time has flown

Okay, well apparently I'm bad at this updating thing. You'll have to forgive me. I'll try to shorten all that has happened since the end of Sept.

Alex is doing well in school. He was having a few "issues" with his behavior. Nothing really big. I spent a few afternoons with him, just the two of us. We played Wii one afternoon, we went to the library and we went to Sonic (he LOVES it there). After those 3 afternoons he started calming back into his usual behavior. I think sometimes we get so busy that we forget to spend 1 on 1 time with the kids. Don't get me wrong we do spend time with them. It's just it's normally Chris with Alex and me with Aidan. We're trying to switch each weekend and spending a few hours with each kid. It seems to have made a happier impact on the family as a whole. Alex did get his first report card, and we were very proud of him! He's starting to read already, and catching on really quickly.

Aidan for the most part has been great. I got a call at work a few weeks ago to pick him up for being sick, but he was okay after that afternoon. On Monday of this week, I got a call at work saying he had a 102 temp. I picked him up, gave him medicine and spent Tuesday with him. He didn't have a fever at all on Tuesday. Sent him back to school on Wednesday, and got a call around 4 in the afternoon saying he had a temp of 103. I pick him up, and they stop me on the way out to tell me that another kid in Aidan's class had just been diagnosed with walking pneumonia. Great! So this morning, just to be cautious, I brought him to the doctor. He has PNEUMONIA AND STREP! My poor baby! He had a shot at the office, and is taking augmentin and mucinex. Hopefully we can kick this thing quickly.

Chris, wow what do I say. Well at the end of October (the day before my bday), I got a call at work from him. He told me that I needed to come bring him to the ER. Apparently he was fixing one of the steel railings in the warehouse when a forklift came by and knocked it over. The brackets on the rail went into Chris' head. He had 3 gashes in his head, with 12 stitches total. I was a wreck, but we had lots of support from family and friends!

Chris' branch location has decided to downsize. Uh oh, right? Well you see, Chris just got a massive raise, a few weeks ago. But he called me literally 10 mins ago to tell me that layed off all but 5 people in the warehouse...basically the management team was left. They're all on salary, and they're all going to be taking a cut. His GM has promised that if he has to take Chris' salary, he'll give him the same amt at an hourly rate. Time will tell.

That brings it to me. Nothing really has happened with me. Just working, going to class, and trying to take care of my family. It's been a long stressful semester. But it's gonna be worth it when I'm student teaching next fall. I was kind of promoted at work. I'm now a front-end supervisor. I can audit registers and things like that. I enjoy it.

Okay, well so much for my shortened version. I'll try to update more than every 2 months from now on!

much needed

The four of us went on a last minute trip to NC this weekend. So many things brought us there, but it was definitely a much needed get away. Chris has been working ridiculous hours lately, and way beyond stressed. He's also been really sick. The weekend just gave him time to relax and get better. His parents pastor a church in Arden, NC and we just spent the weekend with them. We didn't do much of anything, just kind of sat around and relaxed.

We left around 8:30 from Hermitage on Friday night. We traveled for an hour and 15 mins, and I made a comment about how well we were doing on time....bad mistake. Literally 10 seconds later, we hear a pop and alot of "flop, flop, flop"-ing. We had a blowout. We had gone 112 miles. Chris tells me that as far as he knows, we don't have a spare in the truck. I ask him to check anyway, while I call around to figure out what we should do. He finds a spare, but realizes we don't have the lug wrench thingy. His AAA card is in his truck, and they can't find him in the system. I eventually find the old card and then they find him. They say they'll send out a truck to get us a wrench. We sit there...both kids asleep...both parents tired and on edge. A cop pulls behind us, helps Chris change the tire, escorts us to a gas station to put air in the tire. We proceed to drive to NC, going 52 mph....for a total of 7 1/2 hours. We went 200+ miles on a "doughnut". Do you know how dangerous that is? Anyway, we made it safely to his parents house. We got a new tire on Saturday, and realized that we have had 3 flat tires in the last 2 months, and bought a total of 5 tires in the last 3 months. No more flats please!

After we got back on the road I started thinking how lucky I am. I know it sounds frivilous, but I am extremely grateful that Chris was there and able to change the tire. I think sometimes I take for granted all the things he does...even the little things. I don't know how to change a tire, change the oil (or add it for that matter), or do anything like that. I found myself asking Chris about random things that he knows how to do (like roofing, I didn't know he had done that before). Anyway, I made sure I told him how grateful I was especially for the little things.

Okay last thing. Aidan started potty-training hard core last week. The preschool told us that he was ready for underwear....I didn't believe them. He's done super well! No accidents, even from driving this weekend. We're really proud of him...and really really happy that we don't have to buy diapers anymore. Between diapers and pull-ups we were paying about $40 every 2-3 weeks. Okay, that's my novel for today!

ramblings

So I started school this week. Yay for being in classes again! They changed out all of the faculty in the education department, and kind of downsized since the last time I was there. So, not only do I not know any students in the department, now I have to meet and get to know all new professors.

Now, if you know me really well you know that when I'm around people I don't know I become very introverted. I normally just sit quietly and try to mind my own business. But while doing this I felt God tugging at me. So, I'm gonna share my thoughts and you guys let me know what you think.

I found myself (not purposefully) listening to others conversations while being quiet and waiting on classes to start. Not necessarily eaves dropping, but most conversations were loud enough for people in the whole room to listen to. I actually have a very vivid image in my head of a particular conversation. I think that most people at Trevecca are Christians. Most were born and raised Nazarene, and have generations upon generations of Nazarene heritage. But, there are people at Trevecca that aren't Christians...even some people that we may think are...aren't really. So being in majority isn't it our "job" as Christian peers to show them the way a Christian should be? Shouldn't we distinguish ourselves from the outside world? Now I'm not talking about preaching at every person we see, or even wearing dresses and suits and our hair in buns. But I do think that we should avoid unrighteous things. I'm kind of dancing around the issue I'm particularly thinking about...so lets just go for it. Ephesians 4:29 says, "Do not let unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful in the building others up according to their needs" If you can't figure out where I'm going, keep re-reading ;) I have found myself gossiping or "sharing in love", but after the last couple of days I've been more aware and removed myself from those situations and conversations. I pray that I will continue to feel this conviction anytime I attempt to talk about anyone else. I keep going back to the "he who is without sin cast the first stone" thing. I don't really know where I'm going with this, just trying to share my jumbled thoughts.

I also found myself reading Levi's earlier this week. And tada! we discussed it in my Family in Society class today. I think as a married woman, I take for granted all that Chris does to help me out. So when I find myself without him for some brief period of time I'm lost. I absolutely can't imagine what it would be like to be a single parent. So, thanks Chris for all that you do that I don't give you near enough credit for! Okay, I'm done with my ramblings, gotta go pick up the boys from school!

He's off!

Alex started school yesterday. It's been a while since I've been so distraught over something. It's my little boy, and he's now having to do things for himself. Now don't get me wrong, I'm glad he's in school. He's been going to preschool off and on since 2004. The last preschool he went to (Two Rivers Baptist) was awesome. They really prepared him for Kindergarten, and his teacher (Ms. Katie Holmes...no seriously) was exceptional. Anyway, so back to yesterday. Metro schools have implemented a uniform policy. He can wear dressy or casual dressy pants and shorts (navy, black, khaki); and polos, turtlenecks or button ups (solid red, navy, white, green, yellow, light blue). Nothing more...no coats when it turns cold or anything. So he gets ready for school, we take a few pictures and we leave. Now, he got out yesterday (and will today too) at 11:30. I thought it was at 11, so there was no possible way they would eat lunch at school right? Yeah, wrong...I know owe the cafeteria $2 because I didn't send him with lunch or money. Okay, so we get out of the car and walk to the school...he's holding my hand the whole time, and very quiet. We enter the school and he lets go of my hand. I tried to hold his hand again and he says "Mom (not mommy), I'm big now I don't need to hold your hand." Completely crushing. I compose myself and we get to his classroom. His teacher ushers him in, brings him to his desk. She asks me to fill out his transportation papers and then we're rushed out. I didn't even get to tell him goodbye. He just sat right down, and became a little boy instead of my baby. I cried the whole way home, and most of the time he was gone. This morning was better, we dropped him off, he said goodbye and we left. Aidan on the other hand still keeps asking, "where Ally at?" It'll get better right? I'll post pics when Chris can fix my camera...it says I need to format the card which means that I would lose the pics.

On the way home from dropping him off yesterday my serpentine belt flew off. Great! We just replaced it in June, which means something else is wrong. We bring it to the mechanic who tells me that my crankshaft pulley broke off. So, after we pick Alex up this afternoon we'll head over to the mechanic to have it fixed. He gives us greatly discounted labor rates, probably because we're in there so much...but he says it's because he knows we have 2 small children and one income. We've been going to him since I was preggo with Aidan, so he knows us and our cars really well. Okay, well I'm going to go spend some quality time with the only baby I have left :(

So it begins

Upon looking and reading through a few of our friends' blogspots, Chris thought that maybe we should get one. It looked "cool" according to him. So here I am, blogging. Of course this isn't the only reason for the title of the blog. Alex starts school on Monday. It seems unreal to me that he could possibly be even close to starting school. He isn't 5, but it Metro-Nashville school systems, he only has to be 5 by Sept. 30th. He is so super excited about going to school though. He keeps telling me he's ready for homework, something I'll be reminding him of when he's 16 and complaining!

Aidan turned 2 on Monday. He had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party, a show that he's absolutely obessessed with. I'm still new at blogspot, and can't get the pictures at the bottom...I'll get better, I promise. Until then his pictures are at the top.

Chris is still at Keystone, shock I know. I start back to TNU at the end of August for my senior year (FINALLY!!!).