So, we made it to Texas! Of course I could leave it at that, but I must give the details. Trust me, they are good! On Thursday we went to Andrew's school play. It was so simple and cute.

After his play we headed home and finished loading the car. We picked Merci up at 12:30 and headed out. About an hour out of San Diego things got interesting.

Fibi, our ten year old chihuahua got car sick. On my leg. Yu

ck, gross, ewww. I changed quickly in the car and we went on. Sophia did great. For those who know Sophia, you know she hates car rides with a passion. Hates them. She did not cry one time. We kept Barney on and around 9:30pm she fell asleep and slept all night. Merci and Andrew slept off and on but didn't

get any solid sleep. At 3am we were terrified when Merci and Andrew started screaming. Cody, our three year old Brussels Griffon pottied. Yes, on Merci's leg. I laughed so hard I cried. That is what sleep deprivation does, it takes something gross and makes it hilarious. I couldn't help it. We made it to Odessa by 7:30am. Juan took a nap and we hung out. My brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew came in Friday night. I have missed Finley and Atticus so much. It was heaven seeing them:)

While playing ball with his Uncle, Andrew got a nice little shiner on his eye:

The kids played and played:

We are in Angleton now and having a good time. I am looking forward to time with my mom and seeing my friends and family in Bryan!

Crafting

So, I got a sewing machine for my birthday several months ago and love it. I had never used one and now I am really getting the hang of it. I love, love, love looking up different things to make for the kids and stay up late trying to master it. I went to Joann's and got some really cute fabric. However, I am still nervous to use the "good" stuff so I have just been playing around with little scraps and such. I have tried to add ruffles to Sophia's jeans and I get them on but I am not happy with how they look. It will take time but I am so excited that I have found something I love doing. And I do love it, a lot. It makes me want to have about then more kids just so I can keep making the cute baby stuff...I am so kidding. I will make it for other kids:)

We are so close to Texas time it isn't even funny!!!! I have most clothes for the kids picked out and just need to throw in a suitcase. I need to pack me and the hubby and get stuff for the actual car ride together. It sounds like a lot but I am a pro at this.

I got an email from Merci's soccer coach that she was one of the girls he nominated for all stars. Yay!! I think I am way more excited than she is. She is incredibly nervous about trying out. She goes Wednesday evening and they will do have an hour of soccer skills and an hour long scrimmage. I think she is most nervous about that part. If she makes it they will play a tournament in January! I am so excited for her!!! And so proud!!!!

Andrew is doing great, just being Andrew. He has convinced himself he is already a professional t-ball player and is going to make it big one day. We shall see...

Sophia is doing great, too. She is doing great on the toilet training process and loves to spend her days swinging. She also loves to watch Elmo sing the ABC's. She is at such a cute age, but the temper tantrums have made their way through our door and we are trying to calmly deal with them. When she is throwing herself on the floor after I told her no to a piece of candy at 6:30am, I tell myself this too shall pass. And it does for a moment. She is such a joy.

My kids rock, hands down. Each one brings such a sense of wonderfulness to my life.

Bittersweet...

Well, the kids had their last soccer games today. Unfortunatley it worked out to where they were both playing at the same time. I dropped Andrew, Juan and Sophia off at Andrew's game at 8:40. I then took Merci to hers and unloaded the snacks. Then I rushed back to Andrew's game. He did amazing. He made three goals within minutes and he just did awesome. Every game he improves. I am glad he is wanting to try out other sports but sad he isn't doing soccer in the spring. After his half time I left Juan there with him and went over to Merci's game with Sophia. When I got there the score was 0-0. It was a few minutes before half time and the girls looked tired. The ending score was

So, the past few days have gone over pretty smoothly. Actually, not so much. It started on Tuesday when I went in for what I thought was a simple dental cleaning. I am terrible about going to the dentist because I am petrified. Like, I would much rather drill a hole in each toe than go to the dentist. Ok, maybe not to that extreme, but I am scared. So instead of going to my six month cleanings, I whiten my teeth with white strips. This makes me feel better because white teeth mean healthy teeth, right? Wrong! So I get to the dentist and they let me know they need to do a deep cleaning that requires my mouth to be numbed. Eeeek. They start off with just putting a gel on top that is supposed to do the trick without the needle. Did not work. I endured the pain. I was sweating, heart racing, kicking my feet around. So she decided the shot was necessary for the bottom. She numbed me good, so good I could not swallow and was convinced my throat was closing in. I panicked. Big, big time. Finally, I was able to swallow, I was sweating so bad, tears streaming down my face. Was I seriously acting this way? After two long hours I was done. I could not talk because my mouth was so numb but they kept asking me questions. I was convinced they were doing that so they could get a laugh. I got home and Juan was able to get in a few "roll on the floors laughing" moments. Glad I could make someone's day! That night I went for a manicure and pedicure to get ready for the Marine Corps Ball on Wednesday...

On Wednesday I had a hair appointment at 1:00. We were leaving at 4:30 for the ball. Juan's brother was going to babysit. I had my dress. Everything was going so smoothly. I had convinced myself I would have a great time even though dressing up is NOT my thing. I was at my hair appointment until about 4:15 and my phone had died so I rushed home so I could do my makeup. I run in, up the stairs, and tear open my makeup. I am slopping it on when Juan walks in and says "babe, we have a problem". Great, what now?! He went on to tell me that he was ironing his pants when he noticed the iron left something black on them. Simple solution, wash them. So he did. When he took them out he could tell something was not right. They had shrunk, a lot. There are certain rules to where the bottom of your pants have to fall over your shoes. His were way off. But we didn't give up. We pulled them down and safety pinned them to his undies. Perfect solution. Not really. He was sagging so bad. His jacket did not cover it. He told me there was no way we could go. Really?!? I looked semi good with my hair curled and tons of makeup on. Ugh. His brother got there and he got a good laugh at his brother washing 100% wool pants. Juan and I decided to go to dinner since I was dressed up and we had a sitter. We went to Yardhouse and had a great time. I think everything happens for a reason so we just decided to laugh at the situation.

The kids had yesterday and today off from school. Yesterday me and Merci went through clothes and junk to take to Goodwill. I had an appointment at 2:30 and Andrew had speech at 4:00. We rushed him to soccer practice at 4:30, I left there at 5:30 to get Sophia her flu shot, and Juan took the Merci to her practice. When I got to the doctor's office there was a boy screaming "I don't want a shot, I don't want to die". He screamed over and over. It reminded me of my dentist appointment. Sophia walked in and sat down. I pulled her pants down, they poked her and she said "wahhhh". It was so fake. I asked her if she wanted a sticker and she got up and that was it. I am so lucky when it comes to my kids getting shots. They have always been awesome. Today I am taking her into the doctor because I suspect she has a UTI. I hope not but taking her in just incase. Tomorrow are the kids last soccer games. Bittersweet. We are leaving for Texas in less than a week and I am ecstatic!!!

Just Another Day...

Last night we decided we would take advantage of the kid's school family fun night. It benefits the PTA and was extremely cheap and fun. We ate hot dogs and watched How to Train A Dragon outside under the stars. We took chairs and blankets. All of this fun for only five bucks, total. And since we brought in canned food we got free popcorn! Sounds like the perfect family night, right? Wrong! Well, it wasn't terrible but Sophia was freaked out by the huge blow up screen and screamed, loud. So I took her to Sonic to get a drink and we sat in the car watching Toy Story. I talked to my mom and dad for a while on the phone so it passed time. Merci and Andrew had a blast and Juan enjoyed the movie, so overall a good night. This morning Merci had a game at 9:30 and unfortunatley her team lost. They had one goal and the other team had five, or six...maybe seven? I stopped counting after four...But the girls had fun so that is what counts...

Andrew played at 11:00 and I really do not know what has gotten into that kid but he has been on fire at his games. He stays so focused now and is really starting to understand the game. He played against two boys who were on his team last year and they had a good time. This age they are really good sports. Andrew did not score but played really good defense. Next weekend is the end of the season. I am sad. I look forward to going to their games, cheering them on. But next season will be here before we know it. Now the Texas A&M game is on so I am sure I will not be seeing my husband for a few hours...

A Few More Andrew-isms....

Ok, I looked over some old posts and wanted to "document" a couple of funny things Andrew said in the past....

I had forgotten about this one until I read it again. About a year ago Andrew was playing with toys as I was playing with Sophia. All of a sudden he looked over at her and then me and said "they grow up so fast." It was really funny coming from a then four year old.

Andrew had to get a TB test for preschool, along with a few shots. I took him in and they did the test, told him it was a TB test and to come back in a few days so they could check it. When we left he was eerily quiet. I thought it was probably because he had so many needles poked into him. Finally I asked him what was wrong. Here is is response "well, mom, I know they need to do that TV test and, well, I am really worried because I watch a lot of TV, do you think that will show up?" I almost had to pull over, it was really cute.

That is a couple of things, I need to scroll down my facebook posts so I can share more.

Merci and Andrew both have games tomorrow. Right now Merci's team is in 7th place, out of 9....winning tomorrow's game isn't going to make a huge difference but will help their pride:) We are so proud of how far she has came, her coach is even putting her on the list to try out for allstars!!!

Laughter Keeps Me Young

Ok, if you read my blog, (and I have no idea if you do) you know that my kids are funny, especially Andrew. God gives us all special gifts, what I like to think of as our tools for life. One of Andrew's is his sense of humor. He puts no effort into trying to make us laugh, it is all natural. I am going to start making special posts that are just about the funny things my kids say and do. Let's face it, this world is spiraling down hill. Laughing and smiling is what keeps me going.

Last night we were watching a lady sing "God Bless America" on t.v (a baseball game). The camera is showing people in the audience and it closes in on George and Laura Bush. Andrew got the most puzzled look on his face and said "hey what are Mammow and Gary doing at that baseball game?" It was so funny, really. I called my mom right away because I knew she would get a great laugh out of that. Andrew came in and heard I was telling her and he said "wow she's a cutie". See, he is a mess.

Today when I picked him up from school he said "mom, I got chased by girls again, third day in a row, can't I get a day off?"

There are so many funny things he has said and done. I need to go over all of my old facebook statuses to remember some things he has said. I love my kids, I love my life;)

November, Really?

Wow, I seriously cannot believe it is November. This time last year Juan was deployed and I was not excited about spending Thanksgiving in California away from my Texas family. I remember taking the kids to pick out a toy that morning and they were so excited. I was glad to be able to sway their minds away from being away from their daddy and Texas family. But inside my heart was breaking. I remember talking to my mom that day and family was there, when we hung up all I could do was cry. It was the first holiday I had ever spent away from family. Of course the kids kept my spirits up but it was still different. BUT this year we are getting ready for our road trip to Texas and I am super excited. We are taking the kids out of school for an extra week and we are going to have a blast!!

The kids had a great weekend. They were so excited to wear their costumes to school on Friday. Merci was a candy corn witch, Andrew was Buzz, and Sophia was a pirate. I went to Andrew's Halloween party Friday morning but after 10 minutes ended up in the car with Sophia. She was terrified of the teachers dressed up as crayons. She. Freaked. Out. Like she was shaking. I felt sorry for her because she was so scared and sorry for Andrew because I couldn't stay with him. But he still had a blast. Friday evening Merci went to her friends Halloween party and stayed the night. We signed Andrew up for t-ball. He was beyond excited. He was sure to tell the ladies his dad knows everything about baseball. So cute. I will miss watching him play soccer but so excited that he is wanting to try new things. Merci is doing soccer again, she really likes it.

Saturday morning Andrew had a game at 9. However, it was raining pretty hard at 7:30 and still at 8:30 but the game was not cancelled. When we got to the fields it had let up a lot but there was hardly anyone there. Four of our players showed up and we combined some boys from other teams so they got to play and did great. Andrew made two goals and loved getting dirty.

By the time Merci's game came along at 1:15, it was perfect weather. They played a team they beat before and the girls were certain they would beat them again. Nope. The team got revenge and won 3-0. Ouch. The girls were upset and surprised. But that isn't the worst part of the game. Sophia was running to the field and when I picked her up she screamed. Not just a regular mad scream. But a horrific, painful scream. Why? Because a bee stung her ear. It was terrible. Parents came running to her while I held her. They got the stinger out and we put ice on it. As soon as a mom offered her M&M's she was so over it. Her ear swelled up pretty big and was bright red. She is fine now, thank goodness.

Yesterday we went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. Andrew and Merci were pros but it took Sophia a while to warm up. But once she did, she was on fire. They had a blast and good memories were made. So glad Juan is home so we can share the memories together. I can't imagine what he felt last year going through all of the holidays without us. Pray for all of our troops sacrificing for our country. What wonderful men and women.

Well, Hmmm...

Well, here is the soccer game break down for past Saturday's games: Andrew played first. He did really well. Two goals. No injuries. Loved his snack. Too bad they don't keep score at this age, his team has played fantastic. And Andrew knows it. He will tell anyone willing to listen to him exactly how many goals he made. And if he didn't make any in a game he will tell them exactly how he set up goals for his team. It's really cute.

Now for Merci's game, the game that meant a lot. They played great. They really, really did. But lost, 3-0. It was crushing for them. The score at half time was 0-0 which meant for all that time they played an amazing defense. The team they played is undefeated so that was a big deal. So, to say the least, they were upset. But it is okay. I think as crushed as they were it was a good life lesson for them, Merci at least. It gave me an opportunity to talk to her about winning and loosing. Being respectful, a good sport. And about taking pride in her accomplishments while recognizing what needs improvement. As soon as I mentioned we were going to Buffalo Wild Wings, she was so over it.

We went home and picked Juan up and headed to lunch. It was a lot of fun to sit down and relax. After lunch we headed to the pumpkin patch. I remember going last year with my friend Ashley and it was burning up. This year it was really cold. Sophia is old enough now to really enjoy seeing everything. She loved, I mean LOVED the petting zoo. She would not leave a particular goat alone. She chased it all over the place, hugged it, kissed it(ewwww). We drug her away to head to the pig races. It was so fun! Andrew and Merci rode the ponies, Sophia was too scared of that. And then we waited for an hour to enjoy a 3 minute train ride. And by 3 minutes, I am talking about the time it took to load, ride, and unload. But the kids had a blast. By this point Sophia is filthy and has a dirty diaper, so we leave.

The next day is Juan's birthday and he has to work. Bummer. So we celebrated Saturday night. He had a good time. I got him a new pair of running shoes. Merci got him a book, Andrew got him a flashlight, and Sophia got him a back scratcher. He had a red velvet cupcake and we made hotdogs. I could tell how much it meant to him, that makes me happy:)

The next morning, Sunday was not so good. Andrew was up during the night with croup. Sophia had croup the previous week but it was getting better. Anyways, by 7am he was still having a hard time breathing and Sophia had a lot of green drainage. But most worrisome to me was her finger. Yes, another horrific finger story. A few days earlier while I was taking out my disgusting turkey meatballs from the oven, Sophia touched the oven rack with her pointer finger. OUCH. She cried a few minutes and was fine after we put ice on it. By Saturday she had a blister and by Saturday evening the blister popped. Sunday morning her finger was swollen and it looked gross. From our previous experience with an infected finger, I wasted no time in taking her in. So we went to Urgent Care. The doctor gave her antibiotics and she is doing great! I have finally convinced her to keep her band-aid on so I feel comfortable taking her out in public!

Andrew went to the zoo on Tuesday and I completely overreacted to him being gone. I had every fear about him going on a bus to San Diego and another parent being responsible for him. And the bus didn't get back until 3:45 so it was a long day. He jumped off of the bus like a big boy and ran to me like a little boy. I was so relieved. No more field trips for a while!!

This weekend will be busy for us. We are signing Andrew up for t-ball Friday night. Merci and Andrew have games Saturday. We have church Sunday morning, the fall festival at church and a little trick-or-treating Sunday evening. I can't wait until November, so close to Texas time!!!

It Really IS The Little Things In Life

So, I really don't have too much to update on. The kids are doing great, besides Sophia's runny nose. She runs to me and tells me to "huwy, get the boogies out." Who knew anything related to snot could be so cute?? Today when we went to Target I asked her if she would like to go look at the Halloween stuff. She shook her head no and told me "this baby scared." I love this age.

My title pretty much sums it all up. The last few days have been uneventful but I cherish every moment I am alive and able to see my children grow. They are all three miracles and I feel very lucky and blessed to have them in my life. I love to see their love for the Lord developing more everyday and when complete strangers compliment me on how I am raising them it assures me I really am here for a reason. I have been thinking about my New Year's resolution and one thing on my list is to start enjoying and appreciating simple things and not dwelling on the big negatives.

Happy Wednesday to you all:)

P.S. Merci's team is in 5th place. Good!! BUT on Saturday they are playing the number two team. Her team REALLY needs to win this game. Cross your fingers, toes, braid your hair... whatever needs to be done. I will update after the game!

Wonderful Weekend!!

This weekend was great!!

We started Friday night off by doing crafts for fall. The kids had fun tracing their hands and putting stickers on papers. We ate an awesome fall spice casserole. Well, we thought it was great but the kids ended up eating cereal. Oh well, that's life:) We sipped hot chocolate while watching movies in Sophia's bed. It was so much fun to just relax with the kids. But I think we had a little too much fun because the next morning at exactly 7:28 I went into panic mode. We overslept. This does not happen often, but we were just so tired. Juan was already at work and I was rushing around like a mad woman. Why? Because Merci had to be at the soccer field at 7:30. Yes, I had TWO minutes. Of course it was so unrealistic to get her there at that time but her game did not start until 8:00 so we had time. Merci and Andrew got dressed as fast as they could. I threw on some sweats grabbed Sophia some clothes and ran out of the door. We were at the fields at 8:45, even though none of us were very awake.

I am so thankful we got there in time. Merci's team, Sugar Rush bombed the other team 5-1. Two goals went to Merci. She might have been tired but she played great. After her game we went to the store to get things for the pool party her coach was hosting for the girls doing so great at their games. We rushed through the store like crazy people because we had exactly half an hour to get home and changed for Andrew's game. And we did. We got home, I threw some stuff in the crockpot and got us changed and out of the door. At this point I am feeling like Super Mom. Keep reading, I totally earned the title...

We get to Andrew's game and he is pumped. I get our blanket laid out and Sophia settled down just when the coach lets us know we are on the wrong field. Ugh. So we move. As we are moving, I hear a screaming cry. I didn't have to turn my head, I knew it was Andrew. That is totally a mom thing. He came running to me with a bleeding mouth. Andrew is a dramatic child and it was blood but the way he was crying you would have thought it was gushing out of every body part he had. He bumped into another player and hit his mouth. He was fine, even though I had to threaten him that we were leaving for him to stop crying. He got in the game and did really good. He thinks he made a goal and I don't have the heart to tell him that he didn't. So we will just keep that between us;)

We now had exactly one hour until the pool party started. So what do we do? I get my eyebrows waxed. It was much needed and did not care at this point how long it took. I was getting it done. We went home, I made peanut butter sandwiches and got the rest of the stuff together. We stopped at the gas station to get ice and headed to the party. My plan was to drop Merci and the food off and take the younger two to eat. By the time we got there Sophia was out. I decided to lay her on the couch and let her nap. Andrew was able to borrow a bathing suit and jumped in. Sophia woke up an hour later crying to swim. Being the super mom I am I went to the store to buy her swim diapers, left her shirt on and let her jump in(she borrowed floaties). An hour later it is time to go. Whew. I have made it through half of the day. Our plan was to run to the mall to get jeans, head home to pack and head to San Diego. Juan got us a hotel room on base so we could stay with him and we had a birthday party Sunday morning. Our "quick" trip to the mall turned into two and a half hours. Before you get jealous that I got to shop that long, stop. It was the worst shopping trip of my life. Sophia acted like a mad woman. The worse incident of the adventure, and there were a lot was when we were all crammed into a tiny dressing room while I tried on jeans. I was getting ready to put them on when she slid under the door and took off. Great. No pants on and my two year old was gone. I hurried and got them on, ran out and didn't see her. I turned and she was curled into a ball laughing. AHHHHH. I brought her back in, got dressed and decided on those jeans, I didn't care they weren't my favorite, I HAD to get out of there. Finally we headed home. I packed us all up and we headed out. It was already getting dark but I was excited to go. So we went. I hate driving to San Diego without Juan and it was raining, but we did great. Oh, except for Sophia taking her arms out of her car seat. Gasp. I swear the hairs on my head are turning gray. We finally got to base, rented some movies and ate. The room was really nice and we had good family time. Except for my ticket I found on my car this morning. Since my car is fairly new I have not gotten stickers on it yet.

We went to a birthday party this morning and even though it was rainy and cold, the kids had a blast. We went back to base and went bowling. Sophia won. Weird, I know. We came home, rested and ate dinner. Overall it was a wonderful weekend. I am exhausted but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Here are some funny things the kids have said/done:

Merci: She could not believe teachers got paid. She thought they just did it for fun and went to work after the kids went home.

The other day when she was reading her sewing book she frantically started looking for a pen and paper. I asked her what she was doing and she said the booklet said to take note.

Andrew: He needed to wear red, white and blue to school. Juan picked him out a shirt that had a visible stain. When I pointed it out Juan insisted it wasn't noticeable. When I said it was very noticeable Andrew told Juan " yeah dad, listen to the woman."

Today at the birthday party Andrew looked sad and I took him to the bathroom to see what was wrong. He was staring in the mirror and when I asked him what was wrong he said he looked like such a geek...

Sophia: Hmmmm, she is just a mess!! She decided to color the cabinets and walls upstairs blue for us. How nice of her...

Today when she bowled she would throw her hands in the air and yell "YAY" really loud:)

I could get used to this...

So, we are back. I kept thinking during the game that I couldn't wait to get back and blog. But I realize that I wrote the last blog a little too late, not enough time for my readers to cross their fingers and toes. Yes, Merci's team lost. 6-1. Ouch. But don't you worry. That proud "1" goes to MY daughter. She scored the one and only goal. She is still upset because her time as goalie they scored two goals on her. But hey she got the only ONE goal:) Proud mama, I am. And can you believe the temp was 106? WHOA. I mean I was on the verge of a heat stroke just sitting there and the girls were playing there hearts out. I personally think the game should have been cancelled, but I am only team mom. So, they played. We were all proud that they didn't give up even though they knew the game was lost.

Andrew and Sophia ran around playing with other kids and drinking a lot of water. I kept calling Juan to let him know how the game was going. He hates missing their games. But I try to keep him as up-to-date as I can.

I am excited about possibly keeping up with this blog. We will see how it all goes. Even if noone ever reads it, it feels good to just write, vent, brag...

OK, so blogging isn't my THING....

Ok, I am REALLY bad with updating this thing. Actually, I had forgotten about it. I went to my Facebook page to add my school and saw the link to this. I got super excited and decided I would try to keep up with it now. So, did you catch that school part? Yep, that's right. I got into Texas A &M Commerce. I will be taking classes online to get my degree in Business. I am super excited and feel like I am on the road to success. Ok, maybe not but I feel like I am at least setting a good example for my kids. I will be starting in the spring and so excited!!!!!

I am not going to play catch up on this blog...For two reasons: 1. It would be a book, it has almost been a year since I have last written. 2. If you are a follower of this, chances are you already know everything...through facebook or phone calls. So, no playing catch up here.

Andrew had a soccer game this morning. He didn't make any goals but did so good setting some goals up. This is only the second game in his soccer career he has not scored a goal. Last year he was too excited for his birthday party that he kept running off of the field asking if it were time to go. And this time, well, lets just say a cute little blonde who is in his class was playing on the field next to his. He was fascinated. I mean, a cute girl who he has adored since the first day of class AND she plays soccer. Wow. So to say the least, his mind was not on the game today. But his team won and that's all that matters:)

After the game we went to the mall to get little Sophia some new shoes and then to McDonalds. Now we are getting ready for Merci's game. I will blog about that later tonight. Cross your fingers and toes, they need to win this game!!!

It's Been TOO Long!

Wow, it has been such a long time since I have written on this blog. It is crazy how a mom of three with a deployed husband has little time for things. Let me see if I can play catch up without writing a book...This past summer was spent in Texas for me, Andrew, and Sophia. Where was Merci you ask...in Hawaii!! Yes, lucky girl! She spent a few weeks there with her Granny and Grumpy and now she wants to be stationed there. Me, not so much. Anyways, we all had a good summer but it was good to get back home into our routine. But that "routine" did not last too long...September 23 my love deployed. While he wanted to be in the actual fighting (it's a Marine thing), I was super excited he was on a ship. It really helps a wife sleep better knowing her best friend isn't over "there". It is now January and we are halfway through this. YES! I have to tell myself everyday "you can do this" over and over. And by the grace of God, I have done it. I must also point out that my precious little nephew, Atticus, was born the day he deployed. It was a bitter sweet day. I was so very sad, yet so very happy. I finally got to meet my precious nephew over the Christmas break. It was a long drive to Texas, which I wouldn't have made it through without my wonderful Nana. The stay there was great and my mom endured the trip back with us. We stopped in Tucson to stay the night and I woke up with a horrible stomach virus. It was no fun driving back with that. Sophia got her finger smashed in the bathroom door and I knew it hurt her terribly but thought it would heal just fine. However, a few days ago it started looking very gross and swollen and she started running a temp. That scared me because first thing I thought was infection. So, being the paranoid mommy that I am I took her to the ER. We got there and Sophia had a look on her face like she knew we were there for her and she did not like it. So, they go to take her vitals and she is screaming her head off. Then they pull out the thermometer. I said "I don't think she is old enough to hold that in her mouth." The nurse grinned and said "I know, that is why we are doing it there" (and pointed to her bottom). I wanted to run out of there because I knew how Sophia would act, and I under-estimated her lungs. That girl can scream! Finally, they sent me to the waiting room. I was told I had at least a four hour wait, probably seven. I started questioning why I was there, then I remembered Sophia's temp was 102.4 and she HAD to be seen. Finally, after about two hours, we were called back. The PA looked at it and said she wanted the Dr. to look. He came in and said in the most casual way "we are going to have to remove it." I started sweating and thoughts were swirling. I finally asked if they had to deaden it with a shot and he said yes. I have had stitches and know how that shot feels. It hurts very bad. So, he came in with a few others and I was so dizzy and nervous they had to literally sit me down in a chair. Sophia was screaming, I was crying. They wrapped her in a sheet and the procedure began. I cried and shook. She screamed and screamed. I could not bring myself to look at her. I felt terrible I could not be right there by her. But I just don't do good with those type of things. Juan does great with it. So...she had her nail removed, put on antibiotics and is doing good. She will not keep her bandaid on so that has been our biggest battle. Mom left today and it was very hard. But I have to keep my head up for our kids. And I will. Hopefully I can start writing this everyday to unwind my thoughts and at the same time keep everyone up to date on our lives.