Don't read if you don't like stories about puke! :)

Let’s see…Stevi requested a throw up story and oh how there are always so many to tell. I figured people are tired of hearing about the bodily functions of my boys since they are gross. Maybe I was wrong! Ha Ha! Well Stevi here you go –

Last week I took off work for Nolan’s first day of summer. It was a busy day because while having fun was top priority so was finding outfits for our family portraits that were scheduled for Sunday morning. I decided to coax the boys out to the mall by promising Chick-Fil-A for breakfast. We got dressed and were out the door by 8:45am! I figured if I could get my shopping out of the way early we would have plenty of time for some fun in the afternoon. Since I am typically working M-F I had no idea that all the stores in the mall didn’t even open until 10. Ugh! We ate breakfast (luckily the food court was open!) and then headed down the play area to kill time. I think that actually worked to my advantage because an hour later when it was time to shop the boys had already had their share of running and jumping. The boys were great while we were shopping. I was shocked! (A few weeks ago we went to the Hulen mall; Hudson was AWFUL! Running through racks, throwing fits, not holding our hand – seriously, it was out of control and we left within 10 minutes. It’s so hard because he is at the age where he will not get in a stroller anymore unless I force him and he screams until we leave the store. I have tried everything – threats, treats, time outs. He is nothing like Nolan was at that age. He knows Nolan isn’t confined so why should he have to be? Ugh.) Anyways, my secret weapon this time was the hermit crabs. There is a store that sells them and Nolan always wants to go see them. The deal was – IF you are both good, then we can go see them AFTER we find clothes. I also broke down and rented one of those car strollers from the mall – I hate them!
1. They are trashy to me.
2. They probably have a million germs on them.
3. They are FIVE BUCKS to rent!
Isn’t that crazy? Who knew? Well all I have to say is that was the best $5 I have ever spent! Since it was in the shape of a car – Hud hopped right in and was all about it. An hour later when he was over it and wanted out I would just remind him that if he got out that Nolan could get in and “drive it” – well he was not going to let that happen so he stayed firmly planted in the seat for 2 straight hours! CRAZY! We went in and out of every single store that sells children’s clothes and then it was hermit crab time!

We went into the store and Hudson wanted to stand on the stool next to the crab tank so that he could see them better. I unbuckled put him up there and within about 20 seconds he puked. Those tanks have about 50 crabs, all kinds of extra painted shells, sand and water filled sea sponges. I have no idea what smell set him off but it happened so fast I was completely caught off guard. I had to run to the clerk and ask for paper towels, clean up the mess, clean up Hudson and then leave the mall with two crying kids. Nolan was crying because he barely got to the see them, Hudson kept screaming “I’m better now!” like I was some crazy abusive mother who had just beat him over his behavior or something. I was SO embarrassed and of course their screaming didn’t help anything. I had such high hopes after how well the day started out. Once that fiasco happened, it was hard to recover. We met Christi and the kids for lunch which went okay. (I did have to take Hud into the bathroom once to talk about his behavior.) Then we went ran into Marshalls for just a “quick” look. Bad move! Nolan was begging for every crap toy we passed and I made Hud get in the buggy which then made him throw a fit for the rest of the shopping experience! Of course I found a shirt that was perfect for our family portraits so I had to stand in the LONG check-out line and torture the entire store. After that day, I swore to myself that if I ever see a mom in that position I am going to let her cut in front of me. I mean really, was it worth it for all those people to not just let me cut and get the hell out, instead of standing in that line for 15 minutes with a blood curdling screamer? We checked out and went straight home for naps!! When they woke, up my angels had returned and we were able to have a fun afternoon of just playing and doing kid stuff. I guess that was a fair trade. All and all it was a good day – just a typical day in the life of the Mays’.

If you were wondering where else Hudson has recently puked…..walking into Discount Tire (I guess the smell of rubber grossed him out?), walking into Petco (pet smells get him everytime), in MiMi’s brand new car (while throwing a huge fit about a toy), the bathroom (when he smelt his own poop! who does that?), walking into my grandma’s house (she was baking bread). I think that covers the past few weeks.

Nolan at six years old!

This has been a very big year for Nolan. He has grown up SO much during this first year of school! He is much calmer and more mature than he was at this same time last year. He is reading, writing and pretty good at basic addition and subtraction. He received an award from Mrs. Maurer for being the “Best Lego Builder” in the class on the last day of school. He has become more patient and now seems to have a much longer attention span. School changes kids for better and for worse in so many ways – some of that sweet innocence in gone because he has now been exposed to “bad” words and behavior. He comes from a loving home where there is no heart-ache, no violence, no prejudice. Nolan didn’t know about teasing or being left out or making the cut. As a parent you think that you are teaching your child everything and building their self-esteem; but in some ways you are setting them up to be disappointed in the world. Now Nolan knows a little about some of the hard things in life and that has changed who he is as a person. I know he needs to learn about the real world but it’s so hard to let him go and to let him experience it all. It’s our job now to help him through it all and teach him the right way to deal with failure and hardships just as we teach him about how to handle success and hard work. Like I said, it’s been a big year for Nolan. (and quite obviously for us too!)

Nolan is still very serious about most things but definitely has the “silly” school kid thing figured out too! He is over tractors and John Deere and now thinks that they are for babies. He says that he is going to be a Monster Truck driver when he grows up. His favorite color is orange. I think he would play video games every second of every day if we would let him - too bad for him, he has a momma that is not about it! I think it’s fine to play it a little but it’s definitely not something that is going to happen everyday at the Mays’.

Things Nolan Loves:
Playing outside
Video games
Building Legos with Daddy
Playing with army men
Swimming
Music – Justin Beber/Michael Jackson/Silver Sun Pick-ups/Sugarland/Jurassic 5 – the kid likes all types of music even indie rock…hilarious that he dead serious knows what that means!
Going on walks or hikes
Reading and books
Going fishing with PaPa
Playing with Brennan or Adam
Bedtime songs that I must sing every night - You are my Sunshine, Itsy-Bitsy Spider, Hagolena-Magolena and Mini Cooper (the same songs for the past 4 years)
Sleeping with his George
Going on “Road Trips”
Chick-Fil-A, BBQ and Tomato Basil Soup

Things Nolan Hates:
Bedtime
Getting in trouble at school (he is so hard on himself)
Green Veggies and most sweets
Babies that drool or toddlers with messy hands or faces
“Baby” shows or “Baby” songs – he is WAY too big boy for those things now
Having his picture taken (Poor me!)
Protecting his things from Hudson (like his Lego masterpieces)

Nolan's Last Few Weeks of Kindergarten

The last few weeks of school were very very busy for Nolan. He had Field Day, Inflatables Day, Records Day, “End of the Year” Awards Assembly, and of course an “End of the Year” Party. It was seriously out of control! Between me, Scott, MiMi and Nana we had all the events covered – but seriously – what did all those full time working parents without local grandparents do? Nolan had a wonderful first year of school. I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher for Nolan! Mrs Maurer should be the goal for all of my friends who teach Kindergarten. Truly she is so in control yet so sweet and loving - the perfect balance especially for Kinder. She is a mom of three boys and has been teaching for 20 years! If those two experiences don’t make you the best, I am not sure what else could! I cried Nolan’s last day because I just know how much she has helped shape the future of Nolan’s schooling. She has taught and nourished his love of learning. Last year in pre-k, he had a tough teacher and it was kinda scary going into Kindergarten – his behavior could have gone either way. Thank God for Mrs. Maurer. She totally changed his perception of school and following rules and I will be forever grateful for that. I am so proud of Nolan and the young boy he has become - on to first grade!

I love this excerpt from Robert Fulghum’s book –

All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW about how to live and what to do
and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not
at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the
sandpile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:
Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life - learn some and think some
and draw and paint and sing and dance and play
and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic,
hold hands, and stick together.

Be aware of wonder.
Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup:
The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody
really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even
the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die.
So do we.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books
and the first word you learned - the biggest
word of all - LOOK.



Everything you need to know is in there somewhere.
The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation.
Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Take any of those items and extrapolate it into
sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your
family life or your work or your government or
your world and it holds true and clear and firm.
Think what a better world it would be if
all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about
three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with
our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments
had a basic policy to always put thing back where
they found them and to clean up their own mess.

And it is still true, no matter how old you
are - when you go out into the world, it is best
to hold hands and stick together.

Hudson at 3 Years Old!

Hudson at 3 years old!

Hudson has had a great year and has passed so many milestones – potty training, sleeping in a big boy bed, saying his ABC’s all the way through, counting to 20 in English and 10 in Spanish! He is faster and more athletic than Nolan was at this age; yet still talks so sweet and babyish where Nolan at three was like talking to a 40 year old man! Hudson is independent and self-sufficient about so many things. He doesn’t want our help to do anything! He is the kid that will just get a stool or chair if he can’t reach something, goes potty on his own and tells you about it after, wants to open the pantry and the fridge and get his own snacks or water… hence the lock that is now on our pantry! Ha ha! We have to constantly watch his every move because the child has NO FEAR! He is so sweet to babies and is pretty good at including and playing with smaller kids just as easy as running with the big kids. I love that he is so versatile like that! He has grown in leaps and bounds this year and I somehow feel like the last of “baby” Hudson is almost gone. It makes me so sad and I am thankful for the few babyish things that are left in him!

Things Hudson Loves:
Being naked or as close to it as possible
Anything with a motor – planes, trains and automobiles!
Playing monsters and making scary faces
Animals, especially baby animals.
Anything that is alive (or was alive for that matter!) – including insects, reptiles and fish
Anytime he sees a bug or an animal he has to point it out and say “Awwww” turn his head to the side and say “Look and the baby ____” (fill in the blank) even if it something like a fly or a lizard. It is so sweet!
Taking and breaking Nolan’s things
Curious George
Playing outside – any where, any time
Riding his three wheeled scooter and tricycle
Playing with his trains or with cars on his train table
Fruit and “snacks” of any kind (I swear he’s a carboholic – no meat!)
To be read to and to read the books to us
Bedtime songs that I must sing every night - Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, Beautiful and Mini Cooper
Snuggling in bed with Mommy in the morning while Daddy is getting ready for work

Things Hudson Doesn’t Like:
Being told no – he pretty much is always going to come back and say “Maybe Tomarra?” in his little Texas voice
Having his ears cleaned or nails cut or hair fixed - hates all basic grooming…sorry ladies, this might not be pretty when he’s a man!
Weird or strong smells
Taking medicine
Meat
Shopping carts
Going poop
Being told to come inside
Holding hands in the parking lot

Sometimes you just have to create a random post....

to remember this crap later in life. I sent this in an email to some of my friends but I decided that it needed a place in my blog as well. I have been laughing about it for a few hours. Please read the funniest email I have ever read in my entire life. This is a story about my friend who works with me and her ex-husband who used to work with us at HH too.

Let me give you a little background first. Last summer Brian Koeller went out of town for a week and left his dogs with Jennifer. These were THEIR dogs before they got divorced. She was just as much their owner for like 12 years!! Anyways, while Brian was out of town and the dogs were in Jen’s care, she made plans to go to the lake for one night (it was 4th of July). She lined up Kasey (our co-worker Kathy’s daughter) to pet sit while she was gone. Kathy was visiting family that lived really close to Jen’s apartment so she also checked in on them for the 24 hours that Jen was gone. In fact, Kathy even ended up going above and beyond and spent the night with the dogs because they were so cute and looked so lonely. The dogs were fine – no drama, nothing happened. Jennifer never mentioned that she had left “the boys” in someone else’s care for one day while he was gone. A few weeks later Cheryl (another one of our friends from work) went out with Brian and just happened to say something about Kathy staying overnight with them and he flipped out. He was SO mad at Jennifer. He couldn’t believe that she would up and leave town for a night while she was supposed to be caring for the dogs. It wasn’t even really about the fact that Kathy watched them or anything – he was just horrified that she would choose to do something else when she already has such limited time with them. (Um sir, it was July 4th!) It was hilarious when it all went down last summer because he was such a crazy weirdo over THEIR dogs. Like Jennifer would have ever let something happen to them. Needless to say, Jen has not been asked to watch the dogs since this all happened. Brian is going out of town in a few weeks and I guess he is desperate because he asked her to watch them. She of course said that she would and then she got this email this morning...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: brian@sbcglobal.net
To: jennifer@sbcglobal.net
Sent: Thu, August 5, 2010 6:44:32 AM
Subject: the boys

It feels like this time I need to have all the bases covered before I leave. I
just have a few questions so I can leave my boys with a clear conscience.

Will anyone else be left alone with the boys? Are you throwing any parties or gatherings where people will be drinking or doing drugs and forget there are small animals around? Are you planning on taking them anywhere other than the yard for play, or (God forbid) an emergency vet? Are you planning on taking time off work to be with them? If not, will they be locked up in a kitchen or confined space for more than 12 hours? You mentioned you have a cat, is he/she declawed? If not, has it ever been around a dog before?

I would like to have you come over early on the morning of the 16th to pick one up and I'll follow behind you with the other. How early can you be over here? I'd like to be on the road by about 6 or 6:30. I should be back in town on the 19th by 8pm. I’ll need you to bring one of them to my place.

Finally, please tell me in advance any other special situations arising that haven't been covered in these questions.

Thanks,
Brian
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I should have also explained that these are the most high maintenance dogs ever!! They flip out and quit breathing if you upset them or crate them. So you have to drive with one on your lap. That’s why they have to take one dog in each car. And like Jen wants to get up and come get them at like 5am Monday morning. Um, no sir…how about Sunday evening? She doesn’t give a crap if you don’t want to spend an extra night away from them! Jen just found the instructions that she made up for Kasey when she was going to pet sit for her last summer. Hilarious!! Thought yall might want to read this too...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Teddy & TJ 101

Objective 1 – Keep them alive
Objective 2 – Direct as much pee as possible to a puppy pad or patio (they don’t go outside to pee because of TJ’s allergies)

If TJ is coughing or having trouble breathing, give him ¼ teaspoon of magic elixir (bottle on the counter) with about 1 teaspoon of tuna. Give Teddy a teaspoon of tuna too (minus magic elixir). I left two small bowls on the counter. Even if TJ seems OK I’d highly recommend giving him a dose before bed so he’ll sleep. He can have a does every 4 hours if necessary.

Teddy will sleep in the bed all night, and probably won’t jump down. He’ll wake up around 5ish and will have to pee. If you pick him up and take him right to a puppy pad, he’ll go pee for you. He’ll expect a treat! They expect a treat every time they pee on the pad. You’ll also want to take them to a pad or the patio as soon as you get there. Treats are on the counter too. Break them in half because they don’t have any teeth and can’t chew very well.

They like to go on the patio, but you don’t need to walk them or anything. TJ can’t really go outside this time of year because of his allergies.

They’ll scratch and cry when they want up in the bed or the couch (even though they have stairs). They’ll run when you try to help them up, so you’ll have to try to grab them with both hands before they run. Drives me crazy!!!

They don’t eat much, but their food is on the counter. When you go to bed just take it with down stairs…sometimes they’ll eat right before they go to sleep.

Now, sorry about this, but sometime during the night/morning they manage to poop everywhere, so watch where you step. No one is really sure how so much poop comes out of their little bodies.

If you have any questions you can call me at XXX-XXX-XXXX. Jacob’s phone works better in the boonies so his number is XXX-XXX-XXXX

Have fun!!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And to end this fabulous post I thought I would include a picture of Brian and "the boys". I really think this picture says it all!

Hudson's 3rd Birthday!

Our laptop is broken and currently in the hands of the Fry's warranty people. :( So I haven't had a chance to post about Hudson's special day. I thought i would post a bunch of the pics I took (thank goodness I didn't load them on the computer cause they would have been lost!) I will come back to the this post and write a bit about it later but here are the "must knows" about it... he wanted a swim party, he picked out "under the sea" plates for the party so we made snacks to match the theme, he asked for cupcakes not a big cake, he wanted to play with his friends - I think all of his wishes came true! It was a great day from the early morning present opening to the staying up way past bedtime... and all the friends, family and love sandwiched in the middle!

Lisa's Birthday Happy Hour

I am so late in posting this pics from Lisa's b-day happy hour last month. It was a fun girl night that somehow turned into a complete photo session with props and all - ha ha! Thought I would share some of my faves. It all started because Cheryl has this "signature pose" that she dose where she looks back from over her shoulder for the pic and she said they always come out good because you look thin. We all had to test out the pose and it was hilarious!