Things To Be Thankful For

I finished my first week of work and it was very successful. I so enjoy what I do and I work for a wonderful family. I couldn't be happier right now. I was just asked today if I'd like to have my hours extended (more pay) so I jumped at that opportunity. It is full time now, MWF 10-5, T Th 8-5. This couldn't have come at a better time. I am excited mostly because the hours don't interfere with my time with my boys in the evening. I am home by 6:00 for dinner and all my other motherly duties; no weekends, no holidays. What more could a single mom ask for?

Thanksgiving was nice this year. We cooked everything under the sun and boy did the house smell good while doing so. The turkey and trimmings were delicious, as was the dutch apple and pumpkin pies. Ruthi and the kids were here so we had a full house which was fun. Sean and Brady made a fun family activity "Family Jeopardy" on the computer. Tanner and I were neck and neck....then he beat me in final Jeopardy.
I am so thankful for my 3 wonderful boys. They are truly the greatest blessing in my life. I love each of them for different reasons. They are all smart, healthy and amaze me everyday by how hard they work to be responsible boys. Tanner is amazing at sports. I look at him sometimes (6'4") and I cannot believe he is my boy. He is absolutely gorgeous and so outgoing. He just finished football (varsity) and started wrestling yesterday. He got straight A's, even with his 3 honors classes; Chemistry, Pre-Calculus, and World History, all while doing sports 5 days/week and weekends.
Brady is the laughter in my life. He is truly a joy to be around. He is always happy and giving. He is my helper. His sense of humor is wonderful and he makes me laugh, a true gift in my life. He got straight A's and has begun after school rehearsals for the school play again this year. He recently got a keyboard from his dad and Sue and has been getting lessons from his friend. He can play several songs now and we have fun playing together. I played a few Christmas songs last night and I was amazed that I could still play. That was exciting.
Andrew is my sweet baby boy. His hugs and kisses melt my heart and make me thankful daily for having him in my life. He has discovered video games (Nintendo DS) and plays all day when he can. He is smart, bright and loves life. He is doing wonderful in kindergarten and loves his teachers (Mrs. Kari & Ms. Ruthi). He is a friend to all and very well behaved and respectful. He turns 6 in a few weeks and while it is exciting it is also very sad for me. My last baby.....
I am truly blessed in life. I have family, extended family, and people I love who love me in return. I am surrounded by love and I can truly say I happy for the first time in a long time. I am healthy, I am employed, I have a nice home, and a belief in my Savior that sustains me daily, especially when times are tough.

I have a down day today, catching up on cleaning etc. I took down my Thanksgiving decorations, and am anticipating where to put all my Christmas stuff. I want my tree up ASAP. I love Christmas. It has and always will be my favorite holiday. The first year or two after my divorce more than ruined the joy of the holidays for me, due to the horrible timing of it, but I am past that now and excited to celebrate with my family. I am so excited for Andrew. I love seeing the joy in his eyes on Christmas morning. That is one of the the best days for being a mother; seeing your children happy. "Tis the Season" as they say, so while I take it all in,  I hope to give to others as much as I get in return.

I am employed!

I am happy to announce that after looking for 5 weeks, I am finally employed. I am doing private duty in-home care. The job is MWF 10-4, T Th 8-2. It is part time for now, but that is okay with me, as it allows me to be home with my kids in the evening. I started yesterday and am enjoying it so far. I respect the family I work for. They are so wonderful and friendly. They are all very caring and willing to help out. The woman I care for is the sweetest thing. I enjoy my time with her so much. Today I went with her son to DaVita Dialysis Center to see the routine for MWF pick-ups after she is done with her dialysis. It was easy enough. For me, the hard part will be getting there alone and not getting lost LOL! She knows the way home. She is a tough cookie and smart as a whip. We get along wonderfully and enjoy each others company. I am hoping after this week (Thurs off) I will get my routine down and feel totally comfortable. I feel good already, as the family is wonderful. I feel welcome, appreciated and respected, which is nice. All of her 4 sons are amazing and caring. I've now met 3 of the 4. I am hoping after next week to get my routine down and be able to get her out of the house once a week to start. Maybe take her for lunch, etc. She gets around good on her crutches, just very slow, which is fine by me. She has a great attitude and gives me the gift of learning to appreciate what I have.

On The Prowl, and then Some

I've been J.O.B hunting to the point that it's become a job, with NO pay. Most places are not hiring. We all know this economy is crap. I had two interviews today and both went well as usual. I was told I'd hear from one tomorrow and the other by sunday. One is in a Gastroenterologist's (group) office, and the other is private duty home care. Will update when/if i hear anything. Thanks for the chat Mom.
I am so excited for the holidays. I still get so excited to spend quality time with my family and those I love. I have the kids for the holidays this year which is exciting. I get Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Eve into Christmas Day to open presents. They go to Daddy/Sue at noon. I love doing the meal planning, cooking, and goodie making. Ruthi will be here with her kids Turkey Day, but her Ex has the kids Christmas Eve, so she will be here with us.
Our weather hasa been nice. Not too cold, no snow yet, and a moderate amount of rain. The leaves have all fallen and made a mess everywhere. It has been mild up to this point.
I think I'm going to get a few inches or so cut off my hair. It is too long again.
so my health is somewhat not well again. I'm having issues with my blood pressure, so im taking random readings and then have been asked to go into doctor in a week or so with my readings. I'm in the Hypertension range which is anything over 139/89. I'm in the 145/95 range. SO NOT GOOD! I'm thinking it could be part of the reason I'm having so many frequent headaches. We shall see.
Kids are well, life is good, hope the same goes for ya'll.

Halloween 2009

We had a nice Halloween this year. I got to take Andrew Trick-or-Treating finally for the 1st time. We had a great time, despite the rain. We went out with Ruthi & Lily, as Brady and Sean went to a party, and Tanner and his girlfriend went to a party as well. It was a late night so say the least. Andrew was a trooper.  We walked quite a bit. He has a mess load of candy. Here is our Jack-o-Lantern. Andrew was a great helper in designing.

Andrew was a police man this year. Brady was a Jack-o-Lantern (hand carved pumpkin on his head) and Tanner was a jail convict.

This is Tanner and his girlfriend Christina.

Andrew had a fun Halloween Parade/party at school. I will attach a picture of his class and some of the animals he got to pet and feed .

He had a blast playing with the animals. We also trunk-or-treated in the parking lot from parents of children in school. All in all it was an excellent day/holiday.