peaceful hammock just for me.

Eric took Christopher to Sunday school, and had just enough time to surprise me by putting the hammock up before we had to go to church.  So, of course, I had to sample it to make sure it was ok.   It was.  

View Halloo! 

Check out this view, straight up into the trees.  The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, it was beautiful. And the surprising thing was, my back didn't hurt.  Yesterday, Her Royal Highness, Princess Poops-a-lot, pooped and peed rather explosively in her crate while we were at the store. It was gross on so many levels, but disgusting enough that Eric got a bad wave of nausea when he saw it.  Smelled it before we could even enter the house.  Today, she did it again, while were were at church and lunch, but I couldn't help clean up that one.  I cleaned up the floors and bathroom yesterday.  Sh** was Everywhere.  There is a reason I don't  clean bathrooms, it kills my back and shoulders to scrub.  Yet there I was, on my hands and knees doing the crate, the floor and the walls.  The baseboards had poo splatter on them.  Oh, it was so gross.  

The shower I had afterward was the best ever. It felt so good to be clean.  

However, my back has been killing me all day long.  So at first I was afraid to try out my new hammock, because I didn't know if I'd be able to get back out.  However, something really great happened.  The hammock was wonderful.  It was strong and supportive, and yet relaxing.  Eric said he picked this one because it had rave reviews from people with crappy backs, people that liked it so much, the went and bought one for their bedrooms to use instead of a bed.  Wild!  So I hopped in.  

Oh My.  

Yes, it was that good. And in it, I felt the best I had felt all day.  I should've stayed there.  But I didn't. The kids knew it was Mother's Day, and I didn't want to play hookey from church, just to go play with the fam.  That's not the message I was trying to send as a parent - it's mommy's day, she can choose whatever she wants, she chooses to skip church.  Because No.  I choose church. I choose to Worship God in a group, where 2 or more are gathered.  Even if he up/down of our litergy hurt.   I did sit through most of it.  But that didn't change the fact, that I hurt.  

Then we got to go to lunch with Eric's fam at my Ryan and Amy's.  Ryan smoked a rack of ribs and grilled some chicken.  And oh my was it good.  And for a bit I rested.  I did get Christopher to take a Mom's Only picture of us while we were there.  Here I am, with a couple of my favorite mothers.  

Then the back went, and the kids started making me nuts.  It was time to go.  As you can imagine the kids didn't want to leave.  They never want to leave.  They have way too much fun going over to play at Aunt Amy's.  Meltdowns ensued.  And when we got home again, Miss Prin had left up pooploads galore in her great again, not as much splatter as yesterday, but Eric had to do everything himself, because all I could do was take drugs and sit on the couch.  And there I have lain for the rest of the day. 

 I am Blessed that I have a wonderful husband and kids who will let me just lay down on a Sunday afternoon, even if it is too late for a nap.   And I am Blessed to have family in town that loves me, and wants to spend time with me, and with my sweet family of four.  It's the magic hugs,  the drive by smoochies, and spending time just hanging out with those we love, who also love me, that makes the painful stuff a lot easier to bear.  Thank you to all of you who care for us, care for me.  It means a lot.  

Family Trip to the Zoo

133/366

Just a Sweet little Top Ten from our family trip to the zoo earlier today, kind of  a neat little early Mother's Day present for me. 1. Sweetboys by the water fountain.

2.  The boys count some turtles on the log.

3.  Lookie what we found, a little turtle and a baby duckling.  

4.  We thought that turtle was little until we found some tiny teensy baby turtles. 

5.  Pretty little 'desert flower'. OK, it was near the desert section.  I believe it's called a Blanket flower. 

6.  Happy Mother's Day to me! 

7.  Dueling water lilies. 

8.  It's a wonderfully rare thing for us all four to go to the zoo together.  The last time we all made it together was Christmas, and of course, that's no time be to taking pictures in the gardens.  

9.  Sweetboys by roses and other little things in bloom.  

10.  I have a picture of the boys from back this spring, walking through the gardens,, just like this.   

The End.  The end of a Beautiful day. 

Brotherly Love

132/366

Today was Christopher's Field Day at school.  It was also our last MOPS meeting, which was sad, but it was time to move on.  Because I wanted and needed to be at the meeting, I didn't volunteer to help out with Field Day.  But I asked, in advance, if it was ok to come observe, be a cheerleader if you will.  They said it was ok if I brought Sam to Cheer.  So we showed up after lunch to cheer Chris on. 

He was so sweetly bedecked, he was in his class's purple shirt, he told me he needed a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen today.  And so when we arrived, he was Ready.  

When we arrived, Sam got mobbed by kindergartners, because he was the baby and he was cute.  I love how much they love him.  Chris's class loves him, loves me, and loves Sam.  We really have been Blessed this year. 

Chris was the proudest big brother out there.  Christopher was a super champ.  He was strong, and instead he made me proud.  Of the three events I saw: tug of war, sack race, and a tennis ball throw, his team only won the tug of war.  But even when they didn't win, he made me proud, because he was happy to play.  And that was what it was all about, for me, anyway, that they have fun. 

And he did.  

The boys joined us for Avatar cartoons for Family Movie night this evening.  They love the show as much as Mommy and Daddy do.  It's the perfect Family Movie.  Afterwards, it was time for bed.  They wanted to sleep in their tent.   Nobody actually slept in it.  But they sure were happy and adorable curling up in there eh?  

No instead after an hour of playing, Chris came down and asked if he could move because Sam wouldn't let him sleep.  This is a frequent occurence on weekend nights.  They both love each other so much, and have missed each other so much during the day, we often get the request for them to sleep together.  But they never can Sleep.  So we move one out until Sam is asleep, then they go in together, and sleep in the same bed.   Once they are asleep, they'll sleep together just fine.  In tonight's case, Chris came out, so we moved him.  Then Sam cried out a half hour later, saying he couldn't sleep because Scout (his rather obnoxious talking toy dog, that although he's had for 2 years, he just found this week, and can't stop playing with) was annoying him.  I swear, he said, Annoying him.  Dude, it annoys us too.  

So, Scout stayed in the tent, and Sam moved to his bed.  :)