Busted!

Last week I was cleaning out Foster and Caleb's toy box. It blows me away how quickly it gets full. I thought I had a great idea. I gathered up some of the small toys from the bottom of the box that Foster has not played with in months. I put them in a baggie and hid them in my car. I figured when we go out to eat, instead of buying a Happy Meal, I could order off the bargain menu and then pull out one of those toys so he doesn't feel like he is missing out on the prize in the Happy Meal.
Well, this past Sunday was my first chance to "pull one over" on my son. We went to Burger King after church. We ordered a regular meal for he and Caleb to split. I snuck a little dinosaur out of my hidden bag and handed it to Foster. He said, "Oh look, it is just like the one I have at home". I said, "yes" - I was kinda bummed that he even remembered the one that he had from home considering it had been months since he last saw it. Then he piped from the backseat, "look this dinosaur has playdough on it, just like the one I have at home". I was busted!


Top Ten Things I Loved About Being In High School
1. Summer Break. Don't you wish there was still a summer break from your job. I remember actually feeling like I forgot how to write during my summer break because I hadn't picked up a pen in nearly 3 months. Those were the days.
2. Playing Sports. If only we still had people cheering for us in life. Not much beats the feeling of having a crowd screaming your name while you dribble up the court. It wasn't only fun playing sports. It was fun watching sports too and actually knowing everyone on the team.
3. I know this is going to be a shocker....but I kinda miss wearing a uniform. I know that sounds retarded but at least I didn't have to worry about clothes back then. I am not a "normal" girl. I hate to shop. I really don't like spending money on clothes. Maybe that is one of the things that pulled me toward nursing as a profession. I get to wear scrubs. You can't beat working in clothes that are more comfy than PJs.
4. Where did all that energy go? I had so much energy back then. I would go to school all day, leave school and go to basketball or softball practice, then I would go to work until 9:30. After work, I would go home and do homework, go to bed late and then wake up and do it all again. I feel like taking a nap just thinking about that.
5. Friends. I got to spend day after day with my best friends.
6. School Dances. Yes, they were cheesy but you can hardly beat dancing to "I'm Too Sexy"or "Pour Some Sugar On Me" or anything from Aerosmith with all your friends. Although we love to dance, Jason and I have not been dancing in probably 7 or 8 years...probably because now that we are out of high school we realize how dumb we really do look trying to dance.
7. I could eat anything in high school...especially during basketball season. I remember going home with Christy Utter and eating an entire box of Mac-n-Cheese as an after-school SNACK. Gone are those days. Don't get me wrong, I could still eat an entire box as a snack but if I did, I would have to go shopping for a whole new wardrobe and as mentioned above - I hate shopping. You see the dilemma :)
8. Remember when weekends were all about fun, friends and sleep. Not so much these days. Now weekends are full of work. We still try to squeeze in some fun, but life is full of responsibilities now.
9. In high school, I was able to live on the $7.50 per hour that I made at Lot-A-Burger. I actually felt rich on payday. I make quite a bit more than that now and I don't even come close to feeling rich on payday. (I am so thankful for my parents and how they took care of me by giving me a great home to live in, sending me to a great school and taking care of all my needs.)
10. Dating Jason. I am so lucky to have found the love of my life at 15 years old. I got to date Jason for 7 years before we got married. We had a whole lot of fun in those 7 years and have had a lot of fun during the past 11 years of marriage too. I have been with Jason longer than I lived without him. Pretty cool, huh.


Here is a laugh for the road. If you ever do something embarassing or overreact about something, just think about this guy. You will feel much better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-g7_cmFDig

Blessings. Love you all.
Becca

Rain

Caleb is finally walking. It is not all that coordinated but it is fun to see him explore new territory and face new challenges. He and Foster are become more like friends. The other day they were rolling around the floor almost like they were wrestling. Both boys were laughing and having so much fun. I know this is only the beginning, but I am so enjoying seeing them love each other. It is so great to have Jason home and be a complete family again. There really isn't much greater of a sound than hearing your boys laugh uncontrollably as their Dad throws them on the bed. I love it!!!
I have still been overwhelmed by some of the things my friends have been going through lately. I have been wrestling with this over the past couple of weeks. It is so hard to understand why so many bad things happen to people. It is hard for me to handle the feeling of not knowing what to do to help. Several months ago, Jason and I watched a video that shed a lot of light on pain. I found it on-line and wanted to share it with you. It is about 10 minutes. Watch it when you have time...I hope the message grips you the way that it gripped me.
http://www.nooma.com/Shopping/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=270&Mode=WMV&PMID=122

Top Ten Things I Really Really Dislike:
1. Cottage Cheese
2. When people judge other people just because they are different.
3. Dead Batteries in Portable Phones.
4. Speed Traps - especially on Sheridan between 71st and 81st and also on 61st between Sheridan and Memorial. Surely there are more important things than to sit and bust people going a few tiny miles per hour over the speed limit. I only have personal experience at one of these locations :)
5. When people are just plain rude.
6. Short shirts and low cut jeans. Some look too good in it. Others look like a "busted biscuit can" in it. Either way, seriously, cover up!
7. Kids getting picked on. You all just may as well start praying now for my boys. I don't know if I will be able to handle it if they get picked on in school or worse...if I find out they are the ones picking on others.
8. Rules that are unfair or when people bend the rules to win.
9. Having to work every weekend when I would rather just play and be with my family. I really do have a great job but that is a bummer about it.
10 The third octave of Caleb's scream. The first octave is fine...it just means that he is upset because he is hungry or tired. The second octave is when he is hurt and needs some love. The third and dreaded octave is when he wants his @$#@# way, right $@#@ now. This is when he needs a time out.

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment from the Tulsa State Fair this year. We went with our friends Heather and Ashton. It was exhausting, but we had a blast.

Love to all.

Until next time, Becca

Don't Walk Alone

I am so often overwhelmed by how much pain is around me. With my job as a Hospice Nurse, I see pain every day that I work...but it is not just that. Some of my closest friends are going through some really really tough times. One is going through a separation with her husband, another lost her husband of nearly 20 years at the age of 42 - she is left with 11 children as a single parent, another friend's dad's new wife just found out that she has cancer, another is facing infertility. It doesn't take long to see pain. I found myself this week praying for my friends and it hit me that no matter how badly I want to help take away their pain; there is nothing I can do. I don't want my friends to hurt. I don't want them to feel lonely or inadequate. I don't want them to lose hope and have fear...but there are no words I can say or actions I can do to take this all away from them. The only thing other than be there for them as a shoulder to cry on or someone to lean on, is to pray. Over a year ago, I traveled to Guatemala on a medical mission trip. Through the help of a translator we had the opportunity to tell so many precious hurting people that the God who set this World in motion loved them. He not only loved them, he cared about their pain and their heartache. He knew them and wanted to be there for them if only they would let Him. I guess I don't need a translator this time to say the same thing to all who read this blog. Don't walk through the pain alone and for heaven's sake, when you are walking through a pile of crap, don't stop - keep walking. It will get better.

Top Five Things I Learned When My Husband Was Out of Town for Two Weeks:
1) Single Moms must have superpower strength to not pull every last hair out of their heads by the end of the day.
2) I have great friends. So many people offered to help and were there for me when I was either overwhelmed or lonely. A special thank you to Deanna and Evan for having us over, Heather and Ashton helping keep the boys entertained, my parents for letting us stay with them on the weekends while I worked (Foster actually slept between them in their bed at night) and of course Kelly for keeping me company and saving me from losing my mind :)
3) My husband is what holds me together. He is my best friend. He makes me laugh and listens to me and he gives me the alone time that I need in order to maintain.
4) I feel that you could work a 16 hour day just trying to keep the house clean and the kids happy and still have a week's worth of work to do at the end of each day.
5) Foster and Caleb really really really love their Daddy...not that I doubted it, but it was so fun to see them reunite. Caleb wouldn't let go of Jason. He just laid on his chest. I knew that he missed Jason because every man that would come within a few feet of him, he lunged toward. He just missed being tossed around and snuggled by his Dad. Foster couldn't wait to be thrown on the bed by Jason; that was the first thing he asked Jason to do.

I know I pooted out by only doing a Top 5 instead of a Top 10. I am ready for some sleep. Sorry no pictures this week. I don't have any new ones downloaded yet.
Have a great week.
Love you all.
Becca