Baby got back...or at least wishes she did.

The title of this post may seem a little off, at first, but if you give me a second to take care of a few administrative tidbits I promise it will make sense.  Peerless and I had to take a trip to Chicago this past week, so he could have an extremely in depth (think 2 days of poking, prodding, x-rays, mri's, and what he fondly refers to as "electrocution) examination of his 32 year old body which functions at times like one 20 years its senior.  While I HATED to see him subjected to all of that, I can't lie and say I wasn't happy.  Not happy he was going through it, but happy that this really signaled yet another step in the direction of football being over.  I love the fact that my husband was blessed to live out his dream playing a game that he absolutely loves and is fantastic at.  I love the fact that other little boys who grew up in the inner city can look at P and see that YOU CAN MAKE IT without robbing someone, selling drugs, or buying into it when people tell you're not good enough!  I love the fact that I've made and continue to maintain friendships with some PHENOMENAL women through our travels with different team.  I love all of that.  I also love that my husband can walk from room to room without the assistance of a cane, wheelchair, walker, or me.  I love that the two year old can use him as a human jungle gym, and the eight year old has a steady sparring partner.  I love all of these, and I love knowing that I don't have to worry about him stepping onto a field and all of that coming to an end.  There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Now, back to the matter at hand.  My butt.  My family symbol is "the Jackson butt."  For a brief period in high school, I really knew mine was well on its way.  I could fill out a pair of jeans in the derriere, and feel oh so nice about doing it.  Most of the women in my family have watched over the years as their Jackson butts have spread beyond recognition.  My great aunt, Lauron, has such a donk that I SWEAR she could stroll in Magic City and put all the other (ahem) "dancers" to shame.  She's 70!  It's just what has been in my family...the women have all--at some point--had a big ol' butt.  

With that backdrop, understand my dilemma.  I have been feverishly squatting, lunging, and stepping up for the past 3 years in an effort to GET the Jackson butt that is my BIRTH RITE!  I don't understand why I can't seem to get this butt.  Also, understand that I want it.  I have cousins who make jokes that they'd gladly give me an ounce of theirs.  UMMMM...I WANT IT.  It depresses me to look at tv, because all the women have butts.  For example, this da** Kim Kardashian.  Why is her butt like that????  Where did it come from? And where can I buy it???  Jessica Biel???  When did that happen????  All I want is to walk out of the room, sashaying my butt, and KNOWING my husband was watching me walk away thinking dirty thoughts all the while.  Sir Mix-a-lot is my ENEMY, because I KNOW Baby does NOT have back, but she wants it........*sigh*

First off, see my beautiful shoes that my hubby gifted to me the other day? He can be so sweet....Big ups to Gwen Stefani for her L.A.M.B. summer collection.  I needed black sandals, and he hooked me right on up:

I'm in the bed recovering from an oral surgery from this morning...YUCK.  I always hate that after anesthesia feeling, and that's what I'm going through right now.  Mimi is over with the girls, instead of them spending the night with her, because she's my mama and still worries about me like I'm 4.  She didn't want me to be here alone, because she didn't trust that I'd take my medicine...or eat...or any of the things you're supposed to do during recovery.  Gotta love that Mimi.

The boy just left for the Hawks' game with his friend, Ray.  I told him to go ahead and go, because I didn't want him here sulking about having to stay in.  I'm telling you he has adult ADD.  He is an on the go type of guy, and I knew staying here with me would be no fun, so I told him find him a friend and have a boys night. We went to the game this past Wednesday, anyway, so I'm hoping he has a good time.  OK...I'm headed to lay down and ice my face.

SPLITSville.....

Every now and then the athlete in my husband will jump into OVERDRIVE, thereby causing him to engage in activities which may be...well...HARMFUL to his health.  Take, for instance, last night.  We were having a pleasant evening (day two of the weekend with the children).  Caeden and I were sitting on the couch having just finished watching "Space Chimps", when in walks her father.  I could tell from the walk, alone, that he was in a challenging mood.  He had the gait of a male alpha lion in the wide open sahara of Africa, walking around looking for his next victim.  He came around that corner, and I HAD to look away.  I just KNEW something was about to go down.  Caeden proceeds to jump off the couch and slip into a split.  Keep in mind, she hadn't stretched, hadn't practiced, hadn't ANYTHING, and went into a pretty good split.  This somehow presented Peerless with the prime challenge material.  The next think I knew Caeden was running to the back to get P a pair of shorts (his jeans were just too constricting), so that he could demonstrate for us that he could get down into a full split.

So, here we are:  Caeden and Peerless on the floor in front of me, and Kai a little behind them too young to know not to try to imitate them.  Caeden steps up.  BAM. She falls into her split.  I tell her her back leg isn't all the way straight, and she just rolls up and straightens it.  She then gets up, looks at her father, and then back down at the floor as if to silently say "your turn."  I was laughing hysterically by this point, but it got even better.  Slowly, P inches his way into what he self describes as a perfect split.  His back leg was about as straight as a boomerang, and he is utterly and completely proud of himself.  He SELF DECLARES himself the winner, and then struts around the house for the rest of the night telling us how he did really good.  Did I mention his explanation for the boomerang leg?  He said that he did GREAT....for a 32 year old semi-retired athlete.....The laughs never stop in this house!

Happy Birthday to Kai!!!

Last Saturday we celebrated Kai Baby's 2nd Birthday at Gymboree.  Let me just say:  the Kai that showed up for this party was a marked difference from the Kai who came to the party last year.  This year's Kai was friendly, outgoing, playful, and happy.  When it was time to cut the cake she was super excited to do so!!!  She sang "Happy Birthday" (not realizing she was singing to herself), and ate herself silly with pizza, cheetos, juice, and cake.  

During the play portion of the party she was all over the place.  She spent all her time running, jumping, and having an all out ball.  She was allowed to do each activity every time it was done, and she took full advantage of that.  She had 16 of her friends at the party, and she love every second!!!!  The party was, simply put, an all out success!!! I can remember being in the hospital two years ago after just delivering her thinking how quickly time flies....boy was I right.

Sick No More

For the past two weeks my family has been overcome with an incurable case of the crud.  First, Kai Baby got it--she fought fever and a snotty nose for three days before we tapped out and took her to the pediatrician to be told "It's viral."  Thanks.  Next, Caeden's nose began running, and she got a cough.  By Friday Peerless was hocking and coughing all over the place, and I was just pleased that I had escaped healthy and unscathed.  

Monday afternoon I started getting an eerily familiar scratching in my throat.  I began a regimen of airborne, Emergen-C, and juice and water.  Tuesday I woke up feeling ten times worse.  I REFUSED to give into the illness, and pressed on.  (Especially when I came home from dropping Caeden off at school and Peerless had gotten third row seats to the John Legend concert for that night).  So, we went, and it was good, but I felt like a big bundle of EEEW!!!

By Wednesday morning, when Peerless and I were headed to Caeden's school luncheon I felt like I was going to pass out and die walking.  The fact that my temperature had gotten to 102 didn't help, either.  I still, however, fulfilled my maternal duties and showed up for the luncheon.  Immediately thereafter, I made a beeline to Mimi's couch, where Kai and I remained until the husband and the oldest daughter came to pick us up.

Pretty boring, and uneventful in the land of illness, huh?  Yeah right!!!  Wednesday night Caeden and Kai had a resurgence of their fever.  Then yesterday morning Caeden was DETERMINED to go to school, so she could present her book report (she was super cute dressed up like Sacagawea).   She left home, and she just didn't seem like herself.  (I didn't notice, because I was still asleep in a Nyquil/sudafed/motrin induced stupor--Mimi had spent the night to help us out, and she told me the state Caeden was in when she left).  I emailed Caeden's teacher to tell her to PLEASE watch out for Caeden because she was ill, and if she needed to come home to feel free to call us.  No sooner than I sent the message was she contacting me to tell me Caeden was lying down in the nurse's office and needed to be picked up.  When her daddy went to get her, she came home, and sure enough was boasting a 102 temperature.  She kept the temperature on and off throughout the night, and when she woke up this morning, she just still wasn't herself.

After finally realizing the Caeden was NOT getting any better, I picked up the phone to make an appointment at the pediatrician.  At this EXACT time she got a nose bleed, and went in the bathroom with Mimi to take care of it.  As I sat on the phone with the appointment maker at her peds office, I heard Caeden let out a frustrated scream, then heard Mimi tell her to  go and lay back down.  My 8 year old came staggering out of the bathroom with the most bewildered look on her face and then suddenly, BAM. SHE PASSED OUT!!!!  I began screaming into the telephone at the appointment setter, who got a USELESS nurse, Mimi began screaming for Peerless, and poor Kai Baby is looking at all of us like we are total idiot.  Peerless and I jumped into some kind of clothes, and were two steps from out the door when I remembered that one of Caeden's basketball team mates' mother is an ER doctor at a local hospital.  I called her, gave her a brief rundown of the sitch, and she told us to head to the hospital and she'd call them and tell them we were coming.  We got to the ER, and got back into the treatment area in a matter of seconds.

The doctor (who was AMAZING--I've never had an ER doctor who was actually nice and interested in helping! Kudos to the Northeast Georgia ER staff, and a special thanks to Dr. Sherry Brock!!)  Caeden was going to need an IV to get some fluids going in her body, because she was dehydrated, and a chest xray, because the doctor was concerned she may have pneumonia.  Well, the BIG GIRL took the IV needle stick like a CHAMPION, took her fluids, and did her chest xray with NO problems!!!  The xray came back, and the doctor determined she had bronchitis--not pneumonia--and she would get to go home.  

So, now here we are.  At home.  Being harrassed by the 2 year old who thinks she is the boss of EVERYONE, and trying to get Caeden to drink, drink, drink, drink, drink, drink, and eat a bit.  Luckily we have Mimi, because although the husband has been really good with getting us whatever we need it gets to a point where I can tell his patience is running a little thin, and he needs his "him" time.  So, Mimi is here to relieve him of his nursing responsibilities...and she's cooking...and she washed and folded all the laundry...and she holds Kai aka McBad aka B.A.A. aka Badness aka Little Miss Naughty....  It's a really interesting situation over here. It's one of those times where I wish the world could see the dynamic at our house, because it is crazy....but it works for us.

Mr. Price's #1 Fan!!!!

My mom told me before that one of the biggest mistakes a person can make when it comes to me is giving me too much time to think....about anything.  My mind works so OVER analytically that I can find myself in a philosophical debate (albeit with myself) about something as trivial as which brand of syrup is best, and why.  Today I found myself with a little bit of time at--of all places--the dentist's office.  (Shout out to our dentist, Dr. Randolph Moore--super gentle, super good!)  The dentist's assistant, Kristy, had come in and done my evaluation and was making small talk.  She asked me how Peerless was doing, and I answered her just like I answer most people, "He's doing really good--getting better everyday and is totally convinced that he is ok to play football like yesterday."  Once she left I really started thinking--not so much on how my husband was doing--but about HOW my husband was doing.  I started thinking about how for the past twenty-something years he has lived, breathed, and trained for a life of football.  When he broke his leg in college he turned a near season ending injury into a four month injury and started the season opener.  His first training camp at Buffalo he twisted his knee, and again rebounded back and was ready for the season.  Every time he has been injured he bounced back and was ready to go.  His neck has been leaps and bounds different. Although he FEELS like he's 100%, there's still a chance that his body could sustain a horrible hit and his neck could snap just so thereby ending his football career and his life of WALKING.  

I realized that even when P PISSES ME OFF I am extremely proud of him.  I'm proud of how he has dealt with his situation and still has a positive outlook on life.  I just sat in the dentist's office and realized, yet again, that I truly am the President, cheerleading advisor, and CFO of the Peerless Price fan club.  I just wanted to take a chance and share that fact with you......  Have a wonderful evening. 

We're BAAAAACK!

I know, I know:  I have totally fallen off of the blogosphere, but I'm back.  Kind of.  I decided that in 2009 I was going to blog at least once a week.  My dream is to get it done every night, but with Kai being Kai and Caeden showing her the way....yeah, you know.  At any rate, I won't spend the next four hours trying to detail what's been going on in Caeden and Kai's world since September.  No way.  Instead I'll give you a brief synopsis:

Peerless has been recovering and CHILLING!!!  He spends the majority of his days on the phone, working out, playing golf, or (when I'm lucky) taking me to lunch.  Seriously, he's doing so much better than I thought he would be having not played this past season.  I thought it would be a difficult transition, but it really hasn't been.  As with any change it was different, but not so unbearably so that one of us is standing in line at the court house trying to file the BAAAAD papers.  He also keeps himself busy coaching Caeden's basketball team.  Yes, Peerless is the coach of 11 8-9 year old girls.  They practice every Monday and Wednesday and play games on Saturday.  As of now we are 3-3 with two more games to go.  It's been a challenge, but one that he has welcomed and seemingly enjoyed.  That's him above in action and then the other shot is a picture of the silliness that it our team!!!

Caeden has been BUSY.  Mondays basketball, Tuesdays tutoring, Wednesdays basketball and dance, Thursdays she has a break, Fridays dance, Saturdays basketball games, and Sundays Church.  The poor child is so busy.  I ask her all the time if she's too busy, but she says no.  She made all A's and one B on her report card (note:  the B was in in Science, and the entire class got that grade!!!).  Basketball season will end soon, and she'll begin soccer, so her busy-ness will just continue.  Oh, and her schedule deeply influence our schedules, so we are equally as busy!! *sigh*.

Kai Baby...wow.  Now, she's been doing a bit, too.  She talks ALL. THE. TIME...and she is just growing up waaay too fast.  She's not interested in potty training, which is NUTS to me, because at 18 months her big sister was FULLY potty trained.  I keep telling myself that she's a different person than Caeden, but it's so hard.  I'm just saying:  She eats the same stuff I eat, and when it digests and I have to change that?  WOAH!  She's trying to decide whether sitting forward or backward on the toilet is more fun when she decides to get on there period.  She's just a mess.

Me?  I've still just been trying to be the Mommie in it all.  My girlfriend Quiana and I are still trudging forward with ganachecouture.com... God has blessed us, and we've stayed afloat during these hard economic times.  In the Spring we're going to carry tee-shirts as well as handbags and other accessories, so look out, world!!!  I promise I will do better about keeping you all updated in the future.  Until next time......