I always feel like somebody is watching me.

This is my tribute to the late Michael Jackson. Last night I was a secret spy.........

I really enjoy living in the Pines. I have always felt safe and it has been nice and quiet. I hate to tell people that I live in a trailer park because it really doesn't have the image that one gets when they think of that term. I have great neighbors surrounding me except one. We all have "that one".

They have a young son, I would say about 14 years old. I am not sure if he works out in the middle of the night by throwing furniture around the house or if it is music that he is playing, or if there is a drum set in the house. I have been woken up numerous times with the noise. Then the friends started coming over. I believe his mom works 3rd shift, parties somewhere else or what the deal is but she is never home. James had to go outside and speak with them a couple of months ago because they had popped the screen out of his bedroom window, was crawling in and out of the window and wrestling around outside at midnight and slammed each other into our home. James and I were on our way to bed when we heard and felt the loud bang. Here we are again midnight and I am watching from my living room window the neighbor kid take the screen out our his bedroom window and there are 5 boys running around yelling and jumping in and out of the window. Greaaaaaaaaaaaat! I watched until around 1 and then headed outside with my flashlight to approach the....well...we will just say... young punk. I ended up calling the New Albany police to handle the situation apparently my words were falling on deaf ears. The cop showed up and talked to the boys for what he claims to be 20 minutes pulled his car around the corner and dealt with the tired mom with the flashlight (i.e. me). I am really ready to have some property and a little more distance between me and my neighbor. 6 feet just isn't enough. I am sure I was a sight to be seen sitting in my living room with all of the lights off watching out my window like a lunatic. Sleep deprivation can make you do crazy things.

Cleaning poem

This was sent to me by my crazy Aunt-a Kathy in California. It cracked me up and hit close to home so I thought that I would share.....

Cleaning Poem

I asked the Lord to tell me
Why my house is such a mess.
He asked if I'd been 'computering',
And I had to answer 'yes.'

He told me to get off my fanny
And tidy up the house.
And so I started cleaning up...
The smudges off my mouse.

I wiped and shined the topside.
That really did the trick...
I was just admiring my work.
I didn't mean to 'click.'

But click, I did, and oops I found
A real absorbing site.
That I got SO way into it.
I was into it all night.

Nothing's changed except my mouse
It's very, very shiny.
I guess my house will stay a mess...
While I sit here on my hiney.

Gearing up for the weekend ahead

Still so much to do. Victoria's contest is this weekend and I still haven't made my signs for our parade float. I had grand plans for a Candyland theme float using my Father-in-law's trailer that we haul his golf cart on. We have ended up with a couple of sheets of poster board and some Fourth of July cut out purchased at Horner Novelty. I still need to paint her name on them and our sponsor's name. We have decided on the back of my dad's pickup truck. Mom and I have been pondering what to have her sit down on so that she doesn't slide all around the back on the parade route. We asked James and he gave us the simple answer of "Have your Dad drive" I have to say good point. LOL.

My niece is suppose to come home today. Surgery went well and she received excellent care. I am anxious to see how well this surgery holds up. I pray that this is the last time that she is going to have to go through this. My sister did find some kind of loop hole so that they can have insurance for another month. That was very very good news. I will keep you all posted.

FYI

Awesome Bible study tonight at church! I am taking Discerning the voice of God by Priscilla Shirer. I just wanted to let you know that I came home with all 3 of my kids tonight. (patting myself on back)

And the award for Mother of the year goes to..........

OK first of all let's just state the obvious, there is a lot going on in my life. My life of stay at home mom isn't the life of leisure that I had anticipated and having 3 kids to keep track of has done nothing to help the fact that I am a scatterbrain.

Mom and Dad offered to watch the babies this Saturday and James and I took the opportunity to take Victoria on a date (just the 3 of us) to see the movie Up. Brooklyn was with us this weekend and she had already seen the movie so she opted to stay with Mamaw Craig. James was going to drop her off before we headed to church and was going to help mow his parents lawn while I stayed at church to help out in Large Group during the 2nd service.

We went to 4 o'clock service. Great service and I must say that the following events prove that I was totally taking what George, our pastor, said to heart. The sermon was on the Sabbath and about disengaging from the world during the Sabbath. We had all of the kids checked in (except for Brooklyn at Mamaw's) and after 4 o'clock service Mom and Dad took the babies out of their class and headed off to their house for fun and games. James gave me a kiss goodbye, headed off to mow, and I took Victoria down to her classroom for kids that are at church for two services I ended up hanging out and watching 11 kids until their regular teacher arrived. LOTS of energy those 11 kids let me tell ya! Once their teacher arrived I was fleeing out the door to go upstairs for large group.

Large group went great and I hurried out of church so that I could meet up with James to help out with my in-laws yard if needed and get ready for our date with Victoria. I was about 2 minutes away from their house (about a 10 minute drive) and my phone ran. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Crissy my friend at church that runs large group. I answered...

Crissy:"Kelly, have you already left the building?"

Me: "Yes, I am heading to meet James Why? What do you need?"

Crissy: "Ummmm, Victoria is still here in her classroom"

Me: "OH MY GOSH I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT I FORGOT THAT SHE WAS TILL THERE!"

(Ridiculously quick and sharp U turn on Green Valley Rd and mashing on the gas)

Crissy: "Well we were just wondering. We saw your Mom and Dad leave with Anthony and Addison and thought that we saw James walk out with them. It is OK I am here with her and I am going to take her to the playground in Bible land and let her play. She has no clue that you have left and thinks that you are still upstairs 'working' in large group."

I fly in the parking lot and run into the building to Bible Land. Victoria was there playing away and I'm red faced from embarrassment, and running. Victoria just turned around and gave me the usual "Hey Mommy! Man you must have had a lot of work to do. I was waiting and waiting and waiting and Miss Crissy came and got me and asked if I wanted to play and I told her SURE! Have you been upstairs?" I momentarily closed my eyes and did one of those "Please God forgive me for the sin that I am about to commit" prayers and told her "Yes" while I waited for the lightening to strike.

I can't believe that I did it, or well DIDN'T do it. I will not live this one down. From now on we are going to start doing head counts when we leave the parking lot. I am going to swallow this big lump of humility, shake the dust off and thank God that if I am going to forget one of my own kids that I forgot them at church. So embarrassing!

* After talking to the Early Childhood Director thanking her again for taking care of my kid I learned that I am not the first parent that has done the same thing. Shew!

Time with Daddy

JAMES IS HOME!!!!! So nice to be able to hug him instead of thinking about hugging him while we are on the phone. He rolled in about 5pm yesterday. The kids are really glad to see him too. We sat on the nursery floor after the bigger kids went to bed and read the babies their bedtime stories. We read our "Night Night Prayer" book ( the new favorite ) and Anthony and Addison were showing off to Daddy their "Shhhhhhh" at the turn of each page because someone different was sleeping on the page and we had to be quiet. Anthony was adorable when we got to the "Mommy is sleeping" page because he knew that the Daddy page was next and low and behold he is here! He kept trying to turn the page saying "Daddy! Daddy!"

James's dad is back in the hospital because his incision is bleeding and they are checking to see where the bleeding is coming from. James is at the hospital right now checking on him to see what is going on. More on that when I have information.

My sister and niece are scheduled for surgery Monday. Punkin's in in New Albany and Ariel's is in Cincinnati. My sister is planning on doing another lumpectomy and is not going to be able to do radiation due to Insurance problems, and from what I understand they are trying a different approach on Ariel's surgery and trying to brace a different area of her spine to hopefully help this hold once she gets home. Tyler had his MRI and found that he indeed has a pinched nerve and has ended his high school football career as a result of this news. One day, hopefully soon, this storm cloud will leave my sister's house. Her family needs some peace desperately. Thank you for the prayers for them.

Ah this is nice...

JAMES IS HOME!!!!! He rolled in our driveway about 5pm yesterday. So good to be able to feel is hug instead of thinking about them while on the phone. Man I have missed him! Busy weekend ahead. We are having our Blues, Cruise and BBQ at church this weekend. Should be really fun although I am not sure that I am going to outside much in this heat. Man it is a scorcher out there!

James is currently out of the house running errands with the children 2 feet and taller, along with seeing his Dad in the hospital. He went back to the ER yesterday because he started bleeding from his incision. His surgery was at Nortons and went to the ER at Floyd. From what I understand he was there waiting for a room to open up at Norton because the Floyd Co. Doc's didn't want to touch him due to law suits of working on someone elses work or something like that. He is currenly at Norton. I will have an update later.