Saturday, January 19, 2019

December

We started off December with one of our traditions...Christmas in Color!  We went with our neighbors this year.  Seeing the joy on my kids' faces was the best part.
New family of three=New Christmas Ornament!

We survived the last weeks of school and made it to Christmas break!  On the last day of school for 2018 our school had our annual school wide Christmas Sing.  Love watching my kids sing.

 Love my school
 Love my team: PE, Computers, Music, and Art
 All the teachers and staff!  Freedom Elementary is the best!

Kayzee has started Tumbling!  She has the perfect body for it and she is already amazing at it!  This girl can move...


 Memphis started Karate.  He loves it.  It has been so good for him.  He has already advanced from white belt to yellow belt!


This has been the busiest month but totally worth it! Karate and Tumbling are now taking over our lives but watching these two and their accomplishments makes my mommy heart so happy. I couldn’t be more proud. They are cruising through the beginner levels faster than a lot of other kids. The transformation in Memphis is huge! Karate teaches courage, focus, and self-discipline. To see that change in him is simply amazing. Kayzee is doing things she thought she could never do. She is crushing tumbling like a champ. Seeing these two soar is what my life is all about.

And dating...basically it's the worst now that I am a single mom.  Some days I just want to be single for the rest of my life but some days I think there is someone out there for me.

We finally got a really good snowstorm and the kids had so much fun playing in it.  They played outside for 4 hours!  And I have the best neighbors who clear my driveway and sidewalks!



Christmas Eve finally came!  We have so many traditions and it's our favorite time of year and I really cherished just spending the time with my kids.  Best Christmas yet!

Christmas Eve Tradition #1 Go to the movies...this year Ralph Breaks the Internet

Christmas Eve Tradition #2 Games.  Hide and Seek was the best this year!  We got more creative with where to hide.

Christmas Eve Tradition #3 Dinner by candlelight.  If you ask my kids it's their favorite tradition of them all.

The rest of our Christmas Eve Traditions...cookies for Santa, open 1 present from grandma Thorpe...new pjs, my grandma's famous Mud Pie, and our new tradition for our new family of 3...sleepover in Mommy's bed.  Santa had a little trouble escaping to put presents out ha ha!  Didn't want to wake those kiddos up.

Christmas Eve tree
 Christmas Day...Santa came!
 They are so excited waiting to go down
 Yay!  Presents...as usual we were all spoiled!



I got this idea from a teacher friend and it took a while to get it all together because of the distance problem but we did it and it turned out sooooo cute.  Presents for my mom and dad from their grandkids!

 We went to Get Air Hangtime Trampoline place to get some energy out during the break!

 I finished my reading challenge of 100 books!
 Our 2018! My NY resolution for 2018 was to find a happier me. I just didn’t realize it would take heartache, tears, and trials to get there. 2018 started out the worst possible way and some days I didn’t think I would make it. Too many hard days and lots of tears. Wading through the long process of getting a divorce and me and my kids having the worst winter months of sickness we ended up in the emergency room with me wondering how I would survive being a single mom, we found our new normal as a family of 3 and I really am so much happier. I have grown a lot closer to my parents, especially my dad and I am so grateful for all the help they have given me this past year. I found my tribe of close friends who I know are always there for me. And the best part...my kids! I cherish being their mom every day and am so blessed to have them in my life to keep close and hopefully raise them up right. They cheer me up and keep me going every day. 2018 ended up carving out a happier me! Now on to 2019...a healthier me. I spent the past year taking care of my kids making sure they were doing ok with everything going on that I neglected my health. Found out some hard truths after some medical tests and talking to my doctors what I need to do so I don’t get worse! A healthier me in 2019. I got this!

Saturday, December 22, 2018

November

November was a maybe not so good month.  With all of us being sick, missing a lot of school, first big holiday not together as a family, it was HARD but we got through it and I really am thankful for what I have, the people that are in my life, all that we can do, and I am especially thankful for my two sweet kiddos.  Here are their school pictures.  Memphis 4th grade/Kayzee 2nd grade.
 I took this picture on November 6th! Yep.  The tree was up, shopping done, and presents wrapped and under the tree by November 6th!!!  I never put up my tree before Thanksgiving but everything was done and ready to go so we decided why not?!?!?!  My kids loved it.  It definitely helped me not be stressed about Christmas coming up and I got to really enjoy the holidays and relax.
 My kids got haircuts.  Kayzee just wanted a trim but the guy cutting her hair kept cutting it shorter and shorter and putting in layers and I wasn't paying attention.  Kayzee cried the whole way home.  She hated it.  But when we got home I styled it and the next day at school she got so many compliments from teachers and friends that she decided she liked it.  And I guess all her friends really liked it because 3 of them cut their hair short like hers.

 Memphis showed a picture of a haircut he really wanted but his haircut ended up nothing like the picture so he didn't like his either.  Maybe we need to start going somewhere else...
 Memphis drew this at school!  He is getting so good at art.  I was out doing recess duty and Memphis came running out to me in the middle of class because he had to show me.  Good job buddy!
 Memphis and Kayzee ended up going down to Blanding to stay with their grandma and grandpa Royer this year for Thanksgiving.  I knew we needed to have our own Thanksgiving before they left so we all took the day off of school on the Tuesday before and celebrated all day.  It was the best day ever.  Something I will always remember.  First we went to a park and played hide and seek.  I won every round!!!

 Next we went to the movies to see The Grinch.  Such a good movie!!!  Since it was $5 Tuesdays we decided to try out the D-Box seats...the seats that move and I am just glad my kids loved it and got to experience it because we are never doing it again!  I felt so nauseous the rest of the day I was kind of miserable.  Oh well, anything for my kids!  After the movie we went out to eat.  Best Thanksgiving Celebration ever, spending time with my kids.


 The Wednesday before Thanksgiving we got up and went to Funtopia because we still have some punches left on our punch card.  The slide was finally working yay!  Then my kids left for Blanding.

 This year for Thanksgiving I decided it was my Friendsgiving year.  My 3 best friends knew it would be hard for me to celebrate the Holiday alone so they each found ways to cheer me up.  Wednesday night after my kids left, Amy took me out and we went to the movies and out to eat.  It was a great night with lots of laughter and some tears.  On Thanksgiving in the morning I went up to Allison's house and took them one of my yummy chocolate pies.  We snacked and talked for awhile.  Then I went back home and went over to my neighbor's house to have Thanksgiving dinner with my friend Angela's family.  Yummy food!  I hate Black Friday shopping (probably because I had to work it for a few years) but since I didn't have my kids I decided to go try it out so later in the evening on Thanksgiving I went back out with my friend Allison.  I did find a few good deals so it was worth it.  Late night though and then I woke up early on Friday and went back out shopping with Angela.  Whew!  I was so tired after all that I went home and took a long nap!   I LOVE my friends.  They really helped me get through the holiday because it was really hard for me to not be with my kids.
All month long I had been suffering through a painful sinus infection.  I was putting off going into the doctor because I have had so many before and my experience in the past was they wouldn't give me an antibiotic unless it lasted longer than two weeks.  Well, the Saturday after Thanksgiving I woke up feeling fine but then around 11 I spiked a fever of 101.  It was so sudden and my throat was so painful  I knew I had strep.  Went to the doctor and I got diagnosed with a sinus infection, strep, AND a double ear infection.  UGH!  We tried to figure out where I got strep from and the doctor thinks from Black Friday shopping!  Maybe I shouldn't do that anymore...The doctor put me on two different antibiotics to treat the different infections.  I was still so miserable Sunday night so I got a sub for work and I actually ended up getting worse, my fever wouldn't break and the lymph nodes in my neck swelled up so much I couldn't sleep laying down it hurt so bad.  My doctor called in yet another antibiotic and this time he gave me a really strong dose and that finally kicked it.  I waited to go back to work till my fever broke and I could finally eat and get enough sleep to have enough energy so I missed a few days.  And the news for my future is...because I have had too many sinus infections and I have had strep too many times, I need to get my tonsils out and have a stent put in my sinus' to open them up.  It is a long recovery so I need to wait till summer so I don't miss 4-6 weeks of school so I really hope I am not sick all winter like all the past winters.  Lots of prayers!
 My kids came home from Blanding on that Saturday and they were so wonderful and took such good care of me while I was sick.  They were always checking on me and making sure to get me anything I needed.  I made them wash their hands a lot and tried to keep them out of my room as much as possible so they wouldn't get strep.  Luckily they didn't get it but they did get really bad colds and coughs so they didn't sleep well at night either so they missed a few days of school as well.  Memphis was so sweet and made Kayzee a get well card.
 So far we have all felt fine and haven't been sick since so we are so excited for Christmas!  It's going to be the best!  Just me and my kiddos celebrating a wonderful holiday together and keeping our traditions alive.  Happy Holidays everyone!