I wish I were on vacation already.

I wish I were on vacation already! I am soo tired and I have been easily angered a lot lately. Part of it has to do with Caleb going into a non listnening phase, part of it has to do with the internet not working all the time so I have to limp along when I need to go fast! Part of it has to do with the fact that APPARENTLY I cannot budget very well because we just got charged an overdraft fee again. I had a Huge one last month and now another one this month. We cannot afford those right now. It reeally was no ones fault a check got put in the mail I had set aside till we had the funds for it. And some one saw the stamp and I guess put it in the mail. It might have even been me that put it there. Anyway I have been easily angered and snappy at almost everybody. I need some me time. Maybe I will do some sewing by myself for a while maybe work on my beach cover suit. I usually go shopping and get some small stuff but that is not in the cards right now.

We are supposed to be paying off our cards with a home equity loan soon so that our credit will have a chance to improve before we buy our next house, but we cannot apply till the outside of the house is painted and the weather is NOT cooperating. It has been raining all day and is supposed to rain the rest of the week. We have to go on vacation in the next 2-3 weeks! How are we going to get it done and finished in time. I am tired of this.

So many worries but anyway Caleb's party went over Very well. Everybody loved my little apple bites,

and my cat skeletons.

And the cake was ingenious. I had made two little sheet cakes and eric put a train track with a real moving train all around it.

We couldn't find a very small train so we had to settle for this one. But I think it was still cool. And we even got some little kids who weren't part of the birthday party looking and playing with it. Decorating the bikes was way fun except for the wind. We had to hold on to everything and we couldn't put it on the table becasue it would have blown away. But they loved the name tags, and the bells and they just went to town with the streamers. And they tried to put on the noise makers and there were a few who made it ut not that many. That was okay it was too windy to really hear them anyway. And then the bike race obstacle course was very popular and Everybody just loved going around and around. They even tried to pass each other a few times. We had a few accidents and we always told them get up, shake it off and keep going! It was soo cute to see these little kids shake it off and then keep on going. Then we directed them to the jungle gym obstacle coure and they did that one a few rounds and then they all got a medal for finishing. Then they played on the tire swing until Caleb said he was hungry and so we called the troops over and we all had cake and gatorade and vegetables. It was soooo windy that day unfortunately that we had to hold on to our plates with one hand and our forks with the other and we still had a few spills and accidents it was so windy! And I tasted the gatorade YUK!!! I'm sure the kids loved it but me I hate gatorade! Why did I think it would taste any different if I made it myself! But then they got to play a little more until all the kids had to go. We had so much fun on the bikes we just took the presents home and opened them there. I think they had more fun on their bikes then they would have opening the presents. And not as many kids showed up as I thought would so we have LOTS of goody bags left over. Now I did not know what to do with them besides save them for next year but I already have two years of saved goody bags and I can't find them so why would this year be any different? But then Eric the genius said use them for trick or treating! that is an excellent idea!!!!! I never have to worry again about buying too much goody bag stuff and wasting money that way!!!!

I feel so much better looking at all the birthday pictures. I like looking at old family pictures. It makes me feel happy and it definitely makes me laugh!

Small update. More later!

The house is coming slowly. It has been bad weather and I have had to go in to the office a few times which means Eric has to come in and watch Caleb. And then my classes have been coming on even slower. I am sooo wrapped up in Calebs party right now. I am so proud of myself I have planned a great birthday party, and it is sooo crafty. I got all my ideas from Family Fun magazine of course. We planned a bike birthday party, I made my own invitations with a picture of Caleb on a bike on the inside. We are going to decorate our bikes that everybody brought with noise makers and name plates and handlebar bling with bells and streamers. Then they are going to take those bikes and go on an obstacle course that we are going to make with cones to go thorugh, and a chalk line to follow, and a bubble machine to ride past and an arch to go under, and then there is going to be a dismount section on the playground. It is going to be soo much fun. Then the presents, and then cake and ice cream with gatorade or juice. The cake is going to be two cakes a little apart from each other with a real train really moving on a track between the two. And then with the cake we are going to have a cat skeleton which is a whole bunch of vegetables all put together to look like a cat skeleton, and the face is dip in a bowl with more vegetables for the facial features. and we are also going to have apple bites which is an apple cut into quarters and then each quarter is taken and a sort of mouth cut out of it. and then slivered almonds are put in to make teeth. It looked soooo cute in the magazine I had to try it! So that is what we are eating, and then when they go home they are getting little goody bags that look like trophies made out of paper lunch bags with gold and silver wrapping paper cut and glued to look like a trophy and some metallic pipe cleaners put on that look like trophy handles! And I am going to put in normal goody stuff and then one little mummy that I made out of popsicle sticks glued to looke like a stick figure and then wrapped in fabric that I got and cut into strips. and little moving eyes I glued on. I am going to make a little mouth too because they look a little lost without a mouth. I think they are so cute! I am just soo excited that I found all these great ideas. And I hope they all work out! I will post pictures later so you can see.

Caleb Goes Down in History

Oh and I think Caleb should go down in History as the kid who got into the most trouble in a 30 minute period. OK I hear spraying in the dining room so I go check on what Caleb is doing. It turns out he is spraying Orange Glo on his book. I am trying to be like Jesus Book. Then I see he has also sprayed it all over the table and the floor. And not only is the Orange Glo on the floor and the table but so is a whole shaker of SUGAR! I had to go and clean the book off first, then the table, and then I went in to use the toilet and guess what, there is water all over the floor the plunger is wet so he was obviously playing with it, the toilet is still half plugged with poop floating around, and to crown it all off there is a HUGE wad of toilet paper on the floor that is wet! Sopping wet. Dare I think it is already been in the toilet and out again wet????? I hope not!!!! I made him pull it to peices so it wouldn't clog the toilet go wash his hands and then take a nap. I considered myself very restrained on that one. Now any time he just goes into a whole lot of trouble like that, I let him know that his behavior is telling me he needs a nap to help him remember the rules. So I make him take a nap. I have not had any repeats that bad but he is still alittle boy. I guess I am glad a little on that one. And I have told and taught him how many toilet squares to use before and then again after that episode. He uses the right amount most of the time. Just this one time I don't know why he did it! And he goes by himself all the time now. And he even tries to wipe his own butt. Most of the time he is successful too.

House

Hey guys, we are done painting all of one side of the house!!!! And we are almost done with the soffets too on that side!! We are getting ready to do the other side now. We have to scrape off the old vine leaves and branches off of the other side before we can pressure wash it and then paint it. We might have to wait till the weather warms up alittle more before we can truly paint it though. So we are definitely getting places. Hopefully it will go along fast until it is done.

YIPPEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

I have had some GREAT news today from Eric. He called UTA to ask if there was something wrong with our application because, I think I told you in my last post about UTA that they emailed us and told us they were interested in us attending UTA with a stipend and we would have to apply for the MS program and then when we were there for a while they would trnasfer us to the PhD program. Well when we applied they had the PhD listed so we applied for that. So he called to see if they saw the PhD on our application and they said that they would change it and there was no problem there, then Eric asked about the status of his applicagtion and the guy Eric was talking too was really open with Eric and told him that When he was in the application meeting Erics name came up and the Chairman said do whatever it takes I want this student here!!! This is the Chairman of the whole department!!! And it happens to be the guy that Eric wants to do research with! So he is going to be a freshman and they are going to offer him a stipend anyway. Apparently they don't do that with a lot of freshman. That is just sooooo AWESOME!!! and Prestigious to boot! I am sooo proud of Eric! This is definitely the boost that we need to get us through the last few months here. It is getting closer and closer but not fast enough! You guys can all come and help us pack if you want to!!! I would sure appreciate it!

I'm Done!

I'M DONE WITH ANOTHER CLASS!!!!!! I am sooo done with half of my schooling. I cannot wait till I get it all done. And the side of one house is done except for a little bit of trim.

Great News!!! I am Excited

Guess what guys! We got some great news today. I got an email from ................. UTA that says based on preliminary informtion they would like Eric to go to UTA. They even said they even said we would like you to start in spring of 2008. That is JUST AWESOME!!!!!!! I am soooo ecited. They did say to send in his application, they even said a little but about stipends and fellowships!!!! It is just soooo cool and awesome. We are one tiny step closer!
I am almost done with another class. Maybe I will be done in 4 days if I keep up with the same Pace, and the program stops giving me trouble.