blurry pictures

anyone have any idea why my pictures are coming up so blurry? they don't look like this in my camera or on my computer! any veteran bloggers that can help me?

My little frat boy

I had to add these frat boy pics. Jack needs a hair cut bad but HATES getting it cut so we avoid it as long as we can. We saw this rainbow at the hotel last night. It was a full rainbow, the 1st I've seen in my life. It was so beautiful I could not stop looking at it, but I don't have a wide angle lenses so I could not get the whole thing in the picture.

Goodbye to Allstars

Allstars did not end well. K.K's last tournament was a bummer. She played well with over 20 outs at 1st but the team was way out of their league. We were up against travel teams and A teams and it showed, but we held our own. Jack had a blast with his friends as we sat in Ringgold, GA for 12 hours on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. The girls enjoyed staying over night in a hotel but were in tears over the losses. I am glad it's over, but will miss that team. K.K. said she wanted to try cheerleading again on the way home which sent Eric thru the roof! We are going to try to keep her in softball and switch to another park with better players. She is really good and wants to experience a winning team, so that is our only hope of doing that. She is now in hip-hop dance so were not sure what will be next. She wants to do it all! Jack starts t-ball in the fall. I need a nap just thinking about it!

In the Navy...

We had my niece and nephew over the other day and I dressed them up in Navy gear to get some pictures to send to my brother. Little did I know that Jack would pose like this...

Happy Father's Day!

Today was great. We slept in, relaxed by the pool, and laughed at our kids. Now despite how backwards this may sound, Eric is cooking a big meal for us in the kitchen right now. Seafood extravaganza! I insisted on cooking for him (for once) and I lost that battle. I think that is the last way he would want to spend Father's Day...with me in the kitchen! He's scared of my cooking...with good reason. Let's just say it's a darn good thing I am a woman of this generation. I would have been a complete failure in the 50's. Happy Father's Day to any of my Father's who are reading this. (doubtfully any).....I love you all!

All Stars

Kaitlin made All Stars this summer. Here are a few pics of her in action in her BRIGHTLY colored uniform.

Hawaii

These are some of my favorite pictures/locations. Starting with the top.....this is called the Lion's head mountain. It took my breath away. Next, the waves of North Beach (love the little supergirl running around the beach) During peak season the waves reach 60 feet and only expert surfers are permitted on the beach. Of course, hysterical laughter is next. Monica's visit was so fun. We went to a little outdoor Italian restaraunt and laughed everyone out of the place. People were annoyed. Next, Cindy and I on the boat at the sandbar in the bay near Joe's house. We stayed 6 hours and got sunburned. It was so fun though. Last is the Buddhist temple we visited. The mountains in Hawaii are so beautiful. Everything is surrounded by them. Fun times!

the garden, north beach, joe's house, the bay

Hawaii

I spent the last 7 days of my life trying to figure out a word to describe Oahu, Hawaii. I never did. It is beyond words. Needless to say I had a retartedly amazing time. From start to finish the trip was like a movie script that someone who really loves me (God) wrote just for me to star in. It was perfection. I got to spend 6 days with just my siblings, and about 75 % of that time was in hysterical laughter. The kind of laughter that causes cheek spasms, tears, and possibly cures cancer. My brothers are like Beavis and Butthead. Joe is dry funny, and Scott is comedian funny. Together they are their own reality show. Cindy is funny in a smart-alic, point out the obvious and make people laugh kind of way, and I am just retarded. All 4 of us together.....well, it was a shame there were not cameras. We basically rode around in a car all over the island laughing until we hurt, and stopping off at every single place we could to experience everything we could. Joe is Professor Stuff Knower....we named him while we were there. He knows more stuff than anyone I have ever met. He was an awesome tour guide. After hanging out with him for 6 days I feel like I am a stuff knower myself.
I can't blog about this trip without naming just a few of our adventures.... we layed out and swam on North Beach where Lost is filmed, snorkeled in a bay surrounded by volcanic mountains that is considered a natural preserve, hung out at the famous Waikiki beach, saw a Japanese parade, took a boat out to a mile-wide sandbar, climbed mountains for breathtaking views, visited a Buddhist Temple, toured Pearl Harbor, and ate dinner in a garden that would put the garden of Eden to shame. That sort of scratches the surface, but not really. After my time in paradise I am convinced that there is no more beautiful place on earth.
One of my BFF's from high school, Monica, flew over from the big island, where she lives, to see me and catch up. She and her husband fell so in love with Oahu they have decided to move there. It's just spectacular, if I HAVE to pick a word.
Anyway, I could write a book about what happened to me in that place, but I won't, because no one would laugh at our inside jokes, and no one can really understand what that trip meant to us. I highly doubt that anyone outside of my family would have thought that the Japanese lady at the Starbucks drive through was as funny as we did. And I am positive that no one but my siblings and I would agree with Scott that Hawaii is just not a place for joggers, and laugh hysterically about that statement for 5 days. It was truly a gift from God. I felt undeserving for the 1st few days but over the series of the trip, I realized that I did deserve it...every minute of it. It's good to be back home though. I missed Eric and the kids so much and feel even more blessed to have my life after stepping away from it for 6 days. Being in paradise, ironically, made me realize that I am a really happy and satisfied person. I didn't watch sunsets and sunrises and stare at the ocean wanting for anything or wishing I could change anything. I realized that I am completely happy in all areas of my life. It was weird and wonderful to discover that.
There are 450 pictures in my camera. I have to go buy a new adapter to download them to my computer because I left mine in Hawaii at Joe's house, whom by the way, lives in the most beautiful spot on the island. There was actually a tile mosaic of Joe's view on the wall of a restaurant we ate at.....insane. I will have pictures shortly. Not all of them, just the favorites. Thanks for listening. This was the short version.

good ones

More pics from Eric's party in May....the baby is my nephew, Carson (Eric's brother's son).

2 more days

ONLY 2 MORE DAYS OF SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I can't begin to tell you how happy I am. This year has been such a challenge and it is almost over! I am moving up to 3rd grade next year with my students. It's called "looping". Six of my students will be going to the new local elementary school.... so some changes will occur, but I am happy with the changes. I'll be teaching Reading and Language Arts ONLY. That will be nice. I teach all subjects right now.

I am so excited for this summer. I look forward to being able to spend my days to my family. I also can't wait to finish decorating my house. I leave for Hawaii with my sister in a week so I am so giddy about that! I am leaving my babies with Eric for 6 days!!! It will be great for them to bond without me around but I am going to miss them so much. I cry when I think about it. I feel so empty without them but I know I need this vacation to recharge and spend time with my siblings. My little bro, Joe, lives in Oahu and is flying us (his siblings) out there for the week. He lives on the beach. It's going to be great.

I will most definitely post pictures when I get back. I will be a picture freak the whole vacation! Until then...

onto the thirties.....

lately

Things have been great. Eric's 30th birthday was may 12th so we celebrated last weekend. most of his family (cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents) were there and a few friends. I made the mistake of planning the party on a weekend where a friend's bachelor party was already taken place so most of his friends could not be there. oops! Regardless it was a great time. perhaps the most memorable part of the night was when jack received his new "moniker". We set up a volleyball net in the back yard for both volleyball and badminton. We played a game and Jack was my partner. He was having a hard time hitting the little ball with his mini racket so he started slamming the racket into the ground and grunting in frustration. His temper can be quite entertaining at times. Guerry Madgison was playing with us and his said "Oh My God...it's Jackinroe!" I about fell to the ground in laughter. For anyone who knows tennis, you will also know that one if its legends, John Mackenroe, is famous for losing his temper on the court and throwing his racket in anger. So Jackenroe it is....perfect for my little red headed fire cracker!

Kaitlin has had a fabulous 48 hours! She finished her season as the top player on her softball team and was asked to play for the park's All-Star team. Were in! She also received SEVEN awards on honors day, one being the honor roll for straight A's ALL YEAR! (yes, she is my biological child). On top of all of this, I received her 3rd grade competency test scores back and she blew it out of the water, exceeding in almost all subjects. Today, it all hit me. It's time for a mini-van, a bumper sticker, and a really vein Christmas letter stating how fabulous my children are! WHOOOOOOOO HOOOOOO!

No, really, I never imagined I would produce a child like this. However, I did pray (because my mom told me to) that my children would be better than me in every way. Mission accomplished! I am a very proud mom, but I promise...no bumper stickers.

It's been a great week. Much better than last week. I am still tired and overwhelmed with work but summer is almost here so I can suck it up! When you are a teacher, you are either excited to go to work, or your counting down the days. It all depends on the kids you get. This year, I have a group of boys that takes everything out of me and more. I pray that next year I can get a break from discipline issues and actually get to really teach! We'll see. I have a few pics to share that will come later.....my sister has my camera cord. I do have some pics from the party though...fun times!

If anyone is reading this and can tell me how to connect to your blogs on my page, that would be great!

Kiddos

Here are the latest kid pics. Kaitlin at the talent show and Jack at the park. Good times.

OMG

I can't believe how crazy life is. I have not been home in 7 days except to sleep. My house is trashed, I am way behind at work, and I am too tired to even begin to try to figure out a plan to get thru it all. I am offically OVER this school year and have very different feelings about being a working mother. I love my job but get depressed when I really allow myself to see what having this job does to the dynamic of my life. My kids get the worst of me. I am so tired of kids and whining and neediness by 4 o'clock that I barely have enough patience for a simple conversation. Much less my own kids who have been at school all day and are tired and have many needs as well. I come home to a trashed house everyday ( who has the energy to clean after waking up at 5:30 a.m. and working all day?), kids immediatly spouting off their needs, many chores that need to be done, phone calls to return, emails to respond to, papers to grade, dinner to figure out, kids to bathe, homework to be done, clothes to pick out, softball practices and games....should I go on? .......and somehow I am suppose to smile and be this wonderful mother and wife and act like I can do it all SO well? Betty Crock of **** is who I feel like. Yeah right.

I just want to vent to anyone who is willing to listen and say this......To all the stay at home moms, God bless you! You have the right idea. You have your priorities in line. You are willing to make the sacrafices financially so you can be your best to those who really matter. You get to make scrapbooks for your kids, volunteer in their classrooms, bake cookies for their teachers, and make dinner for your family. You get to tuck your child in at night knowing they did not sit in the after school program after a long, tiring day of school just wishing they were at home with mom. After 2 years of teaching, I have come to the conclusion that this working mother thing is some kind of sick joke. I'm dying here! I had no idea what would happen to me when I got a job. I've aged 5 years in 2 years....that's not good.

On a lighter note, summer is quickly approaching so I will finally be able to spend quality time with my kids. I will finally be able to put them to bed before 10 and feel good about myself as a mother. I will finally be able to THINK past 5 o'clock. I will finally have laundry folded and in place instead of thrown all over the floor in piles. I will finally be able to make phone calls and reconnect with my family and friends. I will be able to really talk to God without falling asleep or forgetting what I was saying in the middle of a prayer. WHOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO! Till then...

Rainy Days....

We had a rainy weekend. We were suppose to go to the Zoo but that didn't work. Eric traded in his sports car for a Hyundai Sonata (sp?) because gas prices are out of control. I am SO proud of him! It was a huge sacrafice and I know it hurt. While he was trading in his car I had my niece and nephew over to play and I got some great pics. Kaitlin and Carsyn dressed up like flower girls. Jack felt left out so he went to dress up too. He came out of his room in old blue sweatpants and a HUGE t shirt and said "these are my cool clothes, I look cool"....he was very proud of his rediculous outfit (not pictured above). Carsyn looked at him, looked at me, and rolled her eyes. She was having a nice day and decided not to hurt his feelings by telling him his outfit was ugly. I was proud of my little princess (she usually tells it like it is). Nothing too exciting happened, but it was so nice to stay inside and clean and watch the kids be kids. I love a good rainy day every once in a while.

Whoops!

Could someone please help me? I can't figure out how to post multiple pictures inside, or below the text box. It's not working when I try.

Let's Play Ball......

We went to the Braves Game today. We were given these SWEET 755 club passes for the whole family, according to Eric's coworker. When we got there we were shunned from the special club and sent to out ACTUAL seats in the handicapped section of the nosebleeds. There was a mix up I guess. Either that or Eric has talked about his us at work and his cowoker thought we needed to be in the hadicapped section. Despite the mix up, we had a blast and got some really cute pictures of the kids.

Oh Dear

This week was typical. Love, laughter, pain, sorrow, no time, frustration, sweet moments, God at work. I can't stop thinking about life though. This week I have been faced with life at its worst and best. I have been inspired by people I know, and brought to tears by strangers. I am one of those people who doesn't just float thru life happy and content. I am always thinking about ways to better myself and my circumstances, but very rarely do I have the courage to actually do what I want at the risk of feeling or sounding selfish. I am annoyingly aware of other peoples sufferings and tend to focus way to much attention on what I can't do about it, when I need to focus on what I AM doing about it. I tend to want to create peace and if that means sacraficing my own happiness so everyone else will be happy, I do it. All women do. But the forces of nature are calling to me, or maybe its the fact that this is the year I will be turning 30, whatever. I have recently come to the frighteneing conclusion that life is insanely short. There is just no logial reason to sit back and make everyone happy but yourself. I am starting to now be aware of what really makes me happy and I am gradually gaining the confidence to vocalize it. I have spent almost 2 years of my life obsessing over being the best teacher and in the mean time have been a less than good mother, wife, and friend. This week was the week for change. God was screaming at me all week. My family comes 1st. My Masters degree can wait. A big house does NOT make you happy, and there is nothing more important than love (I love you Eric). A nice bottle of wine can help, but a long run and a conversation with God can HEAL. There is no way in one blog to explain what happens in a persons life in a week, or even a day. But in all that this week, and every week brings.....I can say that sometimes I just have no words. Sometimes I have too many words. And sometimes I just want to keep everything I have learned to myself, and be so greatful for what I have, what I know, what I will learn, and most of all, for the love that surrounds me when I just can't handle life. After all, life is the business of love. Without it, there would be no point.

The best part of my week was going to the park with my kids. I wish Eric could have been there but work is taking everything out of him. Regardless, it was a brief moment of pure joy to see my precious little babies playing happily in their world. They have no idea how lucky they are to be kids. I attached a few pics from that day. When I look at them I just can't help but to stop and thank God for giving me such amazing joy through them. I wish I had more time to recognize that joy on a daily basis. That is the sadness of every working mother.

I would like to thank all of my MANY parents for coming to Kaitlin's game. I really can't believe how many parents I have. No one should be so lucky to have so many people love them and care for them. Anyway- Kaitlin is SO LUCKY to have so many grandparents support her and fight traffic and busy schedules to watch her play ball.

The start of something new

I decided to ditch myspace because I feel too old to admit I had a page. This seems to be the new way to keep friends and family updated on the latest happenings. So here we are. I am not very good about calling people and keeping people posted about what is going on with the kids so I am hoping this will be my new way of recording all of the sweet, crazy, and halarious moments that keep me going.

As of right now, life is pretty darn good. After many years of struggling in some of the most important areas of life, I am happy to say that Eric and I have found true happiness and we hope to hang on to it as long as God is willing.

The kids are growing up at warp speed. Kaitlin is 9 now and thriving. She was quite a little terror for a while but by the grace of God, has turned into the sweetest most halarious young lady. We share a passion for being silly and laughing at oursleves. She thinks I am funny, so I do everything I can to make her laugh. Jack is Jack. We call him Big Red at school. He is full of life....in the most "red-headed" kind of way. He is super firey and funny and more stubborn than all of the Studdard's combined. Between my completey neurotic and self-depricating nature, Kailtin's drama, Eric's intensity, and Jack's temper, we certainly have a reality T.V existance. (But don't we all?)

For a while I was hesitant to open a blog because I could not justify thinking that we are special enough for our own webpage, but I figured at the very least, this blog would be pure entertainment for myself and my equally insane family to enjoy. For all of you normal families...we are about to give you some great gossip, or laughs, whatever you may choose....if you even read this. I am not one to pretend to be the Brady's. I don't hold back. I love to share stories about how "special" I can be....and I was lucky enough to produce a couple of kids who at times can be quite "special" as well.

Stay tuned...if your bored and need a laugh.