great pumpkins...

the other night Craig and the kids carved pumkins, they had a great time...

always a big ham...

in deep thought...

of course a lot of goofing around...

are we having fun yet...

final results...

baby in a tree...

This is so cool! It is named Baby in a Tree. Do you see it? If you can't see the baby in the picture, don't give up. It's really cool when it actually appears.

Don't look for a Baby, and you will see the Baby! Once you see it you won't see anything else!!!

what boys will say...

to get out of class...this is a new one for me...

Cody was telling me how he gets out of class and the teachers fall for it. He was asking one of his teachers today if he could go use the bathroom. The teacher said "no, you can't go pee right now." Cody replied, "I don't have to go pee, I has to poop." I could not believe he would admit that to his teacher and in front of the entire class. Cody said, "a few days ago he asked a different teacher if he could go to the bathroom." She said, "No, you always have to go right when class starts so you will have to wait until after I take attendance." Once again he replied...but "I have to poop." So she let him leave. He said, "mom I didn't even have to go."

Evidently he uses that line every time and the teachers buy it...I would have never had enough guts to use that line even if I had to go.

Oh my heavens what have I raised???

sorry it may sound gross, but that's what you get when you have boys....

writing your feelings down...

can be helpful and painful all at the same time...

Ashlee had another writing assignment she had to do. They had to write any piece of work they could think of and share with each other in class. Ashlee had a hard time thinking of something and then all of a sudden the words just flowed onto the paper.

Here is the Poem she wrote...

Daddy's Girl

I try to find a way to lie, about a home I'll never see.

Hiding behind a portrait of a perfect family lays a shattered soul.

Why doesn't he see me like he does her?

I'm his daughter too or does he not realize?

With open eyes I try to see, just what is so special about her and not me.

Why does the other get more love and affection?

When empty hugs is all I receive.

Daddy-daughter events he does not show.

Many times I try to be the very best of me.

But none of it was good enough.

And that is why,

I am not daddy's girl.

I struggled if I should post this poem or not...what happened was Craig accidentally read this and his feelings were hurt. He said he felt real small but on the other side he felt Ashlee's poem was written real well. When I read this I began to cry. I cried for Ashlee, I cried for Craig and I cried for Jessie. "Her" in the poem is referring to Jessie.

For those who don't know me and my family Jessie is our 3rd child with cerebral palsy. She is unable to walk, talk and take care of herself. She is totally dependant on us for everything she needs in life.

Craig didn't realize he was making Ashlee feel this way. We know if Jessie was a typical child then she too would get into trouble like the other 3. Craig tries to be involved in Ashlee's life, but when he does, he's getting to involved. As the old saying goes... damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Ashlee had to read this poem in front of the class. After all he students were done the teacher told them to write a letter to the person who inspired them the most. Ashlee received letters from four of her classmates. They all too had similar feelings about someone in their family. They advised her to keep her chin up and that her piece helped them out. Ashlee realized at that time she was not the only one who felt this way.

This reminds me of one of my favorite Disney movies... Mulan. Mulan faces the the same issue. She doesn't feel her father is proud of her, but in the end her father is very proud of her for being his daughter. (I cry every time I see this movie) I hope Ashlee will see that in her own father some day.

Over all, We will use this experience and learn from it. Ashlee was able to get her feelings out and not keep them bottled up. It's not good to keep things bottled up because then the situation becomes worse. This will allow her to heal and try to develop a relationship with her father.

Ever since she wrote this poem I have noticed a difference between her and her father. They have had "adult" conversations about many different things. Hopefully this has broken the ice between Ashlee and Craig.

if we didn't have bad luck...

we wouldn't have luck at all...

Craig was putting Preston to bed and they were walking down the hall. Of course Preston was goofing off and he took his glasses off. Some how Preston's glasses landed on the floor right under Craig's feet.

Here is what happened...

These are brand new glasses. Through work I have vision coverage and we get free glasses each year. Here are Preston's free glasses. He doesn't qualify for new glasses until another year. All I can say is I sure hope Craig paid the little extra for insurance. If he did then we pay $35 deductible, if not then we have to pay full price for a brand new pair of glasses. I am not looking forward to pay for a whole new pair at full price.

Preston was a little worried though that the kids would call him a monster. He feels they may call him that because he doesn't have his glasses on. I was surprised the kids would tease him without his glasses and here I was worried the kids were teasing him for wearing glasses. Silly me...guess times have changed.

Guess with our history of catastrophes we have had this year I shouldn't head to the casino or play the lotto. I might get a ticket, flat tire or who knows what. These are times I think we should live in a bubble.

Really all I do is laugh about it and look at what we do have. I have my family around me. My children are brought home each day from school safely and we are all healthy.

We are pretty lucky...

if you need a new doo...

Contact Sir Preston...

The other day Preston was helping Ashlee clean her room. For some reason this boy likes to clean. While Preston was cleaning Ashlee was trying on some clothes. She asked Preston how her outfit looked and he told her that it looked good except she needed to fix her hair. He ended up doing it for her. He asked her if she wanted Bryce to like her (which is her current boyfriend) and of course she said yeah. A few minutes later she comes out and she's looking like this:

He did all that himself. All of it. Including the ponytail on the side and pinning the bangs back. When he was finished this is what he had to say about it " Now Bryce will definitely love you." I think he has a future in cosmetology.