Birthdays

Oh my it has been so long since I last wrote. We have been busy with all the parties and celebrating that I have been hopping right along. Thankfully my strength has kept up with me. We started off the month with Bryan's Birthday. My little man is now a official teenager. How about that! Time goes by so fast seems just like yesterday when he was handed over to us. He has come so far. He loves his new therapist and it is going well. Could so do with out the teen mouth but it isn't like I haven't gone through it before. He ended up with his own I POD, some games for the DS, clothes, and new sneakers.

Onto our next Birthday which was Samantha's. My big girl turned 16. Whoa! I remember when she was a wee little thing like Dorothy, talk about time going by. It doesn't matter which one it is the time just goes by way too fast. I want to slow it down and enjoy what I have left of their youth and they just want to get older so they can go out and do thier own things. Samantha of course will be having her sweet 16 party next month but we did have ice cream cake and she got her I POD stereo dock. She also got a book, some socks, and hair tyes.

Of course the same week we held Dennise's spa sleep over. We had a little rocky start but by the middle of the night things were in full swing and everyone was having a blast. We made our own facials, had our feet soaked , massaged, and painted and then got to watch some movies while chatting and having a great time. I will how ever keep in mind that there was not enough sleep room and take that into account next time. Dennise ended up with her I POD touch which she had saved 90.00 towards, some new sneakers, socks, and hair tyes.

Now as soon as the girls left the next morning Dennis and I were out the door to go out for my Birthday. He of course already ordered my Sookie Stackhouse collection, but he also bought me a new pot and pan set, a food processor, and a deep fryer. Can anyone say spoiled? We also had a super dinner out at Olive Garden thanks to my trusty gift cards, then of course we looked around and bought the kids all thier neat birthday presents too. We still of course are waiting for our washer as the one the guy really would like us to buy has not been delivered yet but if it isn't there soon then we will be forced to buy the Whirl pool one, not that it is a bad machine because our currant one is Whirlpool and it way outlasted itself by what we hear from everyone else so I can't complain but we are going on less repairs, and stuff like that. Then again we never had to have our old Whirlpool looked at and it is still going at 10 years and counting it is just not working so good anymore. Like the top agitator doesn't work anymore and most times you have to ring out the clothes at least twice but it still works, but for how long is the question. Oh well we are getting every dime out of it so to speak.

So last week was banging and this week Dennis has been working some major overtime. We need it to get on top of all the bills. We have regular bills that had to be caught up and now we have back bills that need to be taken care of. You know the ones people just let go because they aren't so important, no impending evictions just ones you always put aside because all they do it call or send a note from time to time. We also need other things like a couch and table and chairs but we haven't found what we need yet so we might as well pay those bills that are just sitting around while we are waiting for the perfect furniture to show up.

I do have to say that Dennis bought stuff to do our bedroom but with the hours he is putting in I don't see it happening anytime soon, they did say their might be layoffs in August again which I hope won't happen but if they do at least Dennis will have some stuff to keep him busy. Hell he loves to paint anyways who am I kidding. Love him so much.

My Birthday was today and I got up a little early fought to get Deanna on the bus like usual. Every day is a chore to get her ready and on the bus. I have pulled out every trick in the book and nothing has worked yet, but I am always open for suggestions. When she is gone I do the dishes, start the laundry while Bryan is walking Princess and then Dorothy is up and wanting to eat so I cook them brunch. I love taking care of two meals at one time. Snacks work well in our home. So I am reading my cousin's wifes blog and it is talking about my Aunt Anna and how they miss her calling and stuff like that and how her Birthday was April 18th. Well of course my Birthday is one of the hardest days of the year from me with missing my parents so I am reading this thinking my mother can't call and sing me Happy Birthday anymore either and of course the phone rings. Of course it is my Mother in law who for the last few years has not only not called me to wish me a Happy Birthday but has also forgot about 3 of the 6 kids birthdays so to our surprise she not only sent a present for Dennise, but called me just at the right time. Bryan is still wondering if he will get a present and Samantha supposes she will get hers at her Birthday Party, but either way my kids love thier grandparents so that is what matters most. Dennis calls me half way through his already overtime schedule and lets me know he is going to stay even later and even took some extra time for Saturday that he was already doing and that we would be going out Sunday for his Birthday. So now with the plans set in motion and the busy weekend end starting tomorrow after school I have a lot to get done. I have to make a note on here that I was so very thankful to everyone who sent me Birthday Wishes and made my day that much brighter. Love you all. Kisses to some Hugs to all. Have a good year everyone and don't worry about the number it isn't what makes you who you are.

So many changes

I last left you with Bryan's problems. With the help of his thearpist and all involved I think we made the right choice in the way we decided to go. He has come so far I want to ensure he doesn't fail along the way. We have been busy in the house with income taxes coming in. We were able to get a van that we don't have to worry about breaking down if we go to far from home. Poor Dennise went van shopping with us and she hasn't been to Albany since three years ago, when we did school shopping. She was amazed by all the sights LOL. Oh well we don't usually go to the mall more then three times a year either way. We use to go every time we had time off from work, boy that has changed with the economy and of course not having a dependable van. The kids requests for gifts are less since we gave up T.V. now going on 6 years so that helps out alot with not having to search all over God's creation to make that dream come true. We have plenty of D.V.D's and the internet to fill in for anything we find interesting or needful to watch. So back to the van we ended up with a 2002 Ford Windstar Van with 50,000 miles. It has to go in the shop tomorrow for about an hour while they replace a sensor and sometime early next week we will pick up our other van after the Dodge dealer replaces a warranty part and inspects it. Then we will be up and rolling, and I can make all those appointments to check and see what is going on with my health. The price of the van kept us from being able to do as much as we wanted with our taxes but hey what can you do. The van came first. We don't even have enough to get the washer and dryer Dennis wants to get me with out waiting a few weeks. He wants to get me a front loader so we not only save on water but electric too, and of course he wants to get me a matching set. I love that he wants to give me nice things. Hell he is lucky. I don't smoke, do drugs, or drink, and I don't want expensive jewlery or flowers. I get very excited over the things we need in life. Not that I don't like to have the occasional Pegasus to add to my collection or some new clothes, but I really don't ask for much but the things I do want I want all at one time and that is not how life goes. I know that almost everyone knows that but it doesn't change how you feel LOL. I told Dennis the furniture will be there next year, besides now that we are getting closer to having everything payed off again in a few years it won't be so hard. We are in the middle of planning Bryan, Dennise, and Samantha's parties. Bryan already picked out the cake he wants me to make will post pictures on my facebook and myspace pages when the time comes. For Dennise I am going to try making a tye dyed peace sign cake. Wish me luck because the whole thing will be fashioned by me with no help from any other source. Since it is Samantha's sweet sixteen we are pulling off the big Birthday Bash. We invited family and friends who have been apart of our lives and have watched Samantha grow into a beautiful young lady although she does have a mouth. That she gets from the Graham side. Like always Dennis and I will probably go out to dinner for our Birthday, stop at the bookstore, and check out a few shops in and around the area we deicide to dine at. I have some gift certificates for Olive Garden so we will probably eat dinner there and then get cheesecake for dessert from the CheeseCake Factory after.

By the way I finally called my Aunt and Uncle and caught up with them a bit. It has been so long since I have been in touch with them. When we moved out here we kind of fell out of the loop. When we lived nearer them we were there much more often. I miss the parties and being close to family but God moved us out here and now we are real close to the job Dennis has now. Between the kids, work, the van and other things we have been real busy. I am hoping this summer will prove to be a time of relaxation with minor upheavels but as time goes by we will see if that rings true or not. Well I guess that is it for now on the changes in our lives. Have a good one everyone and spend your money well.