Back to Normal.

He made it home.  2.5 hours late.  But he made it home.  And thank goodness for that.  Toccoa was refusing to eat, Willow was glued to the doors and I was this close (picture finger and thumb tightly pressed together) to throwing this stupid boot out the window...from my moving truck.

But now he's home and everything is back to normal.  I guess we know who holds this house together!

Laugh out loud.

I know that I shouldn't complain when Jeff travels, especially since it's been less and less each year.  But I have to admit, I get kinda used to our routine (big shocker!).  It's not the being alone that I hate, it's the quiet.  And yes, Will is here with me.  But he's in the bonus room and the dogs are quiet too!

So I'm sure the neighbors heard me laugh out loud when I received this text!  I love him for making me belly laugh when he's a million miles away.  

I'm not sure everyone will get it, but dear heavens, it was funny!

Work. Work. Work.

It's officially Fall.  I even waited until after 10:39pm to type this up just to be certain!  And after taking a step outside, the temperatures are starting to confirm it too.  No complaints, it's my favorite time of the year...and it looks like we're getting a small warm up for camping this weekend so all is good.

But anyway, I decided to celebrate by making some warm, cozy little people clothes...with my left foot.  Call me a creature of habit, but while that awesome machine Jeff bought me has buttons I can use to sew instead of the foot pedal, I just can't seem to get the hang of it.  So left footed won...should have tried it sooner!

So now I'm officially back to work.  Only four more weeks and I'll be back to dancing too!

Surprise!!

I love surprises!

So pulling down the driveway after an afternoon of unpacking boxes at the duck house and finding Hunter standing in the driveway was the best surprise ever!

I was looking forward to our dinner plans on Friday, but this was much better!  A whole evening with both of the boys makes me one happy mommy!

And I wasn't the only happy one.....

Two minutes.

It's 11:30 on the nose.  I know this because it's exactly two minutes later than the last time I looked at my phone.  Which was exactly two minutes after I looked at it before.  And in two minutes, when I'm done typing this, I'll check it again.

Can you tell that it's Saturday night and Will is out with friends?

After this week, I'm pretty positive that every time he leaves the house, I have a small panic attack.  Ok, so some of them aren't so small.

I know he's no longer a baby, but he's my baby.  And I can't help but worry....it comes with the title of Mom.

And I was wrong...

it took me 4 minutes to type this.

Afraid not!

It's Friday!!  It's Friday!!

We've made it through an incredibly long week and we're looking forward to a weekend of rest and relaxation.  Ok, so that probably won't happen, but it sounds WONDERFUL!!

To celebrate, I thought I'd share the picture that Hunter sent me today.  And yes, it made me laugh out loud.

Happy Weekend Everyone!

The Castle

Yes.  It was an incredibly long day.  But the sun shined and the milkshakes were amazing.  And Will and I got to spend part of the day here.  It's one of our favorite places.  Not so easy to navigate in a boot, but Will got to drive me around so anytime he can drive the truck, he's a happy kid!  And we got some of the best pictures...can't wait to share them soon!!

Puppy Love.

I'm happy that someone can make him smile.  There is nothing like unconditional love.  Willow may have Hunter wrapped around his finger, but Toccoa has definitely stole Will's heart.  

So after a long evening, she was in his lap before his butt could hit the seat.  Normally that's a no no, but well....

Skipping!

Is there a better way to spend Senior Skip Day?  I'm touched that Will came home early on his big day to bring a snack for us to share!  And dear heavens, those were the best doughnuts ever.  He knows the way to his momma's heart!

Although it appears that he had plenty of fun before that!

I'm glad they got to enjoy the day!  It's going to be a long week.

Thank you, Jeffrey!

Thanks for taking care of me.  Thanks for jumping up every two minutes to grab something I forgot.  Thanks for delivering everything you don't think I should get up and get myself.  Thank you for taking me out today...especially for the amazing burger!  Thank you for loving my dinner and not yelling at me for standing for 5 minutes to shove it all in the crock pot.

This boot thing really stinks, but thanks for making me laugh about it.  Thanks for making it a tad more tolerable.  Thanks for pretending that you don't mind me complaining about it every two minutes.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all you've done and all you'll inevitably continue to do (since you won't let me).  I love you so much for it.

I promise I'll return the kindness as soon as I can!  I <3 you!

The Thomas Family Saturday

Since we couldn't be together, we spend our "in between" times snap chatting with what we were up to.

Here's how the day looked...

Hunter!

Will!

Mom and Jeff!

I'm thinking that in this case, Will actually had the worst of it.  While we were packing, he was taking his third ACT.  Obviously, Hunter won out.  However he's been on call all weekend so I'm not sure the game makes up for it.

Tomorrow's our turn for a little fun.  Hopefully, Will will work some in too.  Hunter...well, he's got homework.

When I began planning for the blog, I never dreamed of the details of our lives it would contain.  My goal was to record a period of our lives, both good and bad.  To give the boys a living record of the day to day events that made up our life.  I knew we'd have highs and lows.

Never in my life did I think that for the second time, I would be blogging about the loss of a friend and classmate of the boys.  And this one hits a little closer to home.  The similarities with the boys is frightening.  And as a parent, I simply can't imagine the pain and loss for the family.

As of this moment, Brayden has passed on and is in a much better place.  The Class of 2015 will have an angel looking down on them as the deal with the loss, regain their momentum and carry on a legacy that he began.

Please hug your little ones, your big ones...all of your loved ones.  Don't take a single second for granted.  Tomorrow isn't promised to anyone.

UGH!!!!!!!!

Just picture me sitting here, hanging my head in shame.  I just realized that I forgot to blog last night.  And I blame Gordon Ramsey.  Yep, it was the season premier of Hell's Kitchen and I don't miss GR for anything.  But I am sorry, next week I'll be a little better prepared.

So to make up for it, I have a great story for you!  I figure the least I could do was make you all laugh!

Here we go....

I woke up this morning in a great mood.  Not only did I sleep well (a first since I hurt my ankle), but it was a beautiful morning.  Cool and breezy.  The very first tiny taste of Fall!  I've been waiting for 9 months for it!  

So as Jeff took off to work, I took 1/2 an hour to open all of the windows in the house.  Yes, when you're hobbling around, it felt like 1/2 an hour.  Breezes flew gently through all of the rooms, fresh air filled the house.  I was in heaven.  So off to work I went.

About an hour and half later, I heard Fancy the cat howling up a storm.  Positive that she was facing off with one of the outdoor cats with only a screen between them, I came down to find out what was going on.  Man, was I wrong!?!

This is what I found.  

And that was a kind photo.  The close up would show you a decapitated chipmunk, half eaten on my dining room floor by my INDOOR, DECLAWED cat.  

Apparently, one of the windows I opened didn't have a screen in it.  So Fancy took full advantage and jumped out, caught herself lunch and returned home to share it.  Lucky me.

I just thank my lucky stars that Fancy jumped out the window to find the chipmunk vs. the chipmunk jumping in the window to find us.  With the window open that long, I'm certainly surprised that we don't have a house full of mysterious visitors.

Hopefully, you got as good of laugh out of it as Jeff did.  

Just no words.

The boys think I'm crazy each time they leave the house.  My last words are always be careful.  Their last word is always the same.  "Always".  We laugh uncomfortably and they leave.  And I whisper a prayer that they make it home safely.

Tonight, I want to reiterate why.

Brayden Thornberry is a classmate of Will's.  He's a senior, senior captain of the football team and a pretty good kid from what I know.  He also has a brother that's a freshman.  Sounds pretty similar to the boys.  The year that Will was a freshman and Hunter was a senior was just filled with fun and games.

So I can't imagine what the Thornberry family is going through.  Tonight, Brayden is in a coma, in critical condition after a car accident on Saturday.  He was driving home, along with his younger brother.  His brother walked away with a few scratches but not Brayden.

The community is coming together, selling tshirts, holding prayer vigils, donating money for expenses.  The school has counslers on hand and most of Will's classes have been coasting though the week, allowing the kids to talk about what's going on.

This is the moment as a parent you fear the most.  I can't pretend to even comprehend it.

So please say a prayer for them.  Hug your kids a few extra times.  And don't miss as single I love you.  You don't know what's waiting around the corner.

    

Save us.

This just made me laugh.  Apparently, it's been one of those days for all of us.  Will had to drag himself out of bed to make it to school on time.  I spend half the day being fitted for the "boot" and loosing my driving privileges for a bit.  Jeff had to leave work early to come home and get ready for a showing (that I was stuck at the drs office for) only to have them no show.  Hunters day didn't seem to go much better.  I thought it was just a fitting picture for all of us.

A sneak peek!

Christmas is coming!

Actually, I'm pretty sure it's already arrived at Hobby Lobby, Joannes and Walmart.

But when the mail man delivered a package with all of this inside...I knew it was true!

So while tags are cutting away, I'll be working on Christmas presents.  Here's a peek :D

Totally Fresh.

A fresh start starts with a fresh coat of paint!

Will has a new plan at the new house for his new room.  And that required a new coat of paint!  While we were at it, we gave Hunter's room a face lift too!  

I'm saving the "after" pictures for the completed room, but all I can say is that it was a great day to work at the Duck House.  We had a great time, taught Will a few things about painting and all we talked about was how much we were all looking forward to the move. 

So I guess the benefit of a slow move is the time to create the spaces we'd like, before they're filled to the brim with furniture!

Oh, and the brass door knobs are the next to go :)

My bud.

Rose are red.

Violets are blue.

I can't imagine how boring life would be

without you.

Yep.  It was cheesey.  But probably the most honest statement of the year.  I know it's not obvious, but I'm not a dog person.   Until I found her.  She stole my heart.  I couldn't love her more.

Maybe its because she's the only one left in the house that needs me.  Maybe it's because she's got a bigger attitude than I do.

Either way, she's my buddy and I'd be lost without her.  

No more hair.

How do you know when Fall is right around the corner?

You wait for Willow to shed enough fur to make a new puppy!!  Toccoa is blowing her coat and Willow is shedding enough that I could vacuum every twenty minutes and not get up all the hair.

This probably took care of it for a day or two...but it won't be long until we're all covered again!

What's great about Tuesdays!

I love Tuesdays.  Seriously, they're my favorite day of the week.

First, they're not Monday.  Second, I've generally gotten a decent nights sleep (ok, so not the case today but I digress).  Third, it's Will's day off. 

I make sure I schedule my work so that I can spend the afternoon with him.  Yes, I know he's 17 and probably has better things to do than hang with me....but he's a great sport about it.  Every. Single. Week.  

So today, Will got to test drive the truck and we spent the afternoon waiting out the storms while checking on the Duck House.  We found a few new baby ducks...and the best piece of carpet in Maineville.  It's where we spend most of our Tuesday afternoons lately.  Sprawled out on the floor, catching up and shooting the "stuff".

I love these days.  I know we don't have many of them left.  So if you're looking for me on a Tuesday afternoon and I'm nowhere to be found, it's because I'm hanging out on the floor...cherishing each moment.

We're Home!

We're back!!  Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend...I know we did!

Sometimes you just need a recharge and that's exactly what we got...especially because Jeff wouldn't let me lift a finger (or in this case a toe) all weekend.

So here it is in a nutshell...

Two awesome people came to visit.

They brought us a cool (and precious) present!

I spent my time watching Jeff do this...

And this...

When he'd finally let me walk...I got to go out to dinner with this guy!

And then I came home to this...

Which caused me to miss this guy :(

Which was made up quickly when this guy came home!

So I hope all of you had as wonderful of weekend as I did.!  Tomorrow is back to work and reality...hopefully this weekend let us all rest up a bit for it!