Today, Caden was not impressed with one of his teacher's handwriting. He was looking at the letter 'e' in his name and the little hole in the letter 'e' wasn't visible...this means that it is the letter 'c.' So he disgustedly says "Dis is NOT my name. It says C-A-D-C-N.WONG!" He said it so choppy and fast that it almost sounded like his last name was Wong. Of course that made me giggle, to which Caden replies "Dis is NOT funny, dey spelled my name wong! Dis is serious!" Ahh, it was so funny. It doesn't translate well to written word, but I hope I'll remember it now.

Quick Post again...

Caden makes up stories and they begin like this: "once a bubba time."

Caden loves to say actually and he uses it appropriately. "actcha-wee"

Sometimes Caden has "hob-able" dreams about big bad wolves...Horrible...I kind of forgot that Harry Potter might not be appropriate for a 4 year old. Later though, for sure.

Mattie is super sweet. She can say her name clearly, now. She still calls Caden "Duhduh" I'm listening to them play and she was saying "Duhduh, Duhduh...WOOK Duhd" Caden, Caden, look, Cade.

We've got 6 more weeks to graduation! Yippy!!! I'm super excited! I am beyond ready to have a life again. I'm not sure how many more hoops I can jump through.

It's hot and dry. We had a cold front come through and the temp dropped to 102 for a few days. We might get another one over the weekend and actually have highs in the '90s! I wonder if it's causing the animals to act crazy, because we actually have a wild barn cat and a fox living under Wesley's shop...or we did, haven't seen either in the past couple of days. It was so strange to see them both come out from the same place. I thought a fox would eat a cat? Haven't seen or heard of any snake issues, which is really nice. Maybe it's just me on the animal thing. My brother always laughs at me about how I may have overreacted to a racoon...that I thought was getting a little too close to Caden last year.

Wesley's home, I better get. Many posts and pictures to come...graduation may have to come first, but I will post again! Love to all!

School starts Monday - Bummer. Family Reunion is next week/weekend - Yeah! I've tried to get ahead on my studies so I can miss school without causing problems for myself. I'm trying to have everything ready for the trip by Sunday. I have the kiddos almost completely packed. I even have Caden's Oklahoma trip packed. My boy is going to stay with his Bam and Papaw while they are in OK. I was, correction am, a little shaky about Caden being so far away. However, I'm also very excited for him to have special time with his grandparents. And Caden, he is BEYOND excited.  I still have soo much to do. Housework, schoolwork, packing. I need ONE more day! On the upside I am finally caught up with the laundry. The last time this house saw a clean laundry room was when my Mom stayed with us in February! Damn school.

We went swimming this weekend. I am very motivated to start exercising...not because I am worried about my figure. But because I found that my left leg is still very weak. It wasn't long ago that I treaded water out in the Gulf of Mexico for long stretches of time...I could barely tread water in a 5 foot pool this weekend!

We also took the kids to do lots of fun things, just the four of us. We played putt putt golf, rode go-carts, took Caden ice-skating, rode rides in the mall in Odessa, and had things we normally don't like chocolate milk, Sprite, and lots and lots of ice cream. I'm trying so hard to teach my kids that cokes are for special times like vacation and what not. We don't order cokes with meals. The ice skating was classic...Caden was hell bent on going. This mall has a rink and once he spied it, he was determined. Neither Wesley or I could go onto the ice with him, but he had a blast hugging the wall and pulling himself along. I fixed big breakfast this weekend and managed not to burn anything. Caden loves "pan-panks." So does Mattie.

I have more to say, but it's just not coming together tonight. I will get on pictures soon. I really will. Love to all!

I just hate that my blogs have been so spread out! I really do! I like having the time to blog about my current life rather than catch up on everything. There are so many things to catch-up on. So many things.

Wesley has had a rough couple of months. His grandparents (Dad's dad and Mom's mom) both fell ill a few months ago. As a matter of fact, at one point they were both in the same hospital in Lubbock. His grandfather is very confused now and his children have put him in an assisted living facility in Lubbock. I'm sad to say that his grandmother passed away a few weeks ago. Her whole situation made me angry and frustrated, but what's done is done and I won't bother to write about what can't be changed. I wasn't able to attend the funeral with Wesley because of the head nursing professor. She is notorious for pop quizzes. It is nothing for her to give 3 or 4 pop quizzes a day. If you miss school, and she gives a pop quiz, you get a zero. Period, end of story. I asked her about attending the funeral and she just looked put out about it and said "that's fine." I asked her "Well, what will happen if you give a pop quiz?" and she replied "I guess that's just the risk you'll have to take." I debated several times about going or not and decided that I could handle the zeros. I went to school that morning to take an exam with intentions of leaving for the funeral. She came in that a.m. (into another teacher's class) and reamed us out, and I got the impression I better not leave...unless I wanted to make my life hell for the next few months. So I didn't. Because this is a public forum, I will keep my thoughts to myself. Suffice it to say that it made me sad.

On the school front, I did very well. I did not manage an 'A' in Med-Surg, but I ended with an 88%. I did get recognized from the college with an academic excellence award. They had a nice ceremony and I recieved a medal that is considered regalia to be worn on graduation. I didn't get to attend the ceremony because I had no one to keep my kids because that was the night of the funeral and Wesley couldn't make it from the funeral in Lovington to Odessa in time. I would have asked my classmates, but we had a huge test on Friday and it was just too much to ask. I was pretty exhausted so it was okay. I'm on break until June 6th. I managed to make up my 40 hours of missed clinical time from last semester. I am so relieved to have that behind me! Woo Hoo! I have no idea when or for how long I will get to attend our family reunion because it all depends on the dates our head professor assigns tests.

Caden is doing well. He is such a cool kid. He has picked up a few mannerisms from other kids at school that I really don't like, but we are addressing them. Mattie's speech is still very poor, but we ran into the speech therapist that evaluated Caden last year. She told me not to worry about Mattie, because she just turned two. I'm working on potty training with Mattie. She did great her first day and, well, not so great since. We will get there...eventually.

Today is my Momma's (shellisland) birthday! I love my Mom soooo much! She's been in stinking Oklahoma for a while now. I can't wait to see her in June. Can.not.wait. I can't wait to see all of my family in June!

Speaking of which, we were going to go to my cousin Jaten's graduation, but have decided it is best if we just wait until the reunion. I feel bad, because Wesley kept up with his football and we were going to go to a playoff game in Amarillo one night, but the weather was like 25 degrees and windy and so we didn't. Then their basketball team needed to win one more game for us to get to go, but it didn't happen either. I was hoping to make it for graduation, but I think it would just be pushing it a little too much.

We got to spend an afternoon/evening with Cody & Katie on Easter weekend. Oh my nephew Clayton is sooo adorable! I love him! He is just one of those babies that smile all of the time. I think we may try to see them this weekend.

There are more things, but this is long enough. I will do my best to take and post pictures soon.

Love to all!

While I'm thinking about it, I needed to get these little snippets logged.

Caden in the backyard, with a shovel digging in the dirt.

Wes: Are you digging for gold over there?

Caden: Nope, I'm digging for oil.

I guess this it what happens when you grow up in West Texas...I can't wait until we can go back to the beach. I'm going to make it a point to dig for buried treasure with him. Even though I'd rather go a little farther inland and dig in the Peace River for megladon teeth!

Caden running around the house like the wild child he is.

Caden: "MOM!!!! Wook at me."

Me: "yes?"

Caden: "My heart is BEEPING willy fast!"

I can not believe my Spring Break is almost over. There has been no real "break" from school this past week. I have been working rather hard on my studies this week. I also clinical time to make-up from last semester. I curse the day I slipped and fell in my laundry room, I've been paying for it since. August can not come fast enough.

Even though I'm only taking 16 hours this semester, it feels like the workload is twice as difficult as last semester's 20 hours. We have ridiculous med-surg tests that pull out the most miniscule bits of info out of a plethera of information...I'm averaging an 85 right now, which is really good considering there are 3 of us that pass the tests consistently. Under the circumstances I'm almost satisfied with the B, but I can't help but want to earn the 'A.' Our clinical rotations are sooo much better this semester. I feel REALLY at home on the the Med-Surg floor. They seem to like me there, too! I haven't had L&D yet, though. I can't wait to get a good taste of it, too. School consumes so much of my life, but I'm really enjoying it. I just wish I could have figured out that this is what I was meant for a long time ago.

My husband and I celebrated our 5th anniversary yesterday. I say celebrated, which means we said "Happy Anniversary." No cards or fru-fru. No private dinner. Just us, being us. One of these days we'll take off, just the two of us and go somewhere south...but it's not in the cards right now. And it's OKAY with both of us. I'm so blessed to have such a great person to call my husband. I love him and appreciate all he does for me and my family more than he could ever know. I'll re-post our story sometime this weekend.

My Mom & Dad are now in Oklahoma for a while. I really don't like it when they are gone. But I'm glad that they are getting to have an adventure. Who am I kidding? It bothers me to no end not having them an hour away. (BTW, MOM - when you read this, I need to know how much to water all of your plants. I keep forgetting to ask when we talk.)

I'm saddened by news of Japan. I'm so going to be a Red Cross worker some day. So I can do something besides feel bad. Selfishly, when I do read the news I focus on what's going on in Libya. I cringe when I think that my sweet baby cousin, who is a grown-up Marine, may be deployed there. They can't say, but it's what is "probable." I felt unrest every day that he was gone to Afghanistan and I'm not ready for his upcoming deployment. Not ready.

Caden. I've taught him how to spell his name outloud and write his name. He has GREAT penmenship! He is so funny. He likes to sing songs on the radio now. He tells me to "put the pedal to the metal" and "go duper duper fast." He rarely gets in trouble at school. However, this week he did use scissors to take a chunk out of his hair. He has had several doctors appointments to follow up on an allergic reaction that he had back in January. He has had allergy skin testing and blood work. He is such a good patient...he calmly sits for it all, no crying, no jumping, no freaking out, no whining. Caden is growing up entirely too fast.

Mattie. A week ago I took her for a ride down our road. I let her sit in my lap with her nap-binky from school. She only uses a binky to take naps and to go to bed. We talked about how she doesn't need that binky. I had the window rolled down and said "why don't you just throw that binky out?" And she did! (I don't EVER litter, btw, so forgive me) That night was fairly easy, I reminded her that she threw her binky out. The next night was rough and I just let her get in bed with me. The third night was painless, no complaining. We are now binky free. I'm not sure when we'll get her potty trained. But she's not completely ready yet...and I'm aware of the fact that consistency will be difficult at this moment in time. Her speech is still poor. It's so frustrating, but I remind myself of how Caden's was. I do what I can and know that it will be okay. Her hair is getting very long. She is such a girl, she likes for me to put lip gloss on her lips. She wakes up happy every morning.

Okay, this isn't it. I've left out so much. But it will do until I can update again in May. In the meantime, know that I'm still the same happy person, STRESSED, but happy.

Love to you all!

Whit

OH MAN, it's been a while! I'm going to try and do some catching up on me and the family. Remember that my Xanga is more of a personal log of my life. Not usually a very good or entertaining read. However, I included a picture story at the end. Sometime in November I fell and tore my ACL and meniscus. I finished out what I could of the school semester, took most of my finals early and had surgery on Monday, December 6th. They took a third of my patellar tendon and used it to create a new ACL. 14 staples. I was not a happy camper that first week. I'm far too independent and it just plain pissed me off to need help and require crutches for everything. I took the rest of my finals that Friday. I am happy to report that I pulled off straight A's. I really don't even care if I sound like a braggart about it because my family and I went through hell for those grades. Those grades also helped me get a $1000 scholarship for this semester. Woo Hoo! It doesn't even cover tuition, but a grand is a grand!

Christmas Eve we drove to Lovington. We saw an ambulance at the McDonald's and Wesley's grandfather's truck was there. We stopped. He had fallen and refused treatment. We hung with him that evening and took him to the ER. Turned out he had accidently overdosed on some of his meds. It was a Christmas miracle that we drove by when we did. It made for a long night but Christmas morning was lovely. Very low key. I got some amazing gifts. Simply amazing. I feel so blessed to have received gifts over the past several years that make me cry...with gratitude and happiness. My kids LOVED it! That was a gift in itself watching them.

Speaking of my children, Caden has turned into the most WONDERFUL child. I seriously love hanging out with him. He is much more obedient, very thoughtful, and very funny. He is still very hardheaded but I know where he gets it. He may be a lawyer because he is very smooth "But Mom, just wisten to me" and he gently pats my hand and states his case. He is a people person and people love him. I worry about the whole stranger thing, we talk about it, but he is just a friendly kid. He is also very intelligent...he struggles with his speech still, but it has improved. I wouldn't say he is advanced academically, but he is right on target. He excels at people skills and logic. He is fairly mechanically minded. He is also a mover and a shaker. He loves to be outside doing things. He is very athletic. He is your typical rough and tumble BOY. Caden also falls apart when he is tired, which is normal. When this happens he becomes very moody and throws fits. Blue is Caden's favorite color and his Bam is his favorite person.

Mattie is growing up so fast, too! She is just a sweet little baby. She is very shy with new settings at first. It takes her a while to open up, relax, and be herself. She loves to "sing." She loves playing with her babies. She is so loving. Even though she is super sweet and will usually share anything...she has a temper. She gives the dirtiest looks and will even smack people ont he hand if she doesn't get her way. She has some of the same speech issues Caden did, but I'm not stressing this time around. Mattie's favorite thing to do is eat. Seriously, she will eat just to eat. I know she has to be full but she will keep eating because she enjoys food. We are trying to eat more healthy because I'm afraid she will struggle one of these days. Mattie's favorite person is her brother. She adores him.

Wesley has been working hard, as usual. He is getting prepared to go to Aspen to watch the boys compete in the Winter X-Games. Actually, he is ready to go at this point. I may even pack his suitcase today! I wish I could be there to cheer them on, but I will be in spirit. I thought about going just for a little bit, because school will be in session. However, my physical therapist said "NO." - Boo. Next year, though. Next year. Wesley has been a life saver through all of this surgery stuff. I just got off my crutches Tuesday. He deserves a trip to wherever he wants to go after all he has done for me and my kiddos. I'm just thrilled he chooses to go be with my family! I'm so lucky to have found him.

My Mom was also right there taking care of me and the kids. Bless her heart, I seriously don't know how she does all she does. She is amazing.

Okay, I'll end with pictures for Bricker. I meant to post this earlier, but life has been a little hectic to say the least. A long time ago, he suggested I try maple syrup on my pumpkin pie. This past Thanksgiving I did just that:

Hot maple syrup, one slice of pumpkin pie, coffee (lots of cream)

Pumpkin pie drizzled with syrup

This is the funniest thing I've ever done to pie...

Hmmmm...

It's good! It really is!

It's a great morning! I'm very ahead with school work and I'm at school early enough to poop off a minute on the net before class starts. Not to mention Xanga is actually working here today, usually I can't pull it up on school computers.

Anyhow, school is great. It's reeeeeeally stressful, but great. I'm somewhere in the top 3 in the class. I keep thinking I'm #1 because I have perfect scores in med. admin., but who knows.

My poor husband has been having to do a majority of the domestic duties. I can't tell you how proud I am of him. Seriously, he rocks.

My Mattie girl is growing like a weed. Her teachers just LOVE her and she loves them, too. She really likes to go to school. She is also a big Momma's girl and does a happy dance when I come pick her up. She is really big on shaking her head "no." She is a BIG helper. She loves to put things in their place. She can put just about any piece of clean laundry in the right drawer, this includes my clothes, Wesley's clothes, and Caden's clothes! She loves to put things in the trash (whether they belong or not) and dirty clothes in the laundry room. She loves to hang towels on racks, too. It's really a cute thing to watch.

Caden has been making real progress with his behavior. The past few days at school he has not been in timeout. He has been sharing more with his sister and obeying more at home. He still has his moments, but I'm SO proud and SO happy that he's doing better. Also, this summer he would ask me when it will be his birthday, if Awtobah 27th is tomorrow. I explained that October 27th is in the fall, when the leaves fall off the trees. Yesterday we were in the backyard, the wind blew, and a few leaves fell off a tree. His eyes lit up and he exclaimed "MOM! The weaves faw-in off the trees! It's almost Awtobah 27th and it gonna be my birfday!" Just the way he said it made my stinkin' day. I love that kid.

I love both my kids. I love you, too. Just in case I haven't told you lately. Make it a great week!

Love to all!

Whit

Not much time to post. I'm going to do my best to get in bed in a few minutes. This will be the first night before midnight...since I started school. So much has happened between last Monday and now.

School started and with a bang. I think they are trying to weed students out and the first week was just a challenge to keep my head above water.

Then Thursday night, my oldest best friend called and told me that her Dad passed away. Now, both of her parents are in heaven and I worry for her. I hurt for her. I cry daily for her. I'm still processing it all. I've grieved for the loss of someone whom I loved and for my friend's loss. I was only able to spend limited amounts of time with her this weekend, because of all of the homework I had. I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, too. Just so I could spend a few hours with her. I didn't get to go to the funeral. That's all just a lot to process.

Pray for my friend, would you?

I've been a terrible wife, mother, and friend since school started. One of my teachers told me that she didn't miss school, even when her son was in the hospital. She said she did fix meals for almost an entire year. Dirty houses, piles of laundry, and shocked husbands seems to be a reoccuring theme in the conversations we students have.

I missed several important birthdays. Friday, I was so wrapped up with school and my friend's loss that I failed to acknowledge my OWN daddy's birthday. Talk about feeling guilty on so many levels for that. Cousin Katie, if you're reading this I'm sorry! Happy Birthday! K8, you too. I've just been processing.

I'm happy to report that I think I'm one of the top 3 in the program. After all of the sacrifices I feel like I've made in the first week alone, I want to be valedictorian...just because if I have to make hard decisions and stop being there for those that I love the most, then I better be making the best of it. It may be just another silly pressure to put on myself, regardless, it's what I want. It's the least I can do for those people I'm neglicting.

Weight is down 2 more pounds.

Goodnight, good week,

peace and love and happiness to you all

Today is my first "official" day of school. Friday, my Mom and went shopping and I dropped the kids off at their "school" for a practice run. I'm so glad we did that because I'm not the least bit apprehensive about dropping them off today. Okay, well maybe just a little bit, but it's totally manageable. I'm looking forward to getting this show on the road. Oh yeah, Mom and I had a REALLY nice time shopping!

My new car comes today! Yipee. It's used, but new to me. I'm most thrilled about not buying diesel!

I still don't have a new profile pic up, but I'm going to as soon as I have time. I really didn't want to post my stats, because I'm at a plateau. 233. My goal for the moment is to see the 229 pop up on the scale. It's do-able, this I know.

Cousin Anna- I love you, dearie...crazy love you.

Actually, I love you all!