Please leave old friend

I have recently been vistited by an old "friend" of mine. He has set up residence here, although I have repeatedly asked him to LEAVE. He is the voice that defies reason, he is the little devil on my shoulder making me doubt everything I do and question all logical assumption. Sometimes he is so quiet I think he is gone, and sometimes he is so loud I cannot think of anything but shutting him up. Today he is loud and I decided, I am going to get on that treadmill and run him out of here, but of course while finally getting up to a jogging pace, he whispered in my ear, loud enough to hear over the whirring of the treadmill, loud enough to hear over the music from the television, "You know if you trip and fall off of this thing, there is no one here to help you-no one to take care of the baby, who will wake up hungry-with no one to feed him". I told him to shut up and kept on running. Of course I still heard his words, but I am trying my hardest to not give them substance. I am bound and determined to no longer LISTEN to him. I will eventually get him out of my life, out of my thoughts. For now I will just have to co-exist with him and hope he gets bored enough to leave.

It only lasts five minutes....

As I was riding in the car with my sister in law, Lori, and we were discussing the ups of downs of an infant again, she shared with me something that her Aunt told her, "it only lasts 5 minutes". That really sat with me and I have thought about it all morning. How so very true that is. I think back to when my Spencer was a newborn and would keep me up all night and all day, how scared and tired and crazy and depressed I was, but it only lasted five minutes, or so it seems. Before I knew it, we were celebrating his first birthday out by the pool at the apartment we lived in at the time, and even then I wished for him to be bigger, to be able to play more independently, to be able to fully feed himself a meal, to be able to TELL me what was wrong, and before I knew it that 5 minutes passed and he was turning two, and was able to do all of those things and yet I always looked ahead, never enjoying those precious minutes as they passed right by me. Along came the third, fourth, fifth birthday, and not once did I stop to think how fast it was all passing me by.

My Spencer is going to turn 10 in a few months. He is a good boy, smart, sensitive and caring, but can be sassy with that mouth of his. I will, from here on out, remind myself that this 5 minutes will pass and he will be graduating from high school......getting married.....having his own children, God willing. And when he calls to tell me how his baby is keeping he and his wife up all night, how his little child is going through the terrible two's, how his sweet angel stayed out past curfew, I will most likely laugh and say something along the lines of "Glad I am done with that phase in my life". But I know in my heart I will be thinking and longing to get those minutes back. Those precious minutes that fly by before you even realize it.

Oh and I guess it would make sense to announce the arrival of Alistair Mackie Clayton, born December 26, 2011, just in time for a tax write off!! That boy was thinking ahead in the womb! Jordan left for Navy bootcamp two weeks before his arrival. One left and one came....Spencer is still here!

BUSTED!

So yesterday, I spent the day shopping with my sisters in law and my aunt and was totally called out on how infrequest my blogging has been! Now that I am somewhat of a stay at home mommy, I am going to make more of an effort to keep up with this thing!

I love it when people in your life call you out on things out of love and make you feel like a failure, which in turn inspires you NOT to be a failure and then....well you know what happens. You become a WINNER!! Look at Charlie Sheen, he was acting a fool, got called out on it and voila-he spends every media minute talking about what a winner he is!!

Spencer came home today after a spring break week with his Dad, and Lord knows I missed him! It was also so special to see the look of recognition on Alistair's face when he saw him. Can a three month old remember someone he hasn't seen in a week? Who knows, but I swear when he saw his big brother his little face lit up as if to say, "there you are! I have been looking for you" Spence is such a good big brother! He loves his little A so much and really can't wait to play with him as he gets bigger.

So as much as I wish I had some thought provoking and inspiring words to type to the world, I am at a loss. I guess as I keep up with this blog I will come up with some truly witty things to say. Until then......

WOW

Has it really been so many months since I wrote on this blog? Let me catch you up, since the last entry we have given the dog away, bought a house, owned two homes for two months (since one was in Cotton Lakes, we called it our lake house until it sold). I got a new job, knocked off four more classes and will be graduating on schedule in December. Spencer has lost three teeth and is in 2nd grade and loving it. Jordan has lost her retainer and in 11th grade and wishing for graduation. Roger is taking it one day at a time trying to hurt the children lol!!!

Life is fabulous if I do say so myself!!

Sorry for the delay!!

I know I haven't been as good at blogging as I thought I would be, but things on our end have been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY. We enjoyed a nice visit with Roger's sister, her husband and their five children along with Roger's brother from San Fran and the other two brothers that live in Birmingham. It was a family reunion of sorts.

I am halfway done with this term of school then 6 classes left until my short lived freedom (pre-MBA) <-- This is still on the thinking block so we will see.

Roger's job is moving and grooving and he loves it almost as much as we love having him back home in our hometown. Moving was never something I really wanted to do in the phase of our lives, but you gotta go where the money (or job) is sometimes. Either way we would have made it as we have made it through all of the little trials and tribulations of the last year.

Spencer is doing well in wrapping up his first grade year, to date he has read over 70 books in the schools AR reading program and is doing very well in school. We have recently noticed a talent in his basketball skills and may be investigating a team sport of sorts in that area in the future.

Jordan is diligently trying to put this year of school in the history books so to speak. She won three regional awards for her artwork and will continue with lessons throughout the summer. SHe is super excited about inheriting the Rodeo to drive and is anticipating the license she needs to operate it. Soon, little Jordan, soon....

Roger is off again............

Roger was home for the weekend and we all had a great time trying to settle into our routine with him here. We went bowling with his brother, Kimball and his wife Jamie, on Sunday night and Spencer beat both of them!! We all had a really great time. Roger left again this morning on a flight heading back to Virginia and is going to brave the crowds tomorrow in DC and try to get to work. I miss him so much more now than ever before because I know how long it will be before I see him again.

School is keeping me really busy and it helps me to focus my energy on something other than the fact that our family is incomplete with Roger away. Rylee (our puppy) is growing by leaps and bounds and the vet told me that we are doing everything right. Her appetite is healthy and she is a very happy and rambunctious dog!

Jordan and Spencer are doing well making it on their own with me at school all the time and I hope they don't kill each other before I finish.