Seminar.....Interrupted!

This past weekend Chris and I were going to attend a Laugh Your Way marriage seminar. It was offered in Texarkana at the Church On the Rock. They were going to provide day care which is a huge perk for us. We were very stoked on the idea of going to a comedy based marriage seminar because we are both big goofballs! Anyway....plans changed due to illness within the family. Oh well, maybe next time. Maybe we will get the DVDs online and check it out anyway? I have heard that it is a great viewing experience and well worth the time and money. Check it out at http://www.laughyourway.com/. It is a program for all marriages and just a fun time for couples to learn something about his/her partner and laugh a little.....sound like fun?

It Has Been A Crazy Two Weeks.

Braydon woke up last Tuesday morning complaining that he was "not well". He hit the nail on the head with that comment. My last couple weeks I have been on snotty kleenex duty and because of his sore throat, have been summoned with the call of a laser gun! Gotta love it. No sleep was in store for this mama the first five nights...collectively, I think, there was about six hours of "nite nite" during that time. What an adventure...for all of us.

In our recuperation period, there was a medicinal river flowing through our house. From the anti-pyretic waterfalls to the anti-histamine lagoon, it was a "treat the symptom" kind of time. I think that the course of a cold virus is just so ridiculous! First you try to dry up the snot with the anti-histamine/decongestant so the cough will be quieted. Then the cough develops a little more and you medicate with the suppressants so the kiddo is able to sleep through the night. Finally you use the expectorant to MAKE them cough and purge all unwanted "goo" from the chest. What a vicious cycle! BLAH!

On Sunday morning, David woke up "not well"....hurumph! He had some sort of Braydon's virus, just mutated slightly into a lesser evil. Chris and I developed a little "yuk", but nothing like the kiddos. We are all on the mend now and ready to get out of the house!

The one time it does snow and stick to the ground down here, we were not able to play in it! Oh well! We are just thankful that everyone is better and a doctor visit was not required!

It Snowed Here!

I cannot believe it! It actually snowed here and it stuck to the ground for about twelve hours. The boys were very excited. Since it was an overnight snow, they were not able to play in it all that much....just a couple of snowballs were thrown on the way back from a Junk-Mart adventure.

I, unfortunately, needed to do my bi-weekly grocery shopping on the day of the forecasted snow. It was a packed grocery store...people down here panic when they hear about any sign of snow or ice and buy out almost all necessary staples in town.....needless to say I will be making another grocery trip later this week due to lack of inventory.

Confessions of a Mom With an Aspergerized Teenager!

The last few days the cat has been trapped behind the washer mewing helplessly until somebody pulls the washer out and releases him. We have had this cat almost an entire year and it has never displayed any desire to take a leap behind the washer into the deep dark abyss. Suddenly the temptation has heightened....so it seems.

Funny thing, though, the cat is never trapped in this condition when the eldest boy is not present. The eldest boy may even be caught "rescuing" the cat on occasion......things that make you go hmmmmm.

When questioned, of course, this was an absurd idea that I had conjured up. It really amazes me how somebody can twist something around so flawlessly almost making you think you really are crazy. It astonishes me daily.

Mysteriously, the cat's intrigue with washer diving has suddenly vanished. I suppose the fiasco is not as fun when, "the cat is out of the bag"...that was bad, I know!

From the journal of an exasperated parent of an aspy!

and the journey continues............along with the continuous prayers for understanding, wisdom, and patience....

I Have a Blog.....? Oops!

So, it's been a crazy past few months! Here is a brief capture of our goings on:

• Traveled to Indiana for Thanksgiving, where both children decided to become ill....still were able to have some fun, but missed out on seeing some family due to illness.
• School.
• Braydon read his first book.
• More school.
• Saw a civil war battle reenactment in Historic Washington....cool!
• School, school, school.
• Went on a cheap and terribly unstable cruise ship....Carnival Fantasy (never book it)!!! See previous blog for more info.
• Chris went on some business trips.
• School.
• Toastmasters.
• David had a colonoscopy and EGD....found out he has bad reflux, two gastric ulcers, and is in the high risk category for developing celiac disease, but tested negative for it right now....PTL!
• Family in for the holidays...good times.
• Planning a four generation family vacation for 2010.
• Planning 5th birthday party for Braydon. 5?? Really?
• Fargo developed pacreatitis...ridiculous dog.....he is fixed now.
• Fargo's allergies are in full bloom right now....on benadryl around the clock...again I say, ridiculous dog!
• Husband bought me a pod of I.....fun.
• Streaming videos online from Netflix....cool and cheap! My favorites!
• Root canal and crown for my poor husband...cleanings for the boys.
• Ping pong tournaments.
• Soccer came to an end.
• School.
• Suspension parts broke on the front of the truck....thank you extended warranty!
• Growing children.....David wears a size 10 in men's shoes, and a 16 SLIM in pants!

I cannot remember everything that has happened, but that is a pretty decent summary. Just busy and on the go......is there any other way?

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The Previously Mentioned Trip To "Kana".

Driving to Texarkana we experienced several "fun" adventures....

We typically drive our car to Texarkana for fuel conservation purposes, but on this day we took the truck because my husband must have been in a meeting or unavailable in some sort of fashion when I was texting him from his work parking lot stating that I was there to trade vehicles. So, down the road we went in the gas guzzling machine.

I spoke with my husband right before entering Texarkana's city limits and the conversation went pretty much like this:

Me: "Honey, the truck isn't running quite up to normal standards and I smell a burning-type odor."

Husband: "Your fine, the truck is fine, just drive it, it will be fine." I know this doesn't sound like a very concerned or loving response, but anyone who knows my husband is aware that he has a "tad bit" of sarcasm in his daily life and meant for comedy only. This was not said in a mean way, he just likes me to think that I am a little crazy....sometimes he is able to convince me!

Me: Laughing, and tired of hearing the word, "fine", "Whatever you say, dear. I obviously am wrong and crazy." Did I mention I am a little sarcastic as well?

So, off I went with two children into the big city. On the way in we did encounter a typhoon like wind/rainfall. That is always exciting.
We pulled into PetSmart and I went in and did the whole cat food purchasing thing, came back to the truck and.....started it. But when the truck started, the entire body of the vehicle began to shimmy and shake....thought to myself that this seemed quite odd, strange and NOT FINE! Anyway, I put the truck in reverse and proceeded to back out of the parking spot. About two feet into the reverse, the truck DIED! Tried to restart, no such luck.
In my moment of despair, I thought, well I have to get this huge thing out of the middle of the parking lot. I know! I will have my eighty-five pound thirteen year old push this eight thousand pound truck back into the parking spot! Great idea, right....yeah right. The truck just rolled farther back during the attempt to push it forward. It didn't sound like the most clever decision I have ever made, but I actually did have reasoning. I wasn't about to get out and try to push the truck while David would be in control of the brakes and the steering wheel....especially since the truck was dead and there was not any power steering or braking. Also, parked right in front of us...a brand new BMW. Nope, I had to take my chances and let the boy try and push...haha. Just as David was giving all he had, which wasn't much, a truck of college aged boys came to my rescue and pushed us back in our spot...thank you, Lord!

Next came the call to the husband....

Me: "The truck is not fine!" then I told him what had happened.

Husband: "Hmm, come on, what do you mean it died/won't start?"

Me: ?????

Husband: "Ok, where are you? I'll be there in an hour, get the information for our warranty ready for me when I arrive." keep in mind that we live an hour away and that my hubby isn't just taking his time.

Me: "Okay, I am going to take the kids to get some lunch...see you soon."

The children and I walked over to Chick-A-Fil (a Smith term) and had some lunch and waited for Daddy. When he arrived he checked under the hood, determined that it was the fuel pump (we found out later that his diagnosis was correct....errr), and called the local Ford dealership to come and get it. Of course, the vehicle is so large a normal tow truck could not suffice, we had to have the flat bed come out and take it away. This did wonders for my husband's ego! Him and his big truck.
In conclusion, husband rescued us and took us home, truck was fixed, and all is FINE! Next story: How I caught my kitchen on fire last night. Does the fun ever end?