Movie Night

Saturday night we had family movie night. On family movie night, we watch a movie that the boys choose. We pop popcorn & turn out all the lights, turn the surround sound on, & settle down & watch a movie. This is a treat for the boys because they get to eat in the family room, which we normally don't allow because of the off-white carpet. Saturday night they picked "Shark Boy & Lava Girl" in 3-D. Word to the wise...don't waste your money. That was the dumbest movie ever!!! But the boys liked it, so that's alright. Besides, family movie night isn't really about the movie...it's about family!!! When the movie was playing, I looked around at my little family with their ugly 3-D glasses on, eating popcorn, all snuggled up in a blanket...well several blankets...& thought "It just doesn't get any better than this!!" God is good & I have been blessed!

Chips Off The Old Block

Last week was report card week. For some this can be a very stressful time. When I was in school. I never really worried to much about getting report cards cause usually I had all A's & an occasional B. When I chose the donor for the boys, one of the criteria was that he be intelligent. It turns out, he is a doctor. So it stands to reason that my kids would be intelligent too! Of course, there are no guarantees. Anyway, Jhett received all A's, with his lowest grade being in Math with a 96.4%. Reading = 98.7% Science/Health = 100.0% Social Studies = 97.5% Spelling = 99.9% Isn't that awesome!!! And he hates school!!! On Friday, he earned his 50 points in Reading Renaissance. He reads a book or 2 every night & then takes a computer test every morning. For every book that he makes 100 on, he gets 1/2 point. By the end of the year they have to have 100 points. First nine weeks, Ms. Munn wrote "Jhett has adjusted well to 1st grade. He adds so much to our class. Keep up the good work!" Second nine weeks, Ms. Munn wrote "Jhett continues to work independently. He contributes so much to class. I'm proud of his work!" Jhett took a nationwide standardized test (remember those horrible things?) called the STAR Reading Test. It presents diagnostic information about his general reading skills. His Grade Equivalent (GE) score was 4.0, which means his reading skills are comparable to a 4th grader after the start of the school year. He also acheived a national Percentile Rank (PR) of 99. This score is in the above average range & means that Jhett scored greater than 99% of students nationally in the same grade, or that he is in the top 1% of 1st graders in the US!!! WOW!!! How awesome is that?
Sterling's report card came back from Byrnes with all "S"'s. Ms. O'Brien wrote "Sterling is such a sweetheart. He does excellent work. I can tell you spend a lot of time with him. Keep up the good work!" Do we have great kids or what?! They are chips off the old block!!!
I'm so glad that the boys are smart. I just have no tolerance or patience for ignorant people. I sometimes forget that they are as young as they are, & get a little impatient with them when we are doing homework. I really have to stop sometimes & tell myself that they are little boys, & they are just learning this stuff. I pray for patience daily. Cause, the good Lord knows, I have little patience. It's a major character flaw. ;-)
On the business front, we are in negotiations to purchase another house. This one is new construction. The deal should go through this week. We are up to owning 6 houses now. It's keeping us busy!!! Our secret business is in the early stages of development. It is an entirely new concept, & a much needed service. Emily & I met with some prominent business men in the area last Wednesday to discuss our ideas, & do a mini-presentation. It was well received. I am excited about it. It was a real rush hearing others talk about this as enthusiastically as we have been for the last 6 months. When we first began talking about it, I had the feeling that this was going to be BIG!!! Now, after meeting with these folks, I am even more convinced that with the right marketing & preparation, this could be an International company!!! And you know how determined Emily & I can be when we get something in our heads!!! It's do or die!!!

Labor Pain or Toothache???

They say that labor pain is the worst pain that you could feel, & having experienced it first hand, I have to say that I agree...up until yesterday, that is. I've been having a terrible time with an upper back tooth of mine. It had an old filling in it, & a crack. So, after it hurting for about 2 weeks, I decided it wasn't going to quit on its own, so I went to the dentist on Monday. Dr. Griffin drilled the old filling out, & put a temporary medicated filling back in. Said he could put a real one back in in a few months. But if it didn't stop hurting...root canal & crown timeor extraction. By yesterday, I was literally going out of my mine with the pain. I took pain killers (too many), Aleve, aspirin, anything. As soon as the doors opened, I called the dentist. At 3:00 he saw me again. This time I was in tears & nearly hysterical. He gave me 3 Advil, & shot me full of Novacaine. He was going to give me a Vicadon (?) but I told him no..I had had too much meds in the course of the day. So 2 hours later he pulled it out. Now, I think that this toothache was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. With labor, you don't really have to wait on anyone else's time table, except the baby of course. The doctor will see you immediately almost. Then you go thru the labor, & if you are lucky you get an epidural. When it is all said & done, you have a sweet little baby to show for all that hard work & pain. Well worth it! But with a toothache, forget it. You are at the mercy of the dentists' time table & when he can "work you in". And at the end all you have is a big old rotten, ugly tooth, which the dentist promptly throws in the garbage, & another hole in your head!!! No contest!!! What do you think?

Missing Mammie

Mammie passed away in May of 1998. God, I miss her. In some ways, it just seems like yesterday. In others, it seems like forever. I still forget sometimes that she is gone, & I think to myself, "I need to call Mammie & tell her what the boys said." Then, I remember. And it sucks. Reality is a bummer some times, most times. I think everyone has in their minds the person they perceive themselves to be, & then one day someone says something, & you realize you aren't the person you thought you were. We all want to be strong & smart & fun & everything else to our children, but in reality, will my kids ever know me as a real person? I mean, if you show them that moms do cry, or get angry, & yes, cuss sometimes, does that mean that they think less of you? Do I as a mother need to strive to be "perfect" in my children's eyes so that when it's my time to go, they will remember me with love & respect, or can moms be human too? I found out some things about Mammie, things that happened to her during her lifetime that I had no idea about. Mammie was just Mammie. She would rock in her rocking chair, which I now have, & she would listen to country music, watch The Price Is Right, The Young & the Restless, & Guiding Light. She would make sure we had food to eat, & our clothes were clean. She always said that I was "born grown" & that I was her best friend. But what kind of best friend was I? She was in secret pain & I was oblivious to the fact until she was gone & it was too late. If I had known, could I have been a small comfort to her? Or would it have made me uncomfortable, because I would have had to be emotional with her? When I get to heaven, the first thing I want to do is hug her tight & tell her that I am sorry for not being her true best friend. And ask her forgiveness for living in my own reality & not saying goodbye before she passed, because I truly believed that Mammie would always be my rock. If I could go back, I would cherish every moment with her, & be more of what she needed, rather than taking her for granted. But, hind sight is 20/20. And besides, maybe she wanted it that way. One thing I know, I wish I had her back. But back to the question...I guess I should find a happy medium with my children, so they know me as a person, as well as their mom. I don't want them to have regrets when it is my time to go.

Everyone's In Their Proper Place

Jhett started back to school today. He was not a happy camper. He doesn't like school like Sterling does. Sterling went back last week. So now everything is back to normal. The routines can begin again. I think everybody gets a little out of sorts when there is not a regular schedule to follow. Children & adults need structure. I spent the day returning phone calls for prospective buyers & sellers, responding to our ad in the paper this weekend. Busy day.
Yesterday, we had movie day & watched "Alexander". Jhett decided when he gets high school, he is going to let his hair grow long like the character who played Alexander in the movie. If you ever have the chance to watch a movie with Jhett be prepared to spend the entire movie answering his questions. We finally had to threaten his life, so he would be quiet!!! Sterling just sits & watches with a kind of dazed look on his face. I'm not sure if he is truly interested, or if he is thinking how cool it would be to fight with swords & spears. Probably the latter!!!
They are upstairs right now doing their homework. They make everything a competition, so they are trying to see who can finish first. Jhett asks me every day, which school is harder. He's thinking about going to Byrnes when he is in the 5th grade, as long as it doesn't require any extra effort!!! They are having great fun with the new kittens. It is too funny to hear them say "Come to Daddy", & not laugh out loud. Sterling carries Harley around all day long, so Harley runs & hides in the nursery whenever Sterling is around. He comes out to potty & to eat when Sterling is outside or asleep. Jhett is content to let Tiger come to him on his own, except at night when he wants Tiger to sleep with him. The new kitty game is for the kitties to run as fast as they can up the stairs, run through Sterling's room, toss & tumble with each other, then come barreling down the stairs in a big tumbling heap. They sound like a heard of horses instead of little kitties!!!

I Forgot

November 2005 -- Sterling turned 5!!! We had a bowling party & a cookout at the park afterwards with some of his friends from school...Preston, Shania, Madison, Andrew, Christopher, & Shea. It was a blast!!!

2005 -- The Year In Review

Wow...can you believe it is already 2006? I graduated from high school 20 years ago!!! Where did the time go? I want to try & remember this past year....let's see....
January 2005, we (Emily, Jhett, Sterling & myself) were living in the 2 bedroom duplex in West Florence, & had no room whatsoever. Jhett was in kindergarden at Carver Elementary in Ms. Elaine Postons class. He was doing fine. Both boys were playing basketball for the YMCA. I was working for Horton Homes and learning about selling mobile homes. Emily was working for TRC Staffing in Lake City. She hated that job so much. It was so beneath her. Nothing really great about January. Oh, I did get a terrible stomach flu & almost died. Emily rushed me to the ER & they kept me for about 18 hours. I was severely dehydrated. But I got ok. And things got back to normal.

February 2005 -- We were still living in the duplex, with the same jobs. Same old, same old. Nana had a mild heart attack, but was ok. I passed my Housing Board exam in Myrtle Beach to sell manufactured homes.

March 2005 -- Jhett started playing baseball with the YMCA. This was his 2nd season. He is quite the little athlete! Emily got the flu & was out of work for about a week. She was looking for another job then too.

April 2005 -- On April 10th, Jhett turned 6!!! We had a party in Barnwell with Will, his cousin--Missy & Chips son. His birthday is April 27. Emily started working for Comfort Keepers, as office manager making more money & more responsibility. I was still at Horton Homes. David, Suzanne's husband passed away. We found out that Missy was pregnant with another boy!!!

May 2005 -- On May 7th, I turned 37!!! Yikes!!! I still feel like I am in my 20's. I guess having a young partner keeps you young. On May 29th, what would have been Mammie's 77th birthday, Emily & I got married. The service was small & quaint. It was in Timrod Park in Florence. Of course, I had to cry when I was saying my vows!!! Even though both of us had been married before, neither one of us felt in our hearts that we were truly married...until now. I also found us a 2 story, 4 Bedroom, 2 bath house to buy, so we began to prepare for the closing & the move. We closed on the house on May 31st. We began the horrid moving process. Emily said she was only moving one more time to our dream house, and we were hiring movers then. She was through, and so was I!!!

June 2005 -- We were slowly settling in at our new home. Boxes and more boxes. The boys had their own rooms again. Everyone was happy. Jhett went to Camp Invention at Carver for a week. They both went to vacation Bible School @ the First Baptist Church in Barnwell, with Nana & PawPaw.

July 2005 -- We took our vacation to Florida to visit Suzanne, and go to Disney. We never made it to see the mouse, because of the bad weather that week due to the hurricanes. We did head over to Melbourne to see the space shuttle launch, but the mission was scrubbed due to a faulty sensor. I did take the boys & Emily to FIT, & my old stoppin grounds. It was fun. I had a new job waiting on me with a different dealer -- M&R Development who also sold homes. I did pretty well there.

August 2005 -- Sterling started private school at The Byrnes School in 5-K, even though he was only 4. He was too intelligent to have in daycare another year. His teacher was Ms. Pam O'Brien. Tuition was a whopping $4500, but we agreed to spare no expense when it came to education. Jhett returned to Carver in 1st grade under Ms. Karen Munn, who turned out to be related to Emily. So that was cool.

September 2005 -- Sterling played soccer for Byrnes. They finished with a 10 & 2 season. Not bad, uh? He is such a fast runner. Jhett played NFL FLag Football at the YMCA. They finished with an 8 & 2 season. Jhett was the center. He wasn't very fast, but he always hustled. We can't wait until he's old enough for tackle football!!! Missy gave birth to Randall Charles "Charlie" Nolind on September 14th. That makes 5 great grand boys!!! Jhett, Will, Sterling, Matthew, & Charlie.

October 2005 -- They boys decided they wanted to play ice hockey this season. So of course, we enrolled them. They look like big old boys!!! Jhett lokks about 15 with all of his gear on, & Sterling looks about 8 or 9. They are doing pretty good learning to skate though. It's cool watching them progress.

November 2005 -- I quit my job with M&R Development. My boss was a condensending moron. I was stressing out so much, that Emily & I agreed it just wasn't worth it, even though the money was good. So we started our own company, ADC Development. We figured now was as good a time as any. We spent Thanksgiving in Barnwell at Missy's, & got to see Charlie for the first time. He is adorable. I got the baby fever bad!!! Everyone was there -- Nana, PawPaw, Papa Martin, Randy, Abbie, Bobby, Missy, Chip, Will, Charlie, Emily, Jhett, Sterling, & myself. It was fun. Emily & I went to Grandma Betty & Grandpa Ben's to visit the day after Thanksgiving. We had a break through of sorts. I think Ben looks at our relationship in a different light now.

December 2005 -- Emily got an impacted wisdom tooth & had to have 2 of them pulled out. She was in so much pain, & I couldn't fix it. After they were pulled, she was back to her old self. I sure did miss her! The business is going strong. We own 4 houses, & launched our website
adc-development.com We had a great Christmas, with Nana & PawPaw & Grandma Betty & Grandpa Ben. I look forward to what the next year will bring.