feeling under the weather

I went to work feeling great on Friday. Fast forward to Friday evening I felt as though I was run over by a truck. Body aches, fever, sore throat, etc...So I just knew it was the flu or strep. I was determined not to go to the doctor, and that I would battle through. O and E spent the day with my MIL so that I could get some rest. And Wayne went to Tuscaloosa with my brother and Dad for the Al basketball game. I had the house all to my self so that I could sleep. No need to go the doctor if you can just sleep it off, right? After waking from my wonderful nap I was 102 and climbing. I buckled down and drove myself to the doc-in-a-box. Needless to say after being strangled with a swab down my throat, up my nose, and 3 tubes of blood taken. I had neither! The very nice doctor came in and after checking me out said, and I quote, " Mrs. Jackson it seems you have one heck of a cold." A cold?!?! That is it a cold? Don't get me wrong I'm glad it is nothing more serious but to go and sit for two hours and be poked and prodded, when I could of been at home toughing it out. Even through all of it,I am thankful I was able to receive a shot to help me feel better.  Which I need because tomorrow we go to the circus. Here's to feeling better in the am and enjoying the day with my family. Hope sickness is steering clear of  you and your family.

A lot to say

I feel like it should be the weekend again and it is only Wednesday. So how has every ones week been so far?  I have a lot to say so here it is, Wayne is in the process of buying yet another Fed-ex route which is great for our family. Even though the thought is a little scary that he will now own 3 routes,4 trucks,  and have four employees. I am so proud of him and all that he has accomplished. And we aren't even thirty yet! He is a great business manager and I know that God has great plans for him. He is so smart and I couldn't be more proud. Didn't  I already say that? Oh well.
Also we began the church hunt this past Sunday. First off let me say we should have done a little bit more homework before going to this particular church.We felt very comfortable from the moment we walked in. As we entered we were greeted by more people than we have ever been greeted by, anywhere. We took O and E to their rooms while we attended the worship service and it made it very easy for me since they both went in like pros. The service was excellent and we were loving it. Then it began to slowly happen. A name of a certain preacher , of whom I will not mention, was mentioned a few times during the pastors message. This made Wayne cringe and me being naive and not knowing much about anything except southern baptist, the way I was brought up, didn't think much about it. Let me take a break to again brag on Wayne. I am so glad that he is knowledgeable about so many different things and he continues to surprise me everyday. He is a smart man and I love him. OK, so after the service was over and we came home, Wayne immediately pulled up their website. He  scrolled to the "about us" section, and their it was. In in fine print you could download a pdf file and read all about Calvinism and why they are Calvinist. I will not lie, I was heartbroken. I know what you are thinking....you only visited one time, how do you feel so strongly about a church you went to once, and is it that big of a deal? But we do not share their beliefs and so  the search will continue. End of story.
My sister and a friend are hooked on a show on PBS. Maybe you've heard of  Downton Abby. If not I highly reccommend it. It takes place in England in  the early 1900's.I am now hooked and have been staying up very late catching up on Netflix. I sometimes think I was born in the wrong era. LOVE this show and the lives of the wealthy and the hired help.
I wan't sure about sharing this next part but it shouldn't be a secret and the more people to help us pray for a decision, the better. Monday started out with violent storms raging through our state, again. And due to storms school was cancelled. After the storms passed it was a beautiful day filled with lots of snuggles and play time. Which made me think a lot that day. Owen, who just turned 5, will be starting "big school" in 7 months! It is really hard to think about. I have been working since he was 8 months and feel like I missed out on so much. The upside to where I work I was able to be with him some and our schedule allowed us to have the whole afternoon together. But did I make the right choice working so much? When I could have had him at home soaking it all up. So as I watched him play in his room Monday it made me a little teary. He loves to pretend and his imagination is as big as the sky. He has so much innocence about him, that I fear will be lost once he starts "big school". And not to mention my spunky little Emily is growing up so fast. I feel like it is going by even faster with her. I know that I can't keep them in a box but what if I could keep them closer to me. So all of these thoughts made me do a lot of soul searching and deep thinking. What about homeschooling? I have many friends that are totally against and some are for it. Wayne and I have began discussing this option. We don't want to make an emotional decision but make the right decision. We want what is best for our children and family. I think there are pros and cons to both homeschooling and public school. So for the next few months we will be doing a lot of research, praying, and talking with other homeschooling families. I am a pre-k teacher and I'm not a certified teacher. However I think I can do this. Please pray that we can make a decision that is right.
WOW that was a long post! Now go run a lap because I'm sure you are tired of sitting and reading. =)
Jenny
Pictures from Monday, enjoy

Loves to write! Notice the great fine motor skills

These 3d movie glasses are one of his favorite things to wear.

His toys protecting and attacking the US

my silly girl

Allergies and Cookies

 Raise your hand if you know of someone who has food allergies. Anyone? I do, it is my sweet Owen. We found out when he was 18 months old after continually being sick and having a terrible rash that wouldn't go away. After having him tested, we found out the culprits  were mushrooms, nuts, and... eggs! At first it was devastating thinking about all of the things he couldn't have. Mushrooms on pizza, Reese cups or any of those peanut buttery goodness sweets. And eggs, well do you know how many foods have eggs in them?!?! Almost everything that a kid eats.  Not to mention at the time, we were shoving  scrambled eggs down his throat every morning so he would be getting plenty of protein. Plus think about pancakes, any  type of debbie cakes, some breads, all baked goods and the list goes on. But after doing some homework and receiving a wonderful egg free cookbook from a sweet mom at my preschool, we have learned to adjust. It is now no big deal and I almost don't think about it anymore.

Covering his ears b/c he was afraid it was going to be loud.

 With all that being said, a great friend found a great egg-free chocolate chip cookie  recipe and sent it to me just the other day. Owen loves cookies but it is so hard to find egg free recipes that are good. So tonight we decided to make them using my new Kitchen Aid mixer, thanks Wayne. =) We had so much fun making the cookies and they were Owen and Wayne approved. Emily  tasted the batter but fell asleep before they came out of the oven. I'm sure she will devour one tomorrow. Wayne was sweet enough to document the cooking making process for me. These cookies were the perfect ending to our weekend. Hope everyone else had a weekend just as great as ours.

cuteness waiting on cookies

ready for the oven

eating the yummy cookies

love these boys

will be making these often

A busy week

I had intended on blogging at least 2-3 times a week but life happened this week and I'm so thankful for the weekend. It was a very busy week at school and home. Report cards were sent home for my little preschoolers and we celebrated teddy- bear day.  It was a lot of fun and I am so proud of the progress that they made. Owen, who is in 4k,brought home his report card and did a SUPER job. He was awarded all G's and only has to work on a few things. I am so proud of him and cannot believe he is getting closer to starting big school. Side note, mornings have not been going so wonderfully. Owen is not a morning person and would much rather lay around in his pajamas while sipping on warm chocolate milk. And who can blame him? He doesn't like to eat breakfast till around 8:30, get dressed till noon, and would rather play all day than go to school. However, once he arrives at school you would never know that morning time was such a struggle. He loves school and all of his friends. Pray that our mornings go much smoother once we start big school and have to be there by 7:15!

After such a long week it looks as though the weekend it turning out to be OK. Yesterday was my mommas birthday. She celebrated by taking Owen to the knox concert series where a symphony orchestra was  playing all  Tchaikovsky pieces. They both had a wonderful time and while they were gone it gave Wayne and I some one on one with Emily. We played, watched her eat dinner, and gave her a bath in our "big tub" . She loves a bath and is going to be a fish just like Owen. But let me say, when the water turns off she throws a fit! I love her spunky little self. After she was put into bed we cooked a late dinner and settled on the couch with a movie. If you haven't watched End of the spear, I highly recommend it. It was so nice to have a relaxing evening after such a busy week.  Here are some pictures of miss prissy in the tub, fits and all. Last picture is a little blurry but I can't help but laugh at the way she dramatically throws her self down crying and thought I'd share. Happy Weekend!

what a weekend

Sat. night we all went to bed with intentions of getting up early and visiting a church. I even got my shower sat. night instead of Sun. morning because all of my closest friends know that being on time is near impossible for our family. Anyway...it started with a few sniffles and followed by several coughs, the ones that sound like you have a seal in your house. At first it was just Owen but Emily didn't want to be left out so she joined in.  


 Sunday morning comes and we think about going because they don't have fevers. But the boogies and coughing are so bad we don't want to be labeled as "those parents", you know the ones that bring their sick kids to church. So we spent most of the weekend doing breathing treatments, lots of rest and keeping the boogie wipe people in business. Seriously, whoever invented those are for sure making a killing. These are the best thing ever and way better than a tissue.The boogies are still there but the coughing is not near as frequent. Maybe we will be able to visit somewhere next Sunday.

check....,next

So today I did it! I deleted my facebook page and I can honestly say that I won't be missing it. Well let me take 1/2 of that back. I will miss keeping up with true friend's pictures of their growing children. But most of them I see often if not through emails and their blogs. But for the majority I will not miss any part of it. So.... that is one thing checked off of my resolutions list.
 Sunday we start the hunt for finding a home church. This is not going to be easy but it is something that is a must. Owen needs to be involved as well as Wayne and myself. Pray that we can agree on a church soon and that we find the right fit for us. Happy Weekend!

Bedtime

Bedtime at our house is filled with the scent of baby shampoo and lotion. We are all in a our pjs, our favorite thing to wear. Plus don't you love children in pajamas? I think it is the cutest thing ever! You can hear Emily's nighttime music playing and Owen pleading for us to "lay with him all the minutes".  Last night O and E were both piled in our bed watching a little bit of a movie before bedtime. They both looked adorable with their blankets and milk.  I'll admit  bedtime isn't always so stress free. I often find myself frustrated longing for them both to be asleep so there can be quite, I can catch up on the "to do list", and maybe catch up on a tv show or two. Not to mention I'm never rested. Owen still likes to try and sneak in our bed in the middle of the night. However his trips are becoming less frequent and Emily still wakes up in the middle of the night. Not to eat but she is brought to our bed. She immediately falls back asleep but her little self takes up more room than I do. Everyone who has grown children are always saying, "enjoy your children, because they grow up so fast." I believe it, Owen just turned 5! So here is to no more stressing over the "to do's" and everything else and enjoying my sweet smelling babies. What is bedtime like for everyone else? Stressful, peaceful, or a little of both?

A fresh start.

In 2011 there were many changes with our family I was promoted to teach 3k which I love. Wayne bought another Fed-ex route. Emily and Owen both had huge birthdays, 1 and 5! Still can't believe that they growing so fast! And we had a wonderful year with our family. I don't know what we would have done without them.  Wayne and I both are growing closer to God and hope to find a home church soon. (One of our goals for 2012) So now it is 2012 and I can't wait to see what the future holds.  I actually have resolutions this year. 1-To get healthy, 2. Spend even more quality time with my children and husband, 3. Find a home church , and last 4.  to delete my facebook account. I have been struggling with this decision but it has become an addiction of which I need to let go.  So here is to a happy 2012. Do you have any resolutions and if so what are they?

Side note I am in love with this song right now. He is always faithful to me,even when I am not.