I Already Know Where I've Been: 2011

So 2011 brought some pretty unexpected changes to our house, maybe I should say Very Unexpected.

Most of the year was as usual.

July was when the changes started.  Dru and I were on vacation in Chicago and I ended up in the ER overnight.  Our vacation lasted less than 18 hours - back home I went to see our family doctor and the testing began.  I was pretty sick - I had blood work done regularly.  And the testing seemed to never end.  Upper and Lower GI testing (boy is that fun!!!)...I was at any given doctor at least once if not twice a week for nearly 8 weeks.  One of my specialists was able to finally conclude that my system had slowly built up a toxic level of medication (regular meds I had been taking for 6-8 months) and the result was shutting down my organs.  She adjusted my medication levels and within days I was able to start eating food for the first time since the end of July.  During that 8 weeks, I dropped nearly 20% of my total body weight and went from running several miles a day before getting sick to needing a nap after walking down the street and back.

Now: Things are great!  I'm doing much better.  I have a wonderful new job (Stay-at-home Mom and Substitute Teacher) and I am blessed with the most wonderful husband, children and family.  I have the best friends a girl could ask for - and I have found a relationship with God.  I'm lucky enough to say that relationship started before I got sick this summer - but I'm also lucky enough to know that my path to God was put before me as a choice and one that I made freely.  I was blessed to love him because I needed him even when I didn't know a need was there.

All I can say is 2012 is going to a GREAT year!  For starters, I got the all clear from the doctor to start running again and I am already back to just over 2 miles in just a couple weeks!!! YAY ME!  Sunburst 10K here I come!!!

Enough serious business - let the fun posts begin.  Trust me these boys always come up with something :)!!!!!

Did I Hear You Correctly?

There have been so many conversations that I have heard between my two boys that have brought me to tears with laughter.  There is one in particular that may go down in history - at least in our house.  This is the story that continues to be told over and over again with the same amount of laughter each and every time.

It was a Sunday morning and Dru and I were still in bed.  The boys came in early and the very first thing Ryun asks for in the morning is breakfast. Dru went out and poured the boys some cereal and then came right back to bed.  As we are laying there a conversation begins, most of which we couldn't hear...it wasn't until their voices started getting loud that they caught our full attention.  This is what we heard...

Arun:  Ryun you NEVER take responsability for ANYTHING you do.
(This alone was enough for us to start giggling, but then we hear...)
Ryun: Arun, when you talk to me all I hear is blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
(And then we just roared; I'm laughing just thinking through the conversation as I write.)

I have heard several of these little sessions over the years.  They just keep them coming, day in and day out.  I get to hear more of them now - when a good one happens I will try my best to include it hear on the blog "for memory sake."

My most recent giggle came the other day when the boys were getting dressed.  Arun was in need of undies, somehow he had brought his clothes into my room to change and had forgotten underwear.  This is what I heard...

Arun:  Ryun, will you please get me a pair of underwear, mine are missing (ok, good call on the manners, but didn't he give Ryun hell for not taking responsability for his own actions...mine are missing = I forgot to get a pair).
Ryun:  Sure, let me go get them. (Kudos kiddos, you guys are so wonderful when you are nice to each other, mommy loves you.)  Arun...Arun...ARUN!!!
Arun:  WHAT!!!
Ryun:  Cool or not cool?
Arun:  Cool.
Ryun:  Cool, what?
Arun:  Cool underwear?
Ryun:  No Arun, Cool what?  Cool What?
Arun:  I said I want the cool ones Ryun.
Ryun: Arun you're supposed to say Cool Underwear Please.
Arun:  Ryun, will you get me the cool underwear PLEASE?
Ryun:  Ok, but only beacuse you asked me nicely.

I will end with this, Ryun did get Arun the Superman undies and they were both happy as clams, at least for the next 5 minutes.

I love my boys so much.  I really do love my job and they really are good kids.

Oh, I love pillow talk!

One of my favorite parts about being a mom is the nightly routine.   Most nights we switch off, Dru gets one boy while I get the other.  We both read to our "assigned" child and then I do prayers with them both and we get a little chance for some good ole pillow talk.  This week has been some pretty interesting conversation.

Arun and I had "the TALK" on Monday night.  He shared with me that he has decided he is too old to call me Mommy in front of his friends.  It is just too embarrassing.  So he told me he will now start calling me "Mama."  I started to laugh and told him that if he expects me to acknowledge him in front of his friends, "Mama" isn't the right choice.  He smiled, giggled and said, "yeah, I thought I was stretching it, will mom be OK?"  Isn't he just too cute?  While I'll admit to you, my heart was a tiny bit crushed, it also made me smile.  These are the little things I used to miss when I was sleeping in a hotel room instead of being home with my boys.  These are the conversations that I need to have with them and I am so grateful to have the opportunity.

As pillow talk goes, tonight was just as interesting.  Tonight is Thursday and it was my turn with Ryun.  He picked an amazing book called Too Many Toys.  I read it and there were many times that I would laugh and change the name of the little boy in the book to Ryun because it was such a perfect fit.  At the end of the book we got to pillow talk time - what a doozie.  Ryun let me know tonight that he has recently given his blanket a middle name.  The boys both received blankets from my cousin Heather as gifts when they were born (she gave us GC for Pottery Barn and I ordered them the blankets...these are priceless treasures to my boys).  Arun started to call his "main-key" and it stuck, they both have "mainkies" that are a constant at bedtime.  Tonight Ryun let me know that his blanket will now be know as Mankie Pevercy BUCK.  Yes, Pevercy - pronounced Pev-er-cee.  Again, I couldn't help but giggle, this stuff is just too funny. 

Where they come up with these things I will never know, but I can tell you this, I left Ryun's room tonight saying THANK YOU GOD, thank you for this night, thank you for these memories, thank you for my boys and most of all thank you for making me their mom.

A kick to the face!

These two just keep the entertainment coming.  We got home today and the boys started playing soccer, in the living room (not a good idea).  I asked them to go outside - ok asked might be a nice why of saying "Get out, go outside if you are going to play soccer!" Followed calmly by "Please."  They were outside for all of 3 minutes when Ryun comes through the door screaming. 

Before I can see him our conversation goes something like this:
Me: Are you missing an eye?
Ry: Noooooo
Me: Are you bleeding?  Are you bleeding badly?
Ry: Nooooooooo
Me: Is anything broken?
Ry: Nooooooooooooo, OOOOUUUUCCCHHHH!
Me: Why are you crying?
Ry: Arun kicked me in the face!!!
Me: And you're not bleeding?
Ry: Nooooooo
Me: Come here, I'm sure Arun didn't mean to do it (I'll admit my fingers were crossed on that one).
Ry: (In an oddly calm voice) Does this mean I can watch a movie even though it's a school night?
Me: Noooooooooooooo
Ry: Aghhh, OOOUUUUCCCHHHH, but Arun kicked me in the face with the ball and it hurt.

At this time Ryun comes into view, mind you he looks just fine.  Comes over crying and climbs into my lap, looks up at me with the BINK-BINK eyes and

Ry: Mommy it really hurt, and I love you, so can I please watch a movie?
Me: Oh Ry, it is a good thing you used those eyes on me from the very start because you have used up all their power and I'm am now imune to your little game.
Ry: So NO movie, but we can play a game?
Me: Ry, go back outside and play with your brother...and next time when the ball is coming at your face...DUCK!
Ry: Where is the duck, in the backyard?
Me: Ry, just go outside.
Ry: Ok mommy, I'll tell Arun to help me look for the duck.

I'm telling you, the hits just keep com'in.

I'm sorry, I didn't know...

Arun was so upset at mass this morning.  We walked into the church and he had to leave he was crying so hard.  He was upset because today was his very first Cub Scout meeting after mass and he wasn't wearing a uniform.  Truth be told, I didn't know what uniform he needed since he hadn't gone to a meeting yet; this didn't stop the verbal attacks throughout the mass.  I heard "See mommy, XXXXXX, is wearing his uniform."  "Even, XXXXX, has his uniform and this is just his first meeting too." The larger issue is that Arun failed to realize that both of the boys he pointed out had attended last year.  Ugh...I just didn't know!  So there I am in church trying to explain to an upset 8 year old that he will need to wait until his den leader tells me what he needs for his uniform - what a fun day at mass!  Now the funny side of this whole thing is that Ryun wasn't fazed a bit.  He was so excited because now every Sunday morning daddy and Arun will be there and "we get to do fun stuff, just the two of us by ourselves, right mommy?"  "Absolutely!" (Until daddy decides that it's mommy's turn to go, but I wasn't saying a word.  I had already gotten enough grief from Arun to last the day.)

The Trade Off

I made the choice to become the household red hat (in Notre Dame country that makes me the play caller of the house, aka a stay-at-home mom).  After years of working in a demanding job with lots of travel away from home, I decided that I really wanted to spend more time with my boys.  They are still young and want to have me around...I know this doesn't last forever.  In order to make this adjustment it meant a few trade offs needed to take place.  I had a very nice job that paid well it was great stable income; now that is gone.  We made this all happen by cashing in some investments; using the money to pay off ALL our outstanding debt (except the mortgage).  This means eating out will now be a real treat, and fast food night will depend on who has the "kids eat free" special.  I gladly traded my beautiful 2011 (yep, 2011) Honda Pilot for my "New" 2009 Subaru Forrester.  I must say while that is a big adjustment, it was well worth it in my eyes.  To make a little extra money each month I will sub teaching at several schools in the local area during the school year.  This is the beginning of a big change in our household.  BTW, I'm a happily married mom with 2 boys (ages 8 & 5 as of Oct. 2011).  I really love my new job!!!