disapointment, frustration

So, this past week has been full of first, disapointment, and now extreme frustration. Last week, I learned that my HS friends got together for dinner. ALL OF THEM. Except me. I was so upset that they didn't ask me to come! I know it's silly, but I still enjoy spending time with them. I just don't understand why I wasn't invited. We all live in the metroplex, and I may live a little out of the way, but I'm not too far! They have my e-mail address, I'm friends with them on Facebook, I mean, there's a way to contact me, even if they don't have my phone number! Sigh...it SUCKS to be left out.

So, my frustration has come because one of my students decided that he didn't want to take lessons from me anymore and has gone with another teacher. He told me TODAY when I went to his class to teach him! Come on! Give me some notice! I didn't even get a phone call or an e-mail from his mom! This is the SECOND student that I have lost to this other teacher this year! I'm so frustrated! I'm a great teacher. I am, at least I think I am, and I've had success with several of my students. It's hard when I teach a kid one week, and suddenly he decides to go with another teacher. I'm angry that I lost a student, and the income from him. The other teacher has 5 times MORE students than I have. I need this kid's money! I am struggling to fill my ONE day of teaching, and this guy has 5 FULL days! Grrr....

And there was a bunch of crap that happened in between. It's just not been a good 7 days. The sun is finally out, so hopefully that means things will change. I sure hope so.

My 16 cent project

I found a couple of great letters at Garden Ridge for 90% off, which made them only 16 cents each, with tax. Unfortunately, the only letters they had were Q and X. What do you do with a Q and X you might ask? You make some book ends! I grabbed some scrap wood from the garage, sanded it down, and cut it to size with my trusty little saw. It took me forever to cut the wood, but I got a great workout! I painted the wood black, screwed it together, and hot glued the letter on. It was super easy!

What do you think? I know it's not stellar, but hey, for the price, you really can't beat it, and it looks WAY better than what I had there before:

This lovely bookend was a whopping 50 cents at Ikea, but it leaves a lot to be desired! I love my new book end and can't wait to finish my other one!

The First Day of School!

Tommy was SO excited for school!!

Look at my THIRD grader! Can you believe it? Anna has to meet out in the portables, so she doesn't have a beautiful classroom like Tommy, but it does the job.

Tommy walked into his class and was so excited to see them working with play dough! But, he first had to find his friend Isabelle before he could feel comfortable in class. Isabelle is a friend of Tommy's from church and lives just around the corner from us, and thankfully is in his same class at school!

Yeah, yeah, I know this is 2 weeks late. I've been a lazy blogger lately. The kids' first day of school went fairly well. We ended up leaving the house 15 minutes later than I wanted, and the walk took a long time because Tommy got really tired and he kept on stopping. We got there just as the bell rang, but I was able to walk Anna and Tommy to class with no problems. No tears. Not until the end of school, anyway. Tommy cried everyday, at the end of school, the entire first week because he was tired and hungry and just wanted his mommy. This week has been much better!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDDIE!!!!

Today is Eddie's birthday! I can't believe that this guy is alread 2 years old! He has brought such joy and happiness to our family, and we're so grateful that he's ours! He had his check-up last Friday and is in the 19% for weight and 45th% for height! He's definitely growing, but he's not my chubby baby anymore. It's bittersweet to see my children grow up. We love you Eddie!

Anna's Baptism

I know, it's been a long time since I posted, and this post is super late, but Anna got baptized on August 8th! It was a great day, and it was so wonderful to have so many family members there! I'm grateful that Anna made the decision to get baptized, and that Danny got to baptize her. The spirit was strong and hopefully, it will be a day that Anna never forgets! I was in a hurry, so I forgot my camera, but my mom got this picture of our family after the baptism. Tommy hates having his picture taken, so I'm trying to restrain him. Hopefully, I can get some more pictures from other people who were there and actually remembered to bring their cameras!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANNA!!!

My "little" girl is eight-years old today! I can hardly believe it! I love you Anna! I hope you have a fabulous day!

Anna's Room

Last Friday, 3 of my wonderful sisters and my mom, came over and helped me and Anna clean her room. After FOUR hours, 2 bags of trash, a bag AND a box of stuff for Goodwill, a grocery bag of stuff for my sister's daughter, and another grocery bag of stuff for my great-niece, Anna's room is clean and organized. I could have NEVER done it without help. The influence of my sisters really helped Anna get rid of so much stuff, without much argument. Her closet has so much space in it, and it's a pleasure now to walk in her room! Her desk drawers are even organized! Thank you all so much for your help!!!

My son, the photographer

I was uploading some photos onto my computer this morning when I found a dozen or more photos that were obviously taken by Tommy. Some are actually pretty good, but you can see he's still a novice.

Nine Years!

Today is our ninth wedding anniversary! Can you believe it? I can't believe it's been nine years already! Danny is such a wonderful husband and father, and I love him with all my heart! Happy Anniversary!

A Death in the Family

Today we all went swimming as a family, but Eddie was getting tired, so Danny took him home while I rounded up Anna and Tommy (who is IMPOSSIBLE to get out of the water!). I got home, and was taking off my shoes and putting floaties away when Danny came into the room and said that his mom called and that there was a death in the family. I froze. My mind immediately started racing through all the different possibilities of who it could be. A heart attack? Car accident? Abuelo? Nydia? An uncle or aunt? Then I looked at Danny. He didn't really seem sad, he looked almost....happy. Then it hit me. "Jabberwoky," I said instantly. One smirk from Danny confirmed it. It was cranky, old Jabberwoky, Danny's parents' million-year-old cat who has been plagued with health issues in his old age. The vet finally said that he was too sick, and put him down. To tell you the truth, I'm happy that he's gone. The poor cat was suffering and now he's in a much better place. Eddie will be sad, though. He always went straight to Jabberwoky whenever he went to abuela's house, even though Jabberwoky made it quite clear that he didn't like Eddie! Rest in peace, Jabberwoky.

Nothing much....

I've been a slacker, and haven't blogged in a long time. We haven't really been doing anything exciting, just hanging out, going to the pool, and relaxing. Tommy and Papi play a lot of video games together, and Anna has been doing her regular craft stuff. Summer is great...until the kids start fighting, that is.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMMY!

He may drive me and Danny completely nuts, but we love this kid! He turns FIVE today! He has worked really hard for the past 2 years to overcome some serious speech issues, and will go to regular kindergarden next year! We can't get him to stop talking! I can't believe how big he is! Happy Birthday Tommy! We love you!

"Treasures"

Tommy hopped off the bus today with a huge smile on his face and a large Ninja Turtle and motorcycle in his hands. "I got treasure box today!" he shouted. Well, I opened his backpack to reveal many more "treasures." There was a book, memory game, brand new water colors, and a large bag filled with foam, magnetic letters! What the heck? As I sifted through the many papers, pictures, and toys in his backpack, I cam across a small note at the bottom that said: "As we prepare to box things up...for our move, we will be throwing out lots of items. Please be aware that you may notice lots of treasures (books and toys) coming home." Um, so what they're saying is, they are going to send home, with my four-year-old, all the crap that they don't want? Great.

Question

Do you ever find a bruise on your body and wonder where in the world it came from? I do. ALL. THE. TIME. And it drives me nuts!

YIKES!!

I was just invited to perform at the beginning band concert at one of the middle schools that I work at! I would be playing by myself to demonstrate the lesson teachers' abilities and highlight private lessons. Oh crap. I am SO not prepared to do something like that, and playing in front of large audiences is NOT something I enjoy doing!!

Love Affair

I love chocolate. I mean, really, who doesn't? Well, yesterday, I was at Walgreen's buying some diapers and I took a shortcut through the candy aisle. I glanced to my right and saw that they had the Weight Watchers bags of chocolate candy on clearance for 75 cents a bag, and I just happened to have a coupon, Buy 2 Get 1 Free. So, I bought 3 bags for less than $2, and if I didn't like them, I would give them to the kids. They were HEAVENLY! I love them! They are SO good! The only kind that they had was Double Chocolate Mousse covered in Rich Dark Chocolate. Just the name of it makes my mouth water! I highly recommend these chocolates to anyone, not just someone trying to lose weight!

Interview

Danny has his interview for the head position at his school, Friday during school, I think around 10-11. Please say a prayer that he does well, and that the principal realizes that he's the best one for the job!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

I would like to wish all you mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day! I hope you have a fabulous day! So far, mine has been great! Danny made breakfast for me, on my new, fabulous griddle, and took care of the kids last night when ALL THREE (what the heck?!) woke up on numerous occasions. What a great husband!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!!

Stupid officials. Thanks to a missed call in the LAST THRITY SECONDS of an extremely close Mavs/Nuggets game, the Mavs lost. BY ONE STINKING POINT! So mad. It was a good game, and the Mavs had a very good chance to win it, AND gain momentum in the series, but it was stolen by a stupid ref. Now the Mavs have no prayer of winning the series. I can't wait to see what Cuban says about this.

Freecycling

A woman a playgroup told me about FreeCycle, an online group that posts stuff that you want to get rid of for free. I joined the group, and a couple of days later I saw a post for 2 free tricycles. Danny and I have been in the market for a trike for Eddie, but didn't really want to spend $50-$100 for something he wouldn't use that much. I responded to the post, the woman gave me her address, and I picked them up off her porch. For free. AND she lived only one neighborhood away! The Radio Flyer retails at Wal-Mart for about $60. This tricycle didn't have the push handle on it, which we really wanted, but it was in amazing shape. The woman said that she bought it for her son this past Christmas, but the handle bars wouldn't stay on. Danny tightened some bolts, and it's as good as new! The smaller, white trike was covered in Fisher Price stickers, but is still in great shape. That one stays in the backyard for all the kids to play with. Eddie loves his new tricycle, and I'm hooked on Freecyle!