God doesn't give us more than we can handle with HIS help!

The title of this post has been my mantra for yesterday and today.

Yesterday was the first day of school for students. Teachers had to be there by 7:10 to help direct students and parents. That's fine. I was up at 5 am, and out the door by 6:20 with both boys dressed and ready to go! Good Job! Both boys were dropped off where they were supposed to be on time and without a major battle. I got to school at 7 am, open my classroom door, and all but 3 posters had fallen off of my walls. (Note: I needed a ladder, not a step stool, a ladder, to put them up!) I am late to car line duty. What a fantastic way to start the school year! My class numbers started off yesterday with 26, added a new one yesterday, and I left with a total of 27.

After school, I picked Aydyn up, and ran by Wal-mart, which seemed really dead for the first day of school. I must have gone early. Then my wonderful parents cooked dinner for me :) It was really a nice time. Krystian got to play with Uncle Matt. It is really funny to see a 6+ foot tall man play soccer with a child who is barely 3 foot tall, but they both LOVED it. Then I had to bring the boys home so that my brother-in-law could baby sit them. 2 uncles in one night! I went to play softball with the church. Yes, we lost, and today I found out that I teach a child whose dad plays for the team that STOMPED us. (Fantastic) On the way to the softball game, my husband (who is in Greenville) calls and says that his grandmother is in the hospital and they think she had a mini-stroke. I play the game -- like I said, we lost.

The phone call from my husband was just the beginning. I came home and stayed up late like a good teacher does getting things ready for the next day. I laid down about 11 pm and fell asleep. 11:24 Krystian comes in, "Mommy, I throw up on my bed," and cries his little heart out. I change the child and put the sheets and Gorilla in the washer to wash over night. I put Krystian in bed with me, calm him down, set the sleep timer on the tv, turn on cartoons so he will relax, and fall back asleep. If you are a parent, you know that you don't sleep as heavy after the throw-up as you did before the throw-up. Every little cough or move Krystian made, I was awake touching and checking him. 12:24 am: He throws up again. This time in my bed (but on Jake's side & pillow thankfully!). A little secret: I HATE the smell of vomit. It has gotten worse since I was pregnant with Aydyn. Anyway! We are both completely out of my bed. We fall asleep on the couch bed. That was a wise investment for a family even though our excuse was that it was for visitors. We don't get those. Finally, we sleep through the night until 5:30 am.

That brings me to today. It went a little something like this:

• 4 hours of sleep
• Krystian didn't want to wake up (of course)
• Aydyn poops as soon as we walk out of the house
• Get 2 new students (that makes 29)
• Call the pediatrician about Krystian who says bring him in(That's right I had to leave work early on the second day of school :()
• Get to my dad's to get Krystian & he's had an accident--glad I packed extra :)
• Doctor says it seems to be a virus, but that he is on call this weekend if we need anything.
• Remind the doctor that we are supposed to see him Thursday afternoon for Aydyn & he says, "I won't be here. Lisa will check on it and we'll call you." (We go Friday at the same time! I love our pediatrician!)
• Parents volunteer to watch the boys while I go to the laundry mat to wash our comforter and 3 pillows that won't fit in our washer.
• Lock myself out of the house.
• Forget laundry detergent.
• Spend $10 and an hour and a half washing 3 pillows and a comforter while praying that we don't have the same problem.

Yes, God doesn't give us more than we can handle with HIS help, but if this keeps up, I am going to need to sleep at the church for a few nights!

Chinese Food

My parents do A LOT for me. I have worked 3 days this week, and they have watched my boys 3 afternoons this week. Monday night I had a softball game. Tuesday afternoon I had a migraine. Wednesday afternoon I worked late so that I could get most of my classroom straightened. Now, I know that most normal people have babysitters that they pay with money. I am very blessed to say that I do not know what the going rate is for a babysitter. I personally pay with food. Monday night I cooked pork chops, green beans, and stuffing to pay my parents for their services. Tuesday night there was no payment, but Wednesday was paid right! I paid with Chinese food from Hong Kong on Irby Street. I know that it doesn't seem like a lot, but I love Chinese food (& so does my mom)! So if you are ever in the market for a babysitting job that pays with food and not money, I am your girl. I will cook or pick up almost anything :) And a HUGE THANKS to MY PARENTS!

Day 1 & Day 2 with no husband

The past two days have been some of the toughest for me. I can't imagine (or remember) how I made it through 4 years of college without being in the same town as Jake. Here is a snip-it of how the past two days have gone.

Day #1 (Friday): Jake left at 6:11 am to go to Greenville. Being the awesome dad that he is, Jake kissed both boys, waking Aydyn up. He brought Aydyn to my bed and told him to go back to sleep. However, Aydyn did NOT want Daddy to go. I thought for sure that Aydyn would not understand what was going on, but he did and he did not like it. After Jake left, Aydyn calmed down, but would not go back to sleep of course. I was not ready to get up so, I was a horrible mother and put Aydyn back in his room for an hour. After we finally got up, Krystian helped me clean up the mess from the day before. (Daddy spent all day with the boys on Thursday. The result was complete chaos in my living room.) The boys and I went to Bi-Lo to get something for lunches for the next week. It was a long day, but my parents came over for dinner and to play with Krystian and Aydyn. That helped distract us all. My mom does what she always does when she comes over. It was all monster trucks and baths! That is why I love her! After they left, it was time for boys to go to bed. I talked to Jake for a few minutes, watched a movie, and then fell asleep.

Day #2: Today began with Aydyn climbing out of bed for the second time in a week. I knew that this day would come, and to be honest, I thought it would come a lot sooner. This doesn't still the fear in my heart that I have about him falling and breaking an arm. Aydyn is a climber. I believe that he will be in and out of trees very soon. Anyway! My in-laws came this morning to take the boys. That took all of my distraction away. I went to Target for diapers and new ear buds. Then I went to walk around McLeod Health & Fitness. I should've stayed out there and walked longer. It is kind of depressing to come home to an empty house. When I called to ask my in-laws 1. if they were feeding my boys dinner (the answer was yes), and 2. when they were bringing them home, they said, "I don't know." My parents (I really do love them!) took me out to dinner at Longhorn because I was so depressed and lonely. Shortly after getting home, my father-in-law brought the boys home. They were bathed and put to bed. I can say that we have survived the first 2 days. Let's pray that we make it the rest of the week until Jake gets home for just a weekend before going back.

Argh, ladies!

Ok. I tried to start this entry in the car on my phone, but it wouldn't let me type. However, it is pretty cute. Jake and I took Krystian to Chuck E. Cheese as a fun outing just the three of us. On the way there, Krystian put a broken necklace around his eye, like a a pirate, and started saying, "Argh, ladies!" It was too cute! At first I just listened, but then I had to say something. "Krystian, it is 'Argh, mateys." He so cutely and quickly said, "No, Mommy, Argh, ladies!" That was just the trip there.

We ended up spending 3 hours at Chuck E. Cheese. It was super nice because poor Krystian hasn't had much fun time with just Mommy and Daddy since Aydyn was born. We ended up with 340 tickets. It got us a bag of cotton candy, a car, and lizard. All in all it was a fine time.

The second major development in the Taylor household is that my husband and I are playing on the church co-ed softball team. Technically, we were supposed to have played about 4 games. The first 2 were cancelled. The other 2 we lost. Oh well! At least tonight, I actually hit the ball, even if it did result in an out.

After tonight, I am feeling better about Jake leaving tomorrow. My goal is to keep myself so busy that I barely miss him. We will survive.

Restarting

So I started a blog because I needed to vent. I, then, stopped blogging because I felt a little corny revealing my feelings to randomly no one. However, I have to express myself some how or it will all blow up. So I have decided to restart my blog.

This week it is especially necessary because Jake is leaving on Friday for 2 weeks for work. Normally, I would fully embrace the time alone with Krystian and Aydyn. However, I start work again on Monday, August 9th. So, I will be a single mother with a full time job for 2 weeks. I am praying that I have the strength to do it for 2 weeks. My mom did it for 9 years or more. She even moved out of state away from family. I have family 5 minutes away in each direction. I am very thankful for my family without them, especially my mom and dad who help so much with the boys, I couldn't do everything I do.

Jake only had to work 2 days this week, Sunday and Tuesday. Even better, he closed those days so I had him during the day. We have spent the other days so far as a family or mostly as a family. Aydyn started daycare last week part time (3 days a week & goes full time on the 9th). Monday and today are without Aydyn, but it gives Krystian some much needed Mommy and Daddy time.

So anyway, I am restarting one of the most stressful periods of my life. Hopefully, it will help keep me sane.