Brian's girlfriend

The boys and I go to my parents to wait for Katheryn to finish dance class on Thursday's since it's two hours before she is finished. Brian and I were in the kitchen, I was studying and he was coloring. I took a break and I asked him what he had done at school that day. He said he played. I asked him if he could tell me who he played with. He said he played with Ariel....a girl in his class. I then asked him if she was a really good friend. He said, "no, she's my girlfriend." I told my dad after I stopped laughing and he then asked Brian if Ariel had a boyfriend. Brian's answer was "no, she don't have a boyfriend." LOL! For the past week, Brian's been drawing pictures and asking me how to spell Ariel's name so he can write them on the pictures. He neatly folds the picture up and tells me that he wants to mail it. So on our way to the bus stop, I tell him to put it in the mailbox. He walks so proudly to the mailbox, drops his letter in and smiles on the way back. He has no clue that I take these pictures out of the mailbox when I return from the bus stop. So feeling bad about this, I wrote his teacher a note asking if we could get Ariel's address if it was okay with her parents. After school I received a call from Brian's teacher letting me know that Ariel's mom was excited that I had asked because apparently Ariel talks about Brian very much and the only way Ariel's mom can get her to take a bath is to tell her that Brian has taken a bath that day. LOL. Matt and I have not met her parents yet but we do plan on getting together outside of school so that Ariel and Brian can continue being friends after the school year ends.

Poopy story

Okay, so I think all of the kids have a poopy story of some type. Today, Ethan decided to add onto his. I was in the dining room working on the computer and Brian came to tell me that Ethan had done something. I wasn't quite sure what he had said...all I heard was Ethan did something. I continue working and Katheryn arrives home with her friend from school. I continue working and she comes to tell me that Ethan has poop on his foot! ??? What?? So I get up to see what they were talking about. I get to the kitchen and my kitchen towel is on the kitchen floor scrunched up with brown stuff...yes, poopy stuff. I then look into the living room and there is Ethan without pants or a pull-up on watching tv as he lays on the floor. I go to him and there is nothing on him but you could certainly smell the stench. I look to the side of him and I see his pull-up and pants. There's nothing...they're fine. Then I see it! He had taken his poop and rubbed it onto the carpet into three big huge circles!!! Not empty circles either, he colored them in with it too. aaahhhh. So needless to say, I spent my afternoon with my steam cleaner going over and over the carpet. I remember when I bought that steam cleaner in NC. I bought it because the same thing happened in NC....and I think it was b/c of Ethan too. For any new mom, I would highly recommend a steam cleaner.

Brain fried

It's been an exciting week for sure. I received a letter from school stating that I may be eligible to graduate this spring. I was really excited about this one. It would be an associates in general studies but that's okay...it's something. Then a couple days later, I received in the mail an invitation from the President of the school inviting me to join Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. I was so tickled to to see that someone other than me recognized my accomplishments. Afer discussing this with Matt, he told me that my GPA would be reflected on my diploma and passed it off as not that big of a deal. So I went to see my academic advisor today to see if I did qualify for graduation this spring and to ask what her thoughts are on joining Phi Theta Kappa. Turns out that I need two more classes for an associates in General Studies. Apparently my computer class from Penn State wasn't tranferrable and neither was my Women's Studies so I will need to take an arts/humanities and a science class. So, I think I may knock those out this summer online. Then I'll be eligible in the fall to graduate. :) At least it is something. She also didn't hesitate and said that I should definitely join Phi Theta Kappa. It'll provide me with more scholarship opportunities and it's just an honor to be part of. So I will be joining that. We went over my pre-nursing goals and I am hoping that I am NOT picked to attend this fall. I applied for this fall but the stress is really working it's way in and I am saddened not to be able to spend more time with the kids because of studying. So, I hoping to be denied...kinda backwards...but this way, I can apply again in the summer for a spring 2010 entrance into the nursing program which by then, I should have an associates in general studies and I can take microbiology in the fall and not this summer. Makes perfect sense to me; I think. lol! So rather than blogging, I should be studying but I just can't seem to find the motivation to study. My mind is truly exhausted. I don't understand the chemistry aspect of what we are doing and therefore, I don't want to open my notes. I know I have to...I just don't want to. I'm brain fried.

Mid-Winter Vacation

The weather is dreary, windy and just plain cold. Snow still lays on the ground from a few days ago. It's the begining of February and our family is looking forward to our mid winter vacation to the Bahamas...courtesy of Matt's parents. His parents generously extended an invitation to the entire family to join them in the Bahamas the second week of February...all tickets paid. Ofcourse we said yes and it was such a generous offer. Who can say no to spending time with family...especially when it's time spent together in the Bahamas. :) With suitcases packed and ready to go, Matt and the kids flew from Dulles to Nassau on Saturday leaving me home alone to catch up and study for my first exam. They called me via webcam and I was able to hear about their exciting adventure of getting there. Matt said the flight attendant kept checking in on him during their flight. She must have thought he needed assistance since he was alone with three children. :) This was for sure to be a busy weekend for me. I had doubled up on lectures in order to get all the material I needed for the first exam. I had 3 tests to complete online as well as a lab test on Monday. The exam was due by Friday but because my flight left early Tuesday morning, I had to take the exam first thing Monday morning. After studying from the time I woke up to about 1:30am each night over the weekend, I was exhausted by Monday morning. I got Cody to the kennel by 8am and was at school by 8:30am ready to take my exam. After 2.5 hours, I was finished. I decided to skip out on my class at 11:30am since I had already heard that lecture the Thursday prior. I went to the science learning center and pulled out my lab notes. I had a lab test at 1pm. I got out of lab at 4pm and went to the store. I got some groceries to take with me and I started packing once I got home. I could not stop cleaning and organizing and never got to bed. I think I slept an hour before I had to get back up and drive to the airport. It was a long but peaceful flight. When I finally got to the Bahamas, it was just nice to be with Matt and the kids again. It was so fun to see the rest of the family. Ethan and Brian both were sun-burnt on their faces. Poor Ethan actually had a small scab formed from where he had a band-aid on his face. The band-aid when taken off had peeled some skin with it leaving a little sore. I heard some great stories about the fun they had at the resort and the zoo. Apparently Brian made some friends and was trying to play with an older girl about Katheryn's age. Brian was playing with his boat in the pool and asked the girl if she would like to float his boat. :) Wish I was there to hear that one. :) Every morning but one, Matt and I woke up early to watch the sun rise over the water. It was so peaceful. The kids enjoyed swimming in the pools...especially the heated one. We enjoyed our time at the Straw Market when we weren't being hounded to buy something. The boys each got a coconut shell made into a turtle that actually walked when you pulled the string. Katheryn got a necklace and I got a knock off pair of sunglasses. We took a boat ride on a glass bottom boat and were able to see a few fish swimming underneath and Brian introduced himself to a couple at the pool who then invited us to go snorkeling. Matt went and really enjoyed himself while I tried to get Ethan to take a nap. The nap didn't happen. We also visited the Pirates of Nassau musuem and took a walk to the Queen's staircase and Fort Fincastle. We enjoyed dinner with family and laying out in the sun. I apparently left a name for myself there as the Rosa Parks of the lounge chairs...so I hear. All in all, it was a wonderful trip. We all came home with a little more color. The hardest part of it all is being back in the cold weather. When we landed at Dulles, it was sleeting and once we got home, there was a new layer of snow on the ground. Getting back into the routine of going to class has taken some getting used to but I think we are all back on track. The air seems a bit colder and the snow we got today doesn't help make it any warmer. Spring needs to get here fast! Oh, and I also got my exam back. I'm very proud to say that I got an A. I was one of 6 A's. The bulk of the class scored D's. I'm ecstatic!!! I only pray that this next unit goes as well. It seems a bit tougher....but I'll get through it. Here are some pics from our vacation.

Home Alone

What a week! This week I had to double up on class and take a few extra tests so that I can enjoy some time in the Bahamas with family. It's been stressful and I have been staying up usually until 2am if not later trying to understand the material. The distractions during the day are tough to manage so I study at night when it's quiet. My first unit exam is Monday. It's the only day I can take it since my flight leaves early Tuesday. When discussing this with the professor I was certain she would tell me to take it once I get back since the rest of the class has until Friday to take the exam. It didn't work out that way. She told me to come to the other section lectures so that I can have all the lectures in before Monday and take the exam Monday. Sadly I said okay. With that being the deal, that meant that I now had 3 quizzes due online, a lab test, an exam and a lecture due this coming Monday. I'm happy to say that tonight I completed the online quizzes and did very well. Now, backing up and reflecting on the day, I believe I did well because I had no distractions. Last night I was up until 2am finally falling asleep around 2:30 only to be awakened by the alarm clock at 3:30am. Yes, Matt set his alarm and got up before it went off. One hour of sleep! We woke up the kids, Katheryn I think was awake from all the excitement the day was about to bring her and Brian and Ethan took some nudging. So, it's 4am by this point and Matt and I are doing the best we can to get the van loaded and the kids dressed. We got out the door by 4:30am and were headed to the airport. He and the kids were headed to the Bahamas. On my way home, I felt a little sad and perhaps a little alone but I think it was the best move. I got home and decided to sleep a little more til 9:30am and at 10:30 I was out the door to a doctor appointment. A few blogs ago I mentioned that I was going to visit a doctor about not being able to shed some unwanted pounds. It's been three weeks now since I've been with this doctor and I have lost 11 pounds so far. I think it's slow going and am sometimes disappointed at the progress. Well, when I saw him today, he told me I was losing weight way too fast and that I needed to increase my caloric intake. I think we figured out that I am only taking in about 700 calories/day. He also said that 400 calories or less is starvation. I told him that the past two weeks have been rough and that I've basically lived with my face in my notes/books and haven't moved much. I forget to eat. So I have to make sure that I get at least 1200 calories/day. I don't worry so much about the fat or the sodium because Iusually don't eat much of those. I'm permitted 22 g of fat/day and some astronomical number in mg for sodium/day. I come no where close to those figures. So we'll see how it goes when I go back to see him in three weeks. Now that I have sidetracked...getting back to the day....I got home around lunch, ate a salad and got to work on studying for the online quizzes. It was the strangest thing to be home without any distractions. I think my ears hurt from the quietness. It's so strange. I quickly got accustomed to it though. I was able to take my online quizzes with lightning speed. I never have been able to take a 20 minute alloted time quiz in less than 15 minutes. Today, I did them both..one around 4 minutes and the other at 7 minutes. Wow!!! And I got an A on both of them!!! Hmmm. I'm thinking that I should not take microbiology this summer and just wait one more year until Ethan begins school. Then we will all be at school and the house will be more of an environment to study in. LOL! Maybe. Anyways, I was able to talk to Matt and the kids via webcam. Katheryn has got some cute braids going on. She didn't waste any time at all. She was wearing a t-shirt and shorts and there is still snow on the ground here. I can't wait to get there on Tuesday and be with them. I can feel the warmth of the breeze already. :)