Everyone has those fond memories of childhood.  Many of us, too, have those "not so fond memories."  I had a flash of both yesterday sitting in a hotel room in Miami.  Peerless and I went down for the weekend with a couple of friend for a mini-mini-vacay.  It was fantastic.  I got to lay out a bit, dance a bit, just relax.  Then I got "the text."  My oldest brother, Ronnie, has an innate ability to text you with a message that leaves you needing, wanting, HAVING to know more.  Yesterday's text simply said, "Mont is in the ER."  For those of you who don't know, Mont is my brother, also.  He's the youngest of the twins, the silliest, the wildest.  He's the one who proudly declare after growing up in a military home part time and a suburban home the other part of the time that the "streets were in him"....OK.  

Naturally after I got the message I went into panic mode.  I immediately began calling every possible person who could either give me information, had information, or WHATEVER.  It turns out that Mont had some sort of blunt trauma to his head, busting his ear drum, causing him to faint, bump his head, crack his skull, and turn my stomach inside out with nerves.  I began to overthink the entire situation, wondering all types of what ifs and being thrown back to my childhood when Mont spent 85% of the time terrorizing me and the other 15% being nice to me so I would take the spinach off of his plate and eat it at dinner time.  I found myself pissed off at the notion (call it what you want to) that had he just eaten the spinach ONCE or twice he would've found some Popeye strength, and broken his fall.  Absurd, maybe, but for me it made perfect sense, and I decided to stick to it.  

Well, needless to say, as my brother is in the hospital unconscious today his Popeye strength has still not kicked in.  I'm fervently trying to figure out demographics to be able to have Caeden at her soccer game Saturday, while making it to Knoxville on Friday.  I know I can't be in two places at the same time, but I'm trying to make it happen.  Somewhere deep inside I just KNOW that spinach would've worked. Maybe when I see Mont I'll slip some into his I.V. tube.

Roll, Bounce....

 just realized I hadn't posted any photos of Caeden's birthday party.  Did I mention how much fun we had?  I won't overload you with all the nitty gritty details, but here are a few pictures to let you know how we got down....

I

A handful....literally

I love my husband.  God in heaven knows I do.  God also knows that when he put Peerless and me together, he took oil and water and in his miraculous power made it mix.  P and I are really opposites.  What's CRAZY is that somewhere in our journey we've become so much alike it's scary.  Peerless is the one person on Earth who can turn the most serious situation into a comedic experience.  He can go from 31 years old to 8 years old in a matter of seconds--just put him and Caeden against one another and see.  Then there are those times when he becomes the most romantic, loving, wonderful person going.  Well, Saturday night was one of them.  We went out with friends, and he was oh so attentive.  He fawned over me from the moment we walked out of the door to the moment we walked back into the house.  We took pictures, we laughed...sigh.  So, needless to say, when I'm looking through the pictures from the other night and run across the CUTEST picture of us I was ELATED.  I looked, I smiled, and then I became mortified.  In the cuteness of the pose, my husband became the thug I love so much.  He decided our G rated pose shouldn't be such.  And then the picture was taken.......just notice the hands.  My sweets.

The Real versus the Fake

My aunt, Venessa, sent a message through my mom today that I wasn't a "real blogger", because I hadn't been able to post an entry in a while.  So, even having spent and hour and a half in the doctor's office today to be told that I have a "virus", I am sitting down to catch you guys up on the happenings in my life.

This past weekend was a blast.  We had my mom's housewarming party on Saturday afternoon (early) and then Caeden's 8th birthday party late afternoon.  I don't know about you guys, but any time I have any kind of social gathering I am always a little nervous about the turnout.  It's like one big, never ending ball of WHAT IF.  What if I don't have enough food? What if I forget to get drinks? What if there isn't enough seating? What if there aren't enough people to sit in the seats I have? What if, what if, what if?????  So, Saturday I had a double dose of the 'what ifs' worrying about people coming to my mom's housewarming party and then worrying about Caeden having a nice turnout for her birthday party.  I am so happy to say that both events were huge successes.  My mom was beaming from ear to ear showing her home to our friends and family who came over, and Caeden was happier than a pig in slop as she skated, sang, ate, and laughed her way through the evening.  

As women, I think we have the tendency to overthink certain things.  I'm pretty sure that that's why instead of basking in the glory of those wonderful occasions, I was uber worried about people enjoying themselves, eating enough, being comfortable.  Things went off without a hitch, so I'm pleased.  I have a zillion pictures of the skating rink (sorry, Mimi, none at the house), so I'll get some up as soon as possible.

I have soooooo much more to type, but for now I must go.  There's a naked 8 year old in my bathtub screaming my name, followed by a naked 18 month old saying the same, so I have to go make them smell normal, again, and put them in bed....I'm planning to be in bed by 9:06 myself!!! No joke.

School's in....Almost

Well, today marked the beginning of the chapter in Caeden's life we will call "Lakeview."  There we went--Peerless, my mom, Kai Baby, Caeden, and me--to Lakeview's drop in day today to check out Caeden's classroom, teacher, find out bus information, all that.  I was so nervous my stomach was a wreck.  Caeden, on the other hand, was cool as a cucumber, and had made a new B.F.F. by the time we left school grounds.

From what I gathered today, her teacher is one of the school's favorites.  Several kids who had her last year said what a wonderful teacher she was, and the parents seemed equally as thrilled to have had her.  Caeden spent her time in the classroom running around with a little girl named Anna, laughing, smiling, and making new friends.  

We also got the information for her bus route, which I still don't feel GREAT about!!!  Her daddy is cool with it, though,  so this is one battle I'm going to fight silently.  I'm just hoping Caeden realizes that riding the bus means she has to get up at 6:40, so we can leave the house by 7:05; being taken by Mommie means she could sleep another 40 minutes...I guess I'm the only person sleep is important to around here.

Again, Kai is NOT going to school. I'm just not ready to put her in an organized program--one or two or three days a week-- so I'm going to continue her regular schedule.  Maybe next year! LOL.

Peerless is doing great.  He actually was approached at open house about the possibility of coming out and lending some of his football expertise to the school's program.  They're a young group, but they show a great deal of potential.  I think he's really interested, so we'll see what happens with that.

Mimi is settling into her place.  Tonight was the first night she spent there alone, and she was kind of bummed about that, but I'm sure she won't miss being woken up at 2 am with "Mimi, Mimi...." sounds. 

I'll take pictures of Caeden tomorrow so we can all se how cute she is in her uniform.  Hopefully I won't revert back to kindergarten and leave her at school (yep, I'm taking her tomorrow) crying...not her, me.

School Supplies

It is that time of year, again.  The time of year when my tri-weekly Target runs become less and less enjoyable due to the constant, "Mom, we need three ring notebooks!" "Dad, I DO need a new lunchbox." "Mom, everyone has this eraser! I need it, too."  It's school supply time.

Now, please don't get me wrong: the the oldest girl starts school next Tuesday.  School supply shopping is a necessary evil in my house, as well.  I just don't understand how it becomes a social event.  Luckily this year Caeden is going to a private school.  As such, the only school supply she is to bring on the first day is her backpack. YIPPPPEEEE.  Peerless, however, does not share in my joy, as he sees the school's attempt at supply equalization as more of a ploy to overcharge us parents for the supplies they provide.  I, personally, think not having to buy supplies is a bonus.  In our house the school shopping goes like this:  Mommie (me) buys all the necessities for school (clothes, books, paper, pens, lunch making materials, book bags, kleenex, folders, hand sanitizers, sandwich bags, copying paper, and any other number of "office type" supplies teachers send letters home saying kids need.  Peerless' school supplies list consists of one item: tennis shoes.  It is his sole mission in life to make sure his daughters wear the freshest, most crisp white sneakers available.  During these times, I am reminded of one very important thing:  Peerless went to a predominantly black school where fashion was as much of a necessity as the pen  you wrote  your assignments with.  I, on the other hand, lived my life first as a military brat and then later in life as one of the, oh, 2% of black people who went to my high school.  I was offered the luxury of dressing however I wanted and being so very accepted.  Aaaaaah. The memories.

Adding to the stress of school supply shopping for Caeden is the reality that Kai Baby is starting preschool next week, as well.  I think.  Every time I ask her if she's going to school she says NO.  I'm beginning to have second thoughts about taking her to school.  She's been doing better and better at Gymboree, and I don't want to miss out on too much of her life.  What to do!!!!  I guess we'll have to wait and see what next week holds for us all.  In the meantime, I'll be sure to let you know what sneakers Caeden winds up with.

Christmas in August

Have you guys ever seen something in passing, noted how wonderfully fantastic it was, and then seemingly forgotten about it?  I had one of these moments a month ago.  I was in Louis Vuitton with Peerless, Kai, and my homegirl, Kortni (who also happens to be my hair stylist), and I saw the most fabulous shoes EVER.  They happened to match a purse P got me for Mother's Day PERFECTLY.  So, this morning I went to the gym, went to pick Caeden up from my mom's to take her to camp, came home and showered, and was headed to the bedroom to finish getting dressed when on the bed sat two cards and a bag from Louis Vuitton.  I commenced to opening the cards, and then proceeding to the bag.  Lo and behold, Peerless DOES listen to me!!!  Santa brought his FAVORITE elf a special gift.  Look below to see what I'll be delivering gifts in this season.

People like to say absence makes the heart grow fonder.  I've found this to be true....and false.   While I find myself so often thinking about how Peerless feels about the possibility that football for him is over I had the chance to sit and think today of how I felt about it.  It was during one of those VERY RARE moments when there's no one but me in the house, AND I get a chance to sit down and listen to silence.  It was during that time that I realized, for myself, that this is the time of year when I'm usually packing myself and my kids up to go where ever our season would have us for that particular year. It's this time of year when I'm fitfully running back and forth to the airport to catch Peerless on those coveted days off from camp for a little, ahem, adult time.  It's this time of year when I see all the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice my husband has made through the year come to fruition.  It was during this time that I realized I hadn't had a chance to MISS Peerless this year. I didn't have to say goodbye as he went to mini camps or OTA's.  I didn't have to go through what I've so fondly gotten used to calling "the July blues" as training camp nears.  I didn't get a chance to let the absence let my heart grow fonder.

It was also during this time that I realized that Peerless' presence at home means so much more to me than it ever has.  It means that I have a husband who can go to the gym with me; a husband who's able to pick two beautiful little girls up and twirl them around (not to mention picking up one BIG 31 year old and giving her a twirl of her own every now and then LOL); a husband who--as it stands right now--doesn't have to worry about taking a wrong hit or making a wrong move and ending up being carted off of a field, never to walk again.  I realized that while we didn't separate this offseason, I separated what's real from what is fake; what's important from what's not; what makes everything alright from what messes things up.  I realized that the absence I may feel in my heart when Peerless leaves for camp can never be underestimated. I can rest at ease that my husband is not living in a political world (football) where his 31 years is looked at as damn near senior citizen status.  

Absence does make the heart grow fonder, but I promise you all that presence--of mind--makes the heart grow stronger.

Introducing the cast...

Well....I'm now hip to the whole "blogging" world.  I thought this would be a great way to keep everyone updated on Caeden and Kai as they grow up....not to mention the fact that  my good friend, Dawn, has shown me how to ventCONSTRUCTIVELY and humorously.  So, here goes my attempts at blogging.

I don' t know exactly how I plan on keeping this thing updated.  Between the constant "Mommie, Mommie, Mommie" I hear, time really gets away.  Luckily enough right now Caeden is at Sylvan getting her math tutoring on, and Kai is shopping at Wal-mart with Mimi for Mimi's new house.  We are so excited Mimi moved down here, and while I'm SOOO sad she's no longer upstairs, I'm SOOOO happy she has her house and can let loose and enjoy her very own space.  To say she is enjoying decorating is a gross understatement.  She's giving Niecey Nash a true run for her money in her "DIY" projects!!!

Now, updates on the other members of the tribe.  Peerless:  aka "the Boy", "P", "the baby's daddy".  We are having such an interesting dynamic in our house right now.  Understand, for the past ten years, this time of year has been when P puts on his "football season face" and gears up for training camp.  This year that didn't, and I believe isn't gong to, happen.  His surgery last season was supposed to be "season ending."  Thank GOD his surgery went well, and the area which was operated on is completely recovered.  My Boo, however, stands a greater chance of injury if he plays football than the other 52 men on a team.   While I know in my heart he still has football deep down inside of his heart, I want him to be able to walk, run, and play with those two Priceless Princesses of ours 10 years from now.  As of yet, he's not gone to play anywhere, however he also hadn't turned in his retirement papers....I'll keep y'all posted.

Caeden (the drama queen) is enjoying the end of her summer.  She enters into the 3rd (WOW) grade at Lakeview this fall.  She's SUPER excited about that, and I'm sure she'll excel!!  She has spent the last week in  a dance workshop ALL day honing her dance skills (she gets it from her mama!)  I'm sure as we get more into blogging I will have SOOOOOO many Caeden stories to tell.  

Kai Baby (That little one) is just being Kai: mean mugging everyone and trying to say more and more words.  We went to look at a school for her today.  I think it would be a good idea to put Kai in school two or three mornings a week, so she can start playing with other kids and listening to directions better.  Her daddy? Not so much.  We really liked the school, but we have another appointment at another place on Monday, so until we go there we can't commit. Well, I'll attach a couple photos, in case I didn't send them to some of you.  Enjoy, and check back for some updates.  Lots of love.