Year in Review 2013

We are a boring people, but this year, we had some exciting changes.  The two most notable were Austin going into middle school and I got a new job in October where I feel much safer.  Overall, 2013 was a pretty good year.

Preparing for 2014 has been very stressful.  Mom has some medical issues again and is in need of at least two surgeries.  I am being taken back to court again on Jan. 7 because David is trying to reduce his child support again.  I have a lot of dental issues and poor insurance.  It is trying already so please keep my family and I in your prayers.

I have two resolutions for 2014.  1) to be a more Christ centered person and 2) to get healthy.  Both seem like massive undertakings, but I just HAVE to do both.  My spiritual and physical life depends on them.

The Christmas season

Well, I wasn't really feeling the Christmas season like I do most years.  I did manage to get up a tree and listen to holiday music hoping that it would put me in the Christmas spirit.  But it never really came until today.  I really miss going to advent services at church.  They used to be my favorite services, but now since the new pastor has taken over, he puts all of the church/school programs during the services and the church is too crowded to see anything.  I am also getting a little meaner than I used to be and feel like an old cranky lady when I go to crowded stores.  One day, I felt the urge to barrel my cart down the aisle regardless of who was in the way.  Fortunately, I decided against that.  Anyway, yesterday Austin went with David for a Christmas Eve party and it allowed me some much needed time without him.  I hung out at mom and dad's house for a bit and just relaxed.  Today, Austin opened presents at home.  Then we went to mom and dad's house and then to Aunt Kathy and Uncle Dennis' house to see their new addition.  Below are some pictures from the season.

Austin and Grandma Bev making peanut butter fudge! Yum!

Tasting the fudge when finished.

This year we got a real tree from a tree farm.  Dad cut it down for us and set it up at the house for me.  After I got the lights on it, the cats took up residence underneath.  Blu had a little trouble staying out of it and became familiar with the squirt bottle.

Tree with lights - fully decorated.

Our stockings - Monica, Lilly, Blu, and Austin.

Austin loves Minecraft still and his minecraft skin is a pig dressed as superman.  I found a stuffed minecraft pig by chance at Walgreens.  I never thought I would see him so happy about another stuffed animal.  just like his care bears when he was a toddler :)

Austin opening presents

Austin trying out his new cooling memory foam pillow.  He also got a chillow (as seen on t.v.) as a back up.

Opening the stockings

Lilly found herself a fort in the wrapping paper.  And...she got caught up in the rainbow loom craze.

Christmas day at mom and dad's house.

Austin and Paige opening presents

Miss Brinley thought that people were given the wrong gifts and exchanged everyone's gifts with one another.  She really thought I should have her rubber ducky.  Maybe she knows how much I like hot baths ;)

My sweet Cadence...Doesn't she look like a Disney princess in this picture.  I think she does.

Finally, the upstairs party room in Kathy and Dennis' addition.  It was absolutely beautiful.  When we drove up, I didn't even recognize the house.  It looks so different.

blah

I'm feeling sad and lonely and unloved.  Poor me :(

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Austin and I went up to Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Joe's church for Thanksgiving as has been the Ahrens family tradition for the last several years.  Lots of good food and visiting loved ones.  I did miss my antie Barbara and uncle Francie, but hopefully they will be able to come home soon.  Below is a picture of the Ahrens cousins.  They aren't always all together every year so it's nice to get pictures of them when we can.  Krista (as always) did a wonderful job on the photo.

Top from left: Austin, Katelynn, Paige. Bottom row: Brock, Cady, Brinley, Adrienne, and Bella

What fine young ladies and gentlemen!

my impulse purchase

So I was at Petsmart last weekend and saw three animals that I fell in love with.  The first was a three year old shih Tzu.  she was kind of in rough shape and had a medical history.  I decided that although I would love another shih Tzu, I cannot have another medically needy pet right now.  Even though I know you always take that chance.  The next was a black lab puppy named Maggie.  I thought it was fate because of the name.  She loved Austin and would move closer to him every time he stopped petting her.  The lady said that she was the babied one in the litter.  Alas, black lab puppies get to be black lab dogs.  I know they have wonderful personalities, but our house is just so little for a big dog.  So we moved on.  I had no intentions of getting a cat that day, but when I saw Blu. she was just beautiful.  We think she is a Russian Blue cat.  She is little for three months old.  Of course, we went at the end of the day when she was worn out so all I knew was that she was purring and cuddly.  So, Austin and I were hooked.  She has been one pain in the patoot since she has been here.  She makes Lily look like an angel.  She aggrevates poor Lily to no end.  I think they are finally getting used to each other.  Lily has started eating again so that is a good thing.  Austin wanted to keep the name Blu so we call her Baby Blu (the Baby is in memory of our sweet Baby dog who passed earlier this year).

The sickness is a comin'

I guess a more appropriate thing to say is the sickness is already here.  I have been sick for about five days now.  I have a sore throat, earache and just general icky feeling (no fever).  I don't even know who to blame this time.  It could be that I get sick every November and so it was just bound to happen.  It could also be that I have started working in a new germ pool and my immune system hasn't had time to adjust.  Or, it could be that I spent time last weekend with some sick members of the Podstawa clan, and Highland has some nasty vicious germs.  I'll think about who I want to blame for a while :)  Today, Austin woke up coughing and sneezing.  He stayed home from school because he felt sick at his stomach.  So he stayed with Grandma Bev and Grandpa Ger.  He took a nap because he was bored (I think it may have been because he was sick) and then went to bed tonight at 7:30 on his own.  He didn't eat anything almost all day.  I feel so bad for Austin when he feels sick, but its even worse when I feel like crud too :(

Austin's Birthday

Today we celebrate the birthday of my precious boy, Austin.  I just don’t know where the time has gone.  He makes me crazy and happy all at the same time.  I sure don’t know what I would do without him.  I thought I would do a slightly different take on the birthday interview this year.  I am going to put the questions, along with my answers (in blue, then below, I will put what his actual answers were.

1.      What is your favorite color? Teal. Aqua
2.      What is your favorite toy? 3DS. ipad
3.      What is your favorite fruit? Pomegranate. watermelon
4.      What is your favorite tv show or movie? He will say Dr. Who, but the real answer is either Jessie or Shake It Up. Percy Jackson
5.      What is your favorite thing to each for lunch or dinner? Banquet dinners. Grilled cheese
6.      Favorite restaurant? IHOP. IHOP
7.      What is your favorite game? Baseball. Minecraft
8.      What is your favorite snack? Goldfish. Goldfish
9.      What is your favorite animal? Panda, but he might say dog. Dog
10.   What is your favorite book? This one is tough since he doesn’t really read, but…Percy Jackson? Hunger Games
11.   Who is your best friend? Henry. Henry and Charlie
12.   What is your favorite cereal? Trix. Trix
13.   What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride bikes. Baseball
14.   What is your favorite drink? Mountain Dew. soda
15.   What is your favorite holiday? Christmas. Christmas
16.   What do you want to be when you grow up? He will say he doesn’t know. Electrician
17.   I am very proud because? I am good at sports. I’m awesome.
18.   I am afraid to…jump off a cliff
19.   Describe what it means to be a good friend. I would help all of my friends on Minecraft and I would invite them over. Say hi and not be a jerk
20.   I wish there were a law that said…kids don’t have to go to school. Sixth graders could have a job.
21.   What makes you feel happy?  Hugging the dogs and cat. When parents say good job on grades and stuff
22.   Pretend that you can fly whenever you wanted.  Where would you go? Paris. China
23.   Where do you want to go on vacation? Hawaii. California
24.   One word to describe you would be…awesome. awesome
25.   Why do you like being a kid? I don’t. cause I don’t have to go to work.
26.   What advice would you give your parents? Don’t yell. Be nice
27.   If you could be any animal, which one would you be and why? Panda, because they are awesome. Dog because I could run around all day and be lazy.
28.   What do you think makes a person good looking? Long blond hair and tall. Comb their hair. (apparently his standards have dropped a little )
29.   What is your favorite song? Radioactive. What does the fox say.
30.   Who is your favorite teacher? Mr. Canada from last year. Mr. Canada

A pictoral year in review

Austin's first day of school

Austin and Cady's birthday party

airplane trip to NY

basketball

fishing at the lake

lunch at IHOP

Austin and Ashley found some random lobsterman in Maine

The Farmer in the Dell

As you may have heard, I have left St. Louis Public Schools for greener pastures (almost literally).  I am now a school psychologist for a small rural special education district in southern Illinois.  The two districts I am assigned to are very small towns and are located away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  One of my elementary schools is a brand new building, and has giant windows all around the school.  While my office does not have any windows, I leave my office door open so that I can see out the windows of the art and band rooms.  Now that the crops have been harvested, I can see a horse pasture on the other side of the field.  It is such a beautiful and serene picture to see the horses running.  All of my schools have been very accommodating to me as well.  I am so happy that I made the switch.  It was really a serendipitous event that I got this job.  David told me several months ago that he was going to lose insurance on Austin in November sometime and that he would no longer be paying for his insurance.  To put Austin on my insurance would have cost about $500 per month which was not something I was not financially able to do.  So as the date loomed closer, I started looking for a new job that paid more money.  I mentioned to my mom that I was applying for a couple of jobs.  Within two days, there was an article in one of the small town papers that my dad reads about the school psychologist before me resigning.  I applied and the very next day got a call from the director.  Within a few weeks I was hired and started on Oct. 1.  It has been an adjustment and I still have a lot to remember and learn because I only worked in Illinois one year and that was nine years ago.  I miss my old colleagues in StL, but I am really enjoying getting to know everyone at my new district too.  I hope this will continue to be a positive experience.  And who knows, maybe I will meet a farmer in the dell to marry J

This is the brand new elementary school with lots of windows.

 

This is a close-up of the horses.  I took this picture from the parking lot so it is not the exact view from my office.

Lilly Vanilly

Austin's cat Lilly has come to live with us now for the last few weeks.  I have never considered myself a cat person (but I didn't dislike them either) but I couldn't let his dad give the cat away (Austin would have been heartbroken).  Anyway, it has taken some time to get used to her and I'm still not sure that I will develop a fondness for her, but I guess time will tell.  I know all of the things I am going to mention are typical cat things, but they drive me crazy. 

1. she weaves in front of my feet
2. she shreds any paper product of any kind that is within her view
3. she knocks everything over (including the floor lamps (see picture below)

4. she attempts to use the litterbox while I am cleaning it out.  I have had to start closing the door.
5. she runs and runs and runs in the middle of the night.

Still when she is laying down, resting, she just looks so sweet.  Austin has nicknamed her Fluffy, while I prefer lilly vanilly (instead of milli vanilli sp?) and kitty rukspin.

Austin and Lilly

Lilly and her favorite daytime activity

lilly playing the the crochet mouse that grandma bev made for her

Austin and Lilly taking a nap together

My Halloween Treat       

I got a Halloween treat this year that was better than candy.  As Austin climbs up in age, he is naturally becoming more independent from me and wants less and less to do with “kiddie” things that he deems are beneath his age and coolness.  He has not been trick-or-treating since third grade.  But…this year, after consulting with some of his friends (of course), he determined that trick or treating was appropriate for one more year.  But, he assured me that this would be the last year (much to my dismay).  So, we looked online and debated about costumes for what seemed like forever and finally concluded that a zombie hunter was still sort of gruesome, but mom friendly enough.  Those of you who know me, know that I despise all things scary and therefore will not allow any costumes that will creep me out.  I tried my hardest to get him to do a funny costume, like Mario or Steve from Minecraft, but my attempts were to no avail.  Oh well, at least I get a couple of pictures to remember his very last year of trick or treating.  (Except that he isn’t going with me so I only get pictures before he goes to his friends house).

Volleyball 2013

So boys volleyball season is here again and Austin is super excited. His team had their first game yesterday and they won!!! The teams seem to be pretty well matched this year so the games should be exciting.  Their first practice was last Wednesday.  Austin told me that the team color is silver, but the uniforms wouldn't be there until Saturday. So, on Saturday I had Austin put on his orange uniform from last year, thinking that he would just change into the new uniform when we got to the game.  One after another kids on his team walked in with gray shirts on (not uniforms, but gray shorts). After about the fourth kid, I realized that this must be more than a coincidence.  So, I asked another parent, who told me that the coach told them to wear gray because the shirts would not be ready until next week.  Such is the life of a parent who has a child with adhd. I look like an idiot, but what's new.  On a separate note, Austin did awesome.  His serves are so powerful this year and he did pretty well returning the ball as well.  Definitely a major improvement from last year.

Middle School Mama

I am now the proud mother of a middle school boy.  For weeks I stressed about the changes that my little boy would experience.  For the first time he would enter a school that is far bigger than any he had been to before.  He would have to change classes and follow a different schedule than all of his friends.  While planners have always been used, he would need to be more responsible for writing in his planner and scheduling when he does his projects.  He is also riding the bus for the first time ever.  I could tell that he was nervous, but excited too.  We took a tour of the school, walked his schedule and bought all of the required materials. 

I rearranged my work schedule so I could make sure he gets most of the way ready before I have to leave for work in the morning.  Anyway, he started school last week.  He got ready with no arguments and waited outside for twenty minutes before walking to the bus stop.  My mom made sure he got on and off of the bus that first day because Austin asked her to.  He called me to tell me about his day.  It was the first time ever that he ever said more than "fine" when I asked about his day.  All of that worrying for nothing.  My baby is growing up and it's a little sad but I'm so proud.

I still worry about many things such as will he make new good friends and get good grades and make good choices. But I guess that that worry as a parent never goes away.

The Winds

Last night bad weather came through the area.  Because I am a little bit of a baby, I stayed at my mom and dad's house.  I have never really liked storms.  The tornado sirens went off and we went downstairs.  No power loss or anything at their house.  I went home around 11:30 to see one of my trees split in two.  The neighbor came over and said that power had just come back on after being off all night.  I'm lucky I guess because much of the town is still without power tonight.  It took four hours today to clean up the one tree.  I am so thankful to dad and my brother-in-law Jason who helped cut the tree limbs and take the rest of the tree down.  I am also thankful that the tree didn't fall the other way and crash into the carport. 

before the cleanup

 after dad and Jason worked their magic.

Luckily the city said they would come and pick up all of the cut limbs since it was due to storm damage.  I would have hated to pay someone to do it after all that work.

Crazy with a capital C!

For those of you have not heard, I have another crazy David story.  It just amazes me how I still have to clean up his messes 6 years after our divorce.  Anyway, Austin had a baseball game last Wednesday.  I left early.  I got a call from David at about 10:15 that night, so imagined it wasn't a good sign.  Well David admitted to having a verbal altercation with the coach and he threatened them.  At 10:30 I got a call from a local number that I did not recognize.  My thought is that it must be the coach.  I was slightly put off by the fact that he would call so late, but answered the phone anyway. Was it the coach, you may ask? No, it in fact was not the coach, but the village police calling for David.  His number had been recently disconnected and they needed the new one.  After telling that I was not his girlfriend, but in fact his ex-wife, they asked if he had a temper.  At 11:00 David called back, yelling some more.  The next day David called, ticked off that I had given the police his phone number and that I said he had a temper.  Like I'm going to lie to the police for that crazy cakes.  Anyway...the saga continues.  I got a call that night from the head of the title league trying to reach David.  They told me that they had to consider whether or not Austin could play anymore.  So, I'm upset and Austin is upset and David still denies any wrongdoing in this mess.  Now he is telling people that the coach is on drugs.  When will this craziness end.  I swear, you make one bad decision and it screws you up for the rest of your life.  At least this story has an okay ending.  Austin still gets to play.  Now if the coach will play him...I guess we shall see.

Relaxation needed

I need to find a way to chill out.  I have been going a little crazy over some really small things lately.  To illustrate and give everyone how nutty I am I will share a short story.  Last Wednesday Austin did a fabulour job pitching in his baseball game.  He struck out five of the six batters he faced, and no one got on base.  He was really awesome.  Today, he had a totally different experience.  He walked some batters, people hit his pitches and he even hit a batter.  You could see the poor boy crumbling throughout the rest of the game...in the field and at bat.  After the game, I just haven't been able to move on.  My thoughts just keep turning to him.  So, I try to engage myself in some mindless activities.  So far today I have cried at three movies and one commercial and one time during while playing a game.  I am definitely losing it.  I have decided that I must find some way to chill out and relax before I become te crazy lady on the street walking up and scaring people. Sigh...

The Bad Day

I realize that in my age, I have become a somewhat negative person, but most days are not quite as bad as yesterday.  First, I spilled an entire 32 glass of water in one of my test kits so all of the pages in both books are soaked and it is difficult to turn the pages because it's still damp today.  Later in the day, my bag, carrying my computer broke, allowing my computer to slide down a flight of stairs.  (The silver lining in this was that the computer still seems to work).  Then when I got home, Austin told me that my teeth are yellow.  While it's true, it was not a nice suprise to get that sprung on me out of the blue. 

Fortunately, today was a better day :)

SNOW DAY!!!

I thought that we would make it through the school year without a snow day and was getting pretty excited about being out of school before Memorial Day.  However, as this year has been so much busier and more stressful than ever before, I was extatic when I heard that today will be a snow day.  So now, what to do on this wonderful snow day.  Well...I have done and load of dishes and picked up the living room.  Next, I plan on spending a good amount of time playing on pinterest.  Then, alas, I must work on the endless reports I have to write for work.  So sad.  I'm happy to have a job in this difficult market, but I sure will be glad when summer is here.

1999

While I try to get gasoline in Missouri because its so much cheaper, I let it get way too low so I had to fill up a little at a station in illinois tonight.  So, I pulled up to the pump with the intent of spending $20.  When I stopped fueling, my total was 19.99. So because I am the tiniest bit immature I start singing the song 1999. When I got back in the car and started it, the very next song that came on the radio was 1999.  How weird is that? Maybe it has some meaning, like some special positive thing will happen to me soon.  While its nit likely, I can always dream.

The sickness

Well for those of you that may not know, our home has been bursting with germs since the beginning of the new year.  A few weeks back on jan. 16 Austin came home from school complaining of pain in his stomach and back.  Sure enough, he had a fever.  Because his fever hadn't broken by Saturday, I took him to Walgreens clinic to see if it was the flu.  The lady we saw said there was no need to yet for the flu because he was past the time to get the new flu medicine anyway.  But, she said he did have allergies and gave him some Flonase.  Because his fever kept going up, we took him to the doctor on Tuesday and found out that he had pneumonia.  He was out of school for the rest of the week.  He just went back to school last Monday after being out since  the 16th.  Finally, he is feeling better and will even go to his next basketball game.

While I considering myself to be lucky not to have gotten sick while Austin was so sic, it has finally got me.  I got sick Tuesday night and missed work wed, thurs, and went home early on Friday.  My doctor said that I have tonsillitis and a UTI.  I seem to be a bit better today.  On a good note, my blood pressure medicine was changed and it is better than it has ever been. After a year of experimenting, it looks like we finally got the right med. :)