How Sweet It Is!

Kerry has been running in some 5Ks runs starting with the Brad Wims Fun Run. He was very proud to run for Brad and even place 2nd for his age group. That run kicked of several more runs in the following month. A couple of weeks ago, I was told about Dublin, Tx and how they still bottle the original Dr. Pepper using Imperial Sugar instead of syrups. I looked it up and notice there was a run coming up. Kerry seemed interested because not only would he get to run, but I would also get to celebrate my favorite drink. AAaaaahhhh, Dr. Pepper. Yes..how sweet it is.

So, we were off to Dublin, Tx this past weekend and Kerry had decided to run the 10K. It was the Dr. Pepper Bottling plant's 118th bday. Dr. Pepper, Tx, as they call it one day a year, were having a 2, 4, and 10 K in honor of a past advertisement of when to drink Dr. Pepper. 2, 4, and 10, which also had something to do with blood sugar level dropping or something. I was wrestling a 2 year old, so I missed that part. They were also having games, activities, a bike ride, free cake, and the best of all...all the free Dublin Dr. Pepper you could drink. Other than it being about 100 degrees...it was Heaven for me.

Anyway, the trip up was pretty good. We did get caught by a broken train crossing and after trying to find our way around it, found our way around just in time for the arms to come up. Oh well..that is just how our life goes. We stayed the night in Stephenville, did some driving around that night investigating Dublin, swimming, and just relaxing before Kerry's big run.

The next morning, off we go to Dublin. It was very hot! I did not even run a race and I was sweating like crazy. Kerry ran his race and did quite well. He finished 12th all round and 2nd in his age group. The awards were a bit odd however. As you ran across the line, they asked you if you had run the 10 K. (4k and 10k started at the same time, so some of the faster 10kers caught some of the leisurely 4kers). Anyway, if you said yes, they handed you a medal. Ok..worked for me. They did not have medals for winners like most races we have been to. Top 3 finishers in male, female, and masters received a small cash reward, a huge DP bottle cap that Kerry thought was a chip bowl, and bottled DP. Kerry, as an age group winner received some canned DP. Hey, I was thrilled with that.

We spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon doing tours through the bottling plant and DP museum, purchasing cases of DP, cashing in on free cups of cold DP, and finding some one to unlock our keys out of our van. Yes, you read right. Just so you know, it was not me. Kerry grabbed the wrong keys after returning my "large clump of keys" to the van so we did not have to deal with mine. It was actually quite humorous. I had just emptied the cash out of Kerry's wallet not long before that b/c they were not taking credit cards and I wanted to make sure I had enough money should I find something to get. So, while the boys and I waited in line for one of the tours, Kerry had a guy come unlock the van. While waiting, I thought to myself..hmmm..I don't think Kerry knows where his wallet is b/c I hid it. Well, if he finds it, he doesn't have any cash b/c I took it. Uh, oh... Luckily, the guy took credit cards and Kerry made it back just in time to stand in front of the nice cool fan before going into the tour. Even though it took longer for the guy to run our card then it did to unlock the door.

As I said before..it was soooo hot. Xander was sweating like crazy and at one point during the day I gave him a sip of my DP. Now you must understand, Xander has never had actual cola anything! I am not a health nut, I just don't think they need it b/c I know that I am completely addicted, so why start them that young. :) Well...I did not get my cup back after that and when we went into the bottling plant, they gave everyone a free bottle of DP. Xander was so excited. I told him to be careful b/c it was glass and he held onto that thing for dear life. Not sure if it was b/c I told him it was glass or b/c he thought I would take away his DP. He loved the stuff, but later called it apple juice. Dalton however...took one sip and asked for water instead.

So a fun time was had by all and we hope to do it again next year..but hopefully, it will be cooler.

Things I pondered today

I had to go get Xander today from my mother's so I had 5 hours, round trip to think. Dalton was pretty much silent on the way there and isn't much of a talker when I try to chat and on the way back, the boys pretty much entertained each other. Soooo, I thought. Some of my thinking lead to my current fb status as I pondered on the economy, the struggles of some of my friends and family, and how blessed I am to be comfortable and secure in that area. There were however a few other thoughts.

Death...yes death. It seems to be something that pops into my head quite often when I drive I-10. With all that construction and traffic..what else would pop into my mind. Yikes! It could also be that each time I drive that route, I pass by the cemetery where my dear friend Lee is buried. It also didn't help that a song called "Holes in the Floor of Heaven" came on. I love that song b/c while it makes me sad some, but it also gives me hope to think that those whom I have loved so dearly and have gone to be with our Heavenly Father are somehow still there with me. The idea of Uncle Lee seeing my boys in all their successes and even orneriness makes me smile. He loved my children very deeply and I appreciated that. I often harassed him about going to the doctor and my statement would be, "Lee, I want you around to see my boys grow up!" So, while he is not here to see my children get into all sorts of trouble, he is still "here", in our hearts and influencing our daily lives by how he lived his, how he loved others, and how he gave his whole life in service to God. His favorite verse, Proverbs 17:17 and he did.

I also thought about excitement and how you show it. There are few things that I really want to happen and soon. One is a new cell phone. Ok...so that may be a little weak, but I am so out of touch with everyone when it comes to that. My current phone is really acting up so that is one thing I want to get fixed, but I also can't wait till I keep up with everyone, pray immediately when it is requested, meet someone when they just suddenly decide to grab a bite, or tell my friends what an awesome sale I just found. How silly is that, that I will be so tickled when I can actually do that? My reaction when it finally comes to play: smiles, lots of chatter and some serious attempts to email, etc.

Another exciting thing is that Kerry wants to move closer to NASA, so we are seriously pondering a move. I know of course, my plan may not be God's plan and I can tell you right now...it is not Kerry's plan either and that is to be moved by the end of the summer. Now I know...it most likely will not happen that way b/c we have a lot of work to do on this house just to get it close to selling, but I am still going to pray and work to move toward that goal. Well, we are going to go ahead and look at a few houses on occassion that peak our interest and I am excited. This made me think more about excitement b/c the house we are going to go look at is near "my" school I taught at and has nearly everything I want. I have definately had a little skip in my step since we have set up the appointment to see it.
When I was a teenager and I was excited about something, how I responded really depended on what the situation was. Getting a 1 in marching competition: jumping, screaming, hugging, tears...Ok, well, I was not alone, others were doing the same thing and we shared the excitement. Guy I had a crush on ask me out: smile real big, say yes, get details, hang up the phone then scream, jump, spin in circles etc. Hey..no one was watching. If a close girl friend was there, ok, we may both do it, but if it happen say in the school hall, I was cool as cucumber even though I thought I might pee my pants with excitement. I could not help but wonder, do we hold back our excitement now that we are older? I watch people win big things on TV and sometimes, they absolutely freak out. I want to laugh, but isn't it nice how they just don't hold back with how they feel. Maybe I should be more open to my excitement about things, less of a cool cucumber. Not real sure if I will do the screaming, spinning in circles thing I did as a teenager (at least in public), but maybe I will work on being more excited about things. Life, love, God ( I should be way more excited and appreciative of Him) and when my boys are excited about the bug they saw. I mean, I like to be excited about things. It is a high if you will. The sheer positive feelings you get from it are good for your soul. So...find something to be excited about today.

Spare the rod?

Ok...so I was spanked as a child. I think I turned out just fine! I mean..I was not afraid of my parents. I never felt abused in the literal sense. I am sure in my own immature mind, I thought I was heavily "abused" if I did not get my way, but physically or emotionally..never! However, I knew that if I crossed the line, swats were coming. I also knew that swats at school meant swats at home, so I knew not to cross lines there too. It is either Jeff Foxworthy or Bill Engvall that says in one of his acts that there is nothing like the sound of a belt clearing belt loops. Let me tell you..he is sooo right! I would hear that and I was instant angel. I think that is a talent that not many can pull off these days.

I have noticed several articles about spanking in the last few months. One article I read stated that children who were spanked were far more likely to participate in violent, sexual deviant behavior as teens and adults. Hmmm...must have not yet reached that stage of my life! In my own experiences, it seems that with a pendulum swing in the direction of no spankings, we are seeing more discipline struggles now! I have also noticed a decline in school behavior. Schools are struggling with all sorts of disruptive behavior. Students are not concerned over any consequence it seems. I wonder if there could possibly be a connection!!?!?!

As a teacher, I would honestly have been devastated if I had had to spank one of my students. That issue usually became the job of the administrators. When I first started teaching, however, I had been having trouble with a class. I looked around the room and in sheer frustration asked, "How many of you get spankings at home?" Three kids raised their hands. A point to notice is that they were the most respectful, honest, well behaved and successful kids in my class. Hmmm, I thought. While grades are not always tied to butt bustings at home, behavior at school usually is. Not all children need spanking as a discipline. Some kids may react to a simple stern look, others need a more obvious approach. As a child, if you told me you were upset with me, I was devastated. My sister on the other hand needed more convincing. That is why I have found this Newsweek article so interesting. I think this principal may have something. He does not take the paddling he gives lightly, but notice the change in the school. The kids are not afraid of him, but they are afraid of his paddle. I also love the fact that he does not take the swats he gives likely.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/195119?Gt1=43002

Maybe I am wrong, but has there really ever been any research done to prove any of what they say spankings cause? I just know what I see. There are just too many functioning adults in society that were spank as children to convince me that spanking is wrong. However, I am seeing an increase in school issues as well as societal issues now that spanking is not the thing. Don't want to spank your child..fine!!! However, do not tell me that people who spank their children are abusive and raising complete heathens, unless you are going to change the definition of heathen and maybe define me and my husband as the new definitions because we were both spanked as children.

For your eyes only

As a mother of 2 children, much less boys, I have zero privacy. I dream of the day that one of my boys is not right there to hand me toilet paper or offer to flush the toilet for me. It amazes me how they can both be completely involved in playing cars or something until I try to take a bathroom break then I suddenly have 2 tag-a-longs.
Since Dalton is getting older, I have decided it is important that I get more forceful about him allowing mommy privacy as well as being more modest himself. These conversations are quite interesting and usually end if me just finally saying something like, "Mommy is a big girl and can get dressed by herself." I have not had much luck, so last week, I told Dalton that he no longer needed be in the same room with mommy during those times and definately did not need to look at me. A simple "alright" was all I got.
Some time later, Dalton was sitting on my bed, reading a book while I was getting ready for bed in my bathroom. I had forgot my gown, so I walked into the "privacy" of my room, not even remembering him being on the bed, to get my gown. After all, it is my room. I turn around after getting my gown to see Dalton sitting on my bed with his hand over his eyes. It just looked so funny him sitting there trying to give me privacy. It cracked me up.
I guess the lesson is sinking in some. Now if I can just get him to understand that when I asked him to get dressed and he brings his clothes to where I am, that just b/c he covers his private parts with his hand as he tries to put on underwear, that does not mean is being modest. The concept of changing in privacy is still trying to sink in.

Spring Break

The boys and I traveled with my mom back to my home town of Fritch, Tx. My siblings still live there as do my brother's boy, Lucas. Grandma was very anxious to see him.

I had been dreading this trip for awhile for several reasons, one is because Xander does not travel well. He can handle about 2 hours and that is it. The screams begin. He actually did quite well this time much to my relief. We left after lunch on Thursday and made it into Bowie, stayed the night there and headed to Fritch the next day. There were no major melt downs that occurred so now I may be the grumpiest one in the car from now on. I do not like to travel either. The second reason is family drama. Most families have them and my family is not void of its own little issues. For the most part, we survived. The drama was kept to a minimum.

(Aunt Rolie showing the boys where she works as an EMS.)

The trip brought a few interesting events I thought I might share. One of which was when we decided to go swimming at the hotel pool in Borger. The water was freezing in this indoor pool, so I just hung out in the hot tub as the boys stuck their feet in and splashed each other all around the tub. Dalton was the only one who got in...well sort of. Long story short, I had turned away from Xander (his Uncle Coby was beside him) to play with Lucas when I hear my mother screaming, "Get him, get him, get him." Sure enough I turn around to see NO Xander. My heart is gone at that point. Coby had turned on the tub just a few moments before that, so we could no longer see anything on the bottom. I begin my scooping motion thinking surely I will find something when I see a leg pop out of the water. Coby grabs Xander up by the leg, yanks him out, and stands him up. Xander looks at the hot tub, spits out some water, then pats his swim trunks and hair and says, "I wet". That was it..no tears, no fear, just he was now wet and wanted to splash some more. I however had to get my heart to slow down before I could fully function. (Xander hamming it up in Uncle Coby's stuff)

The boys had us rolling several times on the trip. My mom has decided I really need to write them down after they occur b/c I can't remember all the things the boys do or say that make us laugh when I want to. Especially Dalton. With his improved speech has come some quite interesting comments. The last night we were in town, we went to a resteruant with the entire family. It was taking forever! They had run out of food after we go there and locked up early, but promised us they had enough for us. I think they had to kill the cows and grow the veggies, b/c it took way too long. Anyway, during all this time, we chatted, laughed at Xander trying to make my brother and I exchange accessories (hats, necklaces etc) and just enjoyed each other's company. The young waitress came up at one point to check on us. She asked us if things were ok and if we needed anything. We said no and she begain to walk away when Dalton, looking quite shocked at our response flat out said, "Yeah....I need food!" It was quite hilarious. He must have thought we were all nuts to not need anything else. He mentioned it a few more times as time went on until finally it showed up. Poor kid!

We made it back safely in one day with Xander still in good spirits. The only problem with coming back in one day is Kerry did not quite get all the stuff he wanted to get done. He tried though. I had a nice mountain of laundry to fold when I got back. Ok..so he cleaned other things too. He was quite proud of his work on the den.

As a little extra show, I'll include this video. My sister enjoyed playing with the boys and teaching them how to jam. Mom has Sirius radio, so we enjoyed some classics. I like 50's and 60's so we kept it there most of the trip until Dalton wanted some bible songs.

Agree to disagree

So...we get in the car to go pick up the boys from my parents after church and Kerry mentions to me that I had once again told a story that was totally incorrect. It seems that I was not there for the story, but I ALWAYS tell it like I was. The thing is...I disagree!

Years ago, before kids, Kerry and I lived in Lubbock in a small 900 sq foot house with no central air. We had a window unit in the living room and that was it. One day, Kerry decides to clean the unit. He says he remembers me not being there b/c the window unit was very heavy and he had to carry it himself. Anyway, somehow during this time, our cat Shadow had jumped into the window where the brace for the unit was. Kerry did not see him and when he put the unit back, he evidently shoved the poor cat out the window. Now, what you must understand is our cats have never been outside and we lived on a busy road. So, here is this already very skittish cat on our front porch, lots of cars going by, and no one knows.

This is where the story gets mixed up. He says, he heard this loud screeching cry, opens up the back door to see a very scared, wild eyed Shadow (that closely resembled gremlin eyes) come zipping into the house. I was at work and because he is such a good story teller I believe I was the one who found the cat. Umm, yeah ok.

That is not what I remember. I do vaguely remember him working on the unit. In my mind, I can even see myself walking into the living room and seeing the open window. Later, I hear this horrible cry from our back porch. I open the door and this wild black cat tries to run into my kitchen. I shut the door quickly thinking what in the world is that cat trying to do. I then think, oh my where is Shadow. I run quickly around the very small house calling for our cat and then dash to the door to let our cat in. How he got from the front to the back I don't know, but he was absolutely terrified. I can seriously see this cat freaking out on my back porch in my mind.

Ok...so which story is true? We gingerly argued back and forth on the story until I finally said.."Fine, we will just have to agree to disagree b/c I really can see this in my mind." I remember it... Well, that was not going to work. It seems, according to Kerry, that you cannot agree to disagree on..well..facts! Only opinions. However, if we cannot decide which story is fact, then would we not have an opinion? Thus I agree to disagree. I have made up my mind. I was there to at least let the cat in, so there! Until he can prove otherwise, then I guess my idea works.

Rodeo Days

Both of the boys had rodeo days at their schools and were ecstatic about getting to wear boots. Dalton has enjoyed dressing up like a cowboy for Halloween and several rodeo days and Xander has decided that he wants to be like big brother. Dalton had outgrown his boots, so out we went to find some that would fit. He was so excited and kept strutting around the shoe store saying, "I like these. These fit great Mommy!" Xander kept a close eye probably wondering when it would be his turn. He ended up getting regular old tennis shoes, but he was thrilled with that.

I had forgotten about Xander's cowboy day and dug into Dalton's old boots for a pair to fit Xander. No luck, so off I went on one more shopping adventure. The next morning, it took Xander a little while to figure out how to walk in them, but he was so excited and kept saying, "Boots, boots, boots" as he walked around.

The day before, I had found small 24 inch stick horses at the Dollar Store. Two year olds with regular stick horses can get quite deadly so I decided to get some for the class. Xander did not get his till class the next day. His teachers must have given great riding lessons because as soon as we got out of the van, he grabbed it and took off riding. He was so cute stuck it between his legs and started running around. He even pretended to feed the horse on nice, fresh...carpet!
On Sunday, both boys came running into the kitchen asking if they could wear their boots, so off we went with two little cowboys. After we got home, I looked out of the kitchen to see both boys, still in their boots, enjoying the sit and spin. Even better is they were getting along!