Wow...how time flies!!!

Well here it is, April 3rd. The day after my baby boy turned 5. I just can't believe how fast the time goes. I can remember being in the hospital holding him. He's so excited for tomorrow (Saturday). It's his birthday party. We are having it at the Big Bear, it's one of our local ice rink arena's and has a big gym in it as well. We rented the gym and the floor hockey equipment as well as some hula hops and scooter boards for the kids. We also have a pinata and glo sticks for them. I made an awesome batman tower cake for him so he's super excited!! See the pic of my cake below, keep in mind I took it with my cell so the quality is grainy. I will post some better ones after the party on my facebook...


Zack will be in kindergarten next year. It was so surreal while I was in registering him, I kept thinking oh my goodness, my baby is starting school. He's already gone to headstart but still, this will be all day kindergarten. I just can't believe it. He's very excited. We are planning a trip to my sisters in Ohio for Easter weekend, we are also very excited about that. We are talking about going to a Cleveland Indians game...that will be really neat for me since I've never been to one. I am also planning another trip down there in August to bring Zack to Cedar point and of course do some school clothes shopping :)

I am almost all finished up with my classes. I will be done the end of June and will have my associates degree in medical coding and billing. I am pretty sure I'm going to go on for my bachelors but am going to take a much needed summer break to give myself a little rest. It's tough working full time, taking care of Zack and trying to find the time to finish school work. I'm usually up pretty late working on homework. It's ok though, I know it's important for both Zack and myself :-)

I know I don't blog often but will try to from time to time...I'm always reading everyone's blogs, especially my aunties. I LOVE all her "try it" blogs.

February 17th...

Well, today would have been my 8th wedding anniversary. It was funny, I was up most of the night dealing with my son since he was sick. We were exhausted this morning. Once we got up and moving, I had finished a load of laundry and Zack was watching a movie. I decided to jump on the computer to check some of my favorite sites. My mouse flashed across the time and up pops the date...then it dawned on me what today was.

I'm a little sad in a way. I guess I feel like a failure since my marriage didn't work and I very much wanted it to. I sometimes wonder what my "family" would be like today if we were still together. I guess if the past years were any clue, I would have to say it would be very sad and miserable. It's been said that in time people change...I believe that to be semi-true. I feel that YOU choose who and what your going to be. No matter what life deals to you, if your sincere in your beliefs then that is what your life is going to be. I've had to realize that I was not all to blame for the failure in my marriage. It takes two...that's my the one goal I have promised to do for myself is to raise my son to be a considerate, loving, caring person who will treat those he cares for with respect. I want to be a good role model for him. Most of all, I just want to enjoy my time with him. Watching him grow and learn is a wonderful gift and I thank god EVERY day for that chance. I have been through so much in my life so I just keep reminding myself on those "sad" days that if I can handle all I've been through, I can handle anything else that comes my way.

Remember, cherish your wives, husbands and kids. You never know what things can change forever.

Jenn

Ahhhh, fall...

Hi everyone! I know, I know, it's been a while since I posted but I'm here to update:)

It's that time of year I love...FALL!!



The smell, the beautiful leaves (one of the best parts of Michigan) and most of all Halloween. I love Halloween! Zack is at that age where he is so fun to dress up and he still lets me "persuade" him as to what he wants to be...lol I guess I better enjoy that because I'm sure in the next couple of years that won't be happening anymore. I guess I really enjoy the start of every season but I especially like fall.

Zack and I are doing great. I've been busy working and trying to find time for school and Zack is getting ready to start his last year of headstart. The headstart class starts a little later than regular school here which is around the 21st so he's getting pretty excited. He gets on the bus in the morning and goes to headstart until 12 then his bus takes him to his 2nd school which is a pre-school until I get off work at 4:30. He's doing so great in school and he really takes to making new friends. He has a best friend, his name is "Izahiah" (not sure if I spelled it right or not...lol) and they are in-seperable. This year Izahiah starts kindergarden tho so Zack will only see him for a few hours in the afternoon but his mom and I are planning some play dates for them. His mom is one of Steph's good friends so we know each other which is nice. I can't believe Zack will be in Kindergarden next year. Wow, time goes by so fast. I am going to try to get him into the Behwatting school here since their teacher to child ratio is so great. They have a lottery for the kids they accept though so I need to make sure I get his name in early enough. I really don't want him to have to go to Lincoln but if he doesn I guess that's ok too.

Well I better get going so I can finish up some housework. Zack is with his dad until Friday so I try to get all my cleaning done while he's gone. We have a busy weekend this week. We will be having a neighborhood cookout and then on Sunday he has a playdate. He loves being busy though and so do I since he's such an active little guy. Hope everyone is doing well and I promise to all my Grand Rapids relatives I will get down for a visit soon. Love and miss ya's!!

Things that make me go grrrrr...

So today I had to go shopping and unless it's shopping for clothes, it's not one of my favoritest things to do. I had to get some household things and for those of you that have ever been to my town, you know that we have only two (yes, two) major retail stores to shop in. One is Kmart and the other is Walmart. I tend to go to Kmart when I'm in a hurry and don't feel like dealing with crowds. Walmart is always packed and not the place to go if your in a crunch for time. Well today I had quite a few things to get so I had to go to Walmart which is cheaper then Kmart so off I went...

Now for those of you with kids that you have to take shopping with you, I'm sure you can totally relate to how you want to get in, get the things you need and get out. Kids and shopping NEVER go well together. So after a few battles with my 4 year old son, we finally had everything we needed and into the checkout line we get. Well isn't it just MY luck that I would get behind a person that feels the need to pay for their bill in ones and change. There she is counting out her money as SLOWLEY as possible like I had ALL the time in the world!! In the meantime there's my 4 year old grabbing all the wonderful check out line candy saying he wanted this and that. I'm of course telling him no and trying to bribe him by saying we'll pick something up later. Whoever thought to put that stuff in the checkout lane isle should be shot!!! Anyway, this lady is STILL counting and you could tell the clerk was getting irritated as well. All the while I'm standing there getting madder and madder. I tell you!! That type of stuff just irritates me!! It's not like I could go to another line either, I already had all my stuff on the counter...jeesh! After about 5 minutes she gets all her money counted out, then takes another 2 minutes to make sure she has her bags and then off she goes. I am then left to deal with a VERY bored 4 year old while I try to load stuff up and pay. By the time I got out to my car, my nerves were shot.



I'm telling you, I was so very glad to get home. Now I know why I really don't care to shop with my son. I love him more then life itself but shopping with kids is not fun...lol

Life & it's Obstacles

Have you ever woke up to realize that even tho it seems your life has been crazy and full of obstacles there always seems to be that "one" thing that keeps you grounded? Have you ever asked yourself what that thing is? I am always wondering that...for some reason I thought what kept me grounded was all the craziness that surrounds me. You know, the day to day stuff that keeps you forever moving. Cleaning, working, taking care of kids, cooking, laundry...need I go on?



Well today I woke up and realized that what grounds me isn't all of those things. What grounds me is my son! He's the reason I think before I act, he's the reason I wake up everyday ready to battle what's ahead but most of all, he's the reason I've learned to be who I am and fight for what I feel is right. People always say that your children learn from you, they learn from your actions, the way you speak or treat people. I've realized I want to be the best that I can be for my son, I want him to know he will and always has been the most important person in my life. The things I have done have been for him. Making some of the hardest choices of my life have all been for him and even though at times I feel those choices may not have been the best, I did them so I could learn from them for him.



When your a parent, your always worried about your kids. That worry never goes away...ever! Before you have children, you can never imagine the amount of joy, happiness, stress and worry you will encounter after you have them. Not a day goes by that you don't worry if they are happy, safe, hungry, hurt or any other type of worry you can think of. You just have to trust that your choices and your way of parenting is the best. There is no manual for having children, there's no guarentee that what your doing is going to help your child turn out the way you dream. You just do your best and leave the rest to god. He's there, even if you think he's not:) I'm so happy god gave me the chance to be a mom. Even with all the challenges I've been through, it's still been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life.



I guess what I'm trying to say is...enjoy your children. They are one of the most precious gifts that god has given us. Enjoy their smiles, laughs, giggles, smell and all of the little things that make your heart swell with love being a parent. Always let them know you love them and never be to busy for one of their big hugs or kisses. It's those small things that make being a parent rewarding...all our children need is our love, understanding and most of all our security. Capture those moments and memories in your mind and never let them go because before you know it, they will be all grown up and gone! Below is a poem that I've always liked and I really try to follow...

Ticket For Life
© Wanda Oleson

Bandage scraped knees. Kiss away fears.
Watch their heartbreak and dry their tears.
Teach them to know what's right and what's wrong.
Show them how to be gentle and when to be strong.
Tell them you love them, and then let it show.
That's the easiest part of helping them grow.
There needs to be discipline, but don't over do it.
Praise and encouragement strengthens their spirit.
Show them respect for their feelings and thoughts.
They should know their important, self worth can't be bought.
Show them some patience and always be kind.
Developing minds make mistakes time to time.
Teach them to be the best they can be.
When they're happy within,
WHAT A RIDE LIFE CAN BE!

Have a great week everyone...
:-)