A Battle Worth Fighting

Colton lost, I won =) Cowboy boots must NOT be worn with big brothers "basketball pants" as Colton calls them. Clearly they look like pants when they are many sizes too big, not to mention the multiple color schemes going on and that fact that his shirt is on backwards. We did compromise and just replaced the "basketball pants" with blue jeans. No way was I going anywhere with him wearing that ensemble!
ETA - Colton has his basketball pants back on this afternoon. The kids are going to Nanie's tonight so Jason and I can have date night. She'll think he's cute no matter what he wears! Hope they dont have plans to go out anywhere tonight, lol. Dang it, how did that kid win again?!

Today's Task....

.....convincing a 4 yr old boy that his cowboy boots are not to be worn with shorts, even when he tries to explain to you that his shorts are "cowboy shorts". It might seem like a simple task to some. But have you ever tried to convince the baby of the family of ANYTHING? It's not always successful, truth be told, they often times win.

You see, Colton is the typical third child, the baby in the family. He knows what he wants, how he wants it, and exactly how to exhaust you so that he will get exactly what he wants. The book I have just finished talked briefly about birthorder and his description of lastborn children fits Colton to a "T"! It reads: "Lastborns grow up with a tremendous, unflagging sense of entitlement. Because they are often coddled an babied - not just by Mom and Dad, but also by older siblings - lastborns usually grow up to be funny, and often blatant show-offs, loving to be the life of the party. They can also be manipulative, however. Lastborns tend to love surprises, and they are far more open to risks than their other siblings."

That's my Colton. Does this description sound like anyone else we know? Possibly his father?? Colton does truly believe everything belongs to him, even if it is yours or in your hand. He also is an extreme risk taker. This includes taking the risk and fighting your parents for wearing those boots with shorts, even when your Mommy tries to convince you that you look like a dork.

So who wins this mornings battle? Colton. Those other Mommys at storytime better not laugh at my baby! I know he looks like a big goof, but they better be talking about how charming and handsome he is.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Green Thumbs

We have started our very first garden! I decided on a whim one day to head to Home Depot (which I do not like!) and buy things necessary to start my garden. Although still not a big fan of the store, I did have some fun in the gardening section. Maybe now I can find entertainment in this dreaded store while the others members of my family randomly walk up and down each aisle looking at everything. Anyway, I came home with a strawberry starter plant and seeds of lettuce, cucumbers, watermelons and hot peppers. Since Jason wasn't too fond of my idea of starting a garden in the backyard, we are planting them in pots for the time being. The strawberry starter plant had one tiny strawberry starting to grow and at this time there are multiple strawberries growing. The others were planted from seeds and just this morning the lettuce has sprouted as well as the cucumbers. I have been VERY excited since I've only been watching them daily since we planted them. The anticipation is killing me, I cannot wait for the seeds to grow into something bigger so we can plant them in their pots and move them outside. Starter plants are definitely the way to go for those who are as impatient as myself. I will have to start taking pics so we can document our progress.

Whirlwind Day

Cameron came home from school yesterday with a note from the school nurse saying he might possibly have poison ivy. I call our doctors office and they tell me we cannot be seen until Thursday because their schedule is so full (I will deal with this at a later date) and they suggest to call the nurse's hotline to see about which urgent care facility our insurance allows us to go to. I call and finally speak to someone and answer their fifty questions and tell them my life story. She transfers me to the nurses hotline. I finally speak to someone there and she asks the same fifty questions. Except she irritates me further by REPEATING every one of my answers. Really. Here's an example:

What is the child's name? Cameron. C-A-M-E-R-O-N.

His last name? Gautreaux. G-A-U-T-R-E-A-U-X.

When is his birthday? 8-22-98. So that's August 22, 1998.

This goes on for every dang question she asks and takes twice as long and goes from humerous to darn irritating about four questions into it. Not to mention, it should all be right there on the screen, she is just verifying the information. I'm not applying for anything and we are no longer using the pen and paper system. She transfers me to speak to the actual nurse. Now this woman can ask some questions, the lady before was just warming me up. Two hundred questions and 20 minutes later, she got an ear full from me. We start with the same questions - my name, child's name, phone number, address, policy number, blah blah blah. This is when the real fun starts, and these are just a few of the questions....

Is the rash red? Yes. Purple? No. White? No. Clear? No.

Blood color? No. Are they the size of quarters? No. Nickels? No.

Dimes? No. Pencil eraser? No. Pen tip? Sure.

Do they itch? Yes. Are they swollen? Cameron, come here. No.

Has he taken any new meds? No. Are you sure? YES!

Has he eaten anything different or unusual? No. Are you sure? YES!!

How long has he had this rash? I don't know, he started to complain

about it today, maybe a few days. So you don't know how long the rash has been there? Well, if he doesnt tell me about it then no I do not. Are you pregnant? No. (Irritation is in full force now!).

Seriously, after 20 minutes of badgering, she tells me I need to call my doctor. I literally laughed out loud and said something like, "Are you serious? I've been on the phone with you this entire time so you can tell me to call my doctor? That's not why I'm calling you! I've already called. They can't see us until Thursday. I need to know which urgency care facility I can take him to! I'm not stupid, I know he needs to be seen!" She goes on to tell me she doesnt have that information and that it would be okay to wait until Thursday. I hung up the phone. She can go ahead and let her child's poison ivy spread all over their bodies, but I'm not doing that to my child (it's already on his face!!).

So we just went on to CVS' Minute Clinic. We have never been there before but heard good things, it was close to my Mom's house and since she offered to cook dinner for us since clearly I was not going to have time now, that's where we headed. LOVE these people - nice, helpful, very precise and timely. My kind of people!

While waiting though, Cameron tells me that when he was in the nurses office she told him that morning, "Your mother should have taken care of this at home." Problem - you went this morning and no one called me? Another problem - she said what?

I totally understand that bonehead parents send their kids to school sick. I'm not one of them and didnt know my child had a spreading rash. But, NEVER will you belittle or speak unkind words about me to my children. Never. Her job is to simply take care of my children and see to their medical needs when I am away. It is definitely not to comment or critique my job as a parent. Children have things come up while at school, she needs to simply take care of them. I could continue to curse this lady and her comment but I will leave it alone and off my blog. This I will deal with today.

To add humor to my fun day, I go to pick up Cameron's Rx at the CVS counter and realize I left his insurance card on the counter at home. At the same time I realize I had spilled my 20oz bottle of water in my purse. Ugh. This honestly didnt make me mad any more than I already was, I just laughed and smiled. Picture it friends, I held my cool and let it roll of my shoulder! Ah!!

I did complete the evening with my dearest friends. We all read a book together and then met for dessert (I mean, to discuss the book, that's right!). I ordered a Chocolate Tallcake with ice cream, and I needed every bit of the chocolate that was in each bite.

PS - I later found out that Cameron had told Jason about this rash last Thursday and thought then it was poison ivy. {thorat clear} Did anyone not find it necessary to tell me then? How does a man's brain work anyway? lol.

Self-Sufficiency, Part 2

Colton continues to get too big everyday and is becoming more and more self-sufficient. The kids' growth never ceases to amaze me but I guess with Colton being the baby, watching him grow and learn to do things on his own is so bitter-sweet.

This morning Colton comes running in the living room (I was vacuuming) and tells me, "Come look at my room Mama!". I go in there and find his room picked up and his bed made. He goes on to say he did it all by himself. What?! You're 4! What 4 year old makes their own bed, and that well? Well he did, and how awesome is that!! What I didn't snap a picture of was UNDER the bed. I was more aiming for a picked-up room, not really a made bed and definitely not everything underneath the bed. Ah well, I'll take it a little at a time.

We then went into the kitchen to make lunch and Colton "tells" me he's going to make his own peeaanjelly sandwich (it's all one word to him, with some missing letter sounds). And he does just that! Such a big boy!! I'm proud and sad at the same time.We've also mastered one more thing, one that am proud that he is doing on his own..... wiping his own bottom!! No picture for this accomplishment.

Weekend Happenings

This weekend proved to be quite... interesting to say the least. That's the nicest word I can come up with at the moment! Jason insisted as each new tear was shed, child that got in trouble, punishment that was threatened or enforced, foot that was stomped, fit that was thrown or illness that took affect that I MUST blog about this. Truth is, I'm not sure how to blog about the weekend so I figured I would start typing and see where it led me....

Friday night we went to eat at Chili's. Now I am not a big fan of this popular restaurant chain but my family LOVES it. And since we don't often eat out, one might think this is a treat and would be somewhat excited about this. Everyone was. Except Cameron. He comes in the house almost in tears that we were dragging him away from playing outside. People, it wasn't broad daylight outside or just snack time. No, it was dinner time with the sun setting and little time left to play outside. Rather than talk to us about it, we find him sulking in the car waiting for his punishment (you know, eating out for dinner).

We get there and Courtnie and Colton are in a special kind of mood. Neither of them could find a moment to sit still or behave like a civil human being. They thought it was appropriate to bounce around while waiting for our table and by bounce around I mean jump or hop from one bench to the other, play fight, tickle each other, dance and laugh extremely loud. Literally. After much patience, I finally separated them with Courtnie between Jason and I and Colton next to Cameron where he could find little to do since Cameron had been sitting there with his knees tucked up and his head down pouting. This worked for Colton. But not Courtnie. She tried to tickle Jason and I, wanted to sit/lay/jump in our laps and persisted in telling us dumb jokes she knew would irritate us further. I even told Courtnie that I was about to inflict physical pain on her as she was sitting just underneath my elbow and that if she didn't calm down I might would have to swing my arm back and prove how mad I was getting. She laughed. At this point we thought about just going home. But no, we are the parents and we will win this battle. We will have a fun night at dinner with the family. With this said, I'm certain our faces had complete looks of defeat.

Dinner wasn't so bad, we sat them in the perfect places. They were calm, complaisant and nice to each other. The waiter was a different story though. Didn't he know the torture we had just gone through waiting for our table? Ugh.

After dinner we decided to go to Blockbuster. Everyone picked out a movie and was happy with their choice. Or so we thought. Courtnie was in the back seat crying because that wasn't the movie she wanted. Except people, she CHOSE this movie! We did not pick one out for her, she walked the store and hand-picked this movie off the shelf. She refuses to watch her movie so I make her to bring me $2 because that's how much the movie cost. This makes her cry more. This child cries off and on ALL NIGHT LONG. It was exhausting for me to just watch her sulk and listen to her fallen tears. I swear it was her time of the month this weekend, if that's possible for 7 yr olds. To bed she went.

As we were getting Colton to bed, he too begins to cry. And honestly, I have no idea what his problem was. Maybe he just wanted to be more like his brother and sister? Fun.

Saturday morning we get up and moving and decide to take them to Nickelrama. It's early morning, cold outside and there was absolutely nothing on our agenda until later that night. Very rare occurrence for our house. Once again, Cameron is almost in tears because he wants to play outside. Seriously child? Are you kidding me? It was 34 degrees outside and mid-morning. There isn't much outside playing that could have been done at that time. Once we get there, everyone has a great time!!

The rest of the day was spent at home while the kids went from playing outside to inside. The house looked like a disastrous mess, but everyone seemed to be happy. We only had to intervene the three-man wrestling match a few times and only a couple of injuries occurred. Cameron had a basketball game later that evening and scored two baskets, which is great!! He has proven to be quite the basketball star this season! The younger two continued to act like little heathens but both grandmothers were there to help with their rambunctious behavior.

Sunday morning I felt horrible, still do. It's almost like the flu but my only symptom is a terribly achy body. I don't have a fever or anything else. So I'm at home resting and praying this is just nothing more than a chance for me to rest and enjoy some downtime. The Lord knows, I have no desire or strength to get up and do anything at the current moment!! Jason will be home shortly from work to take care of us all, so sweet!!

So there's the wrap for the weekend. I do think Courtnie and Colton have worn down some of their energy and we PRAY for warmer weather so they can go outside soon.

BTW, I never did use my elbow to inflict pain on my child =)

Happy Valentines Day!

Jason and I have never really celebrated this holiday as most people may. We might have dinner or have a date but as the kids have gotten older our focus on Valentines Day is much different. We have moved from focusing on each other to us putting the focus on the kids. Jason uses this day to teach the boys how to go that extra mile to treat a lady special and in return Courtnie learns how to be treated special by the boys. Great exchange! This year the boys woke up at 6am, went and got us ladies flowers and donuts. I had was able to sleep in (my only request) and when I woke up they went and woke Courtnie up and brought her to bed with me. They shut the door and then went to wake Colton up. Jason said when he told Colton that they had surprises for the girls he jumped out of bed and ran into the kitchen and grabbed Courtnie's gift. This especially made our hearts melt, not just because Colton actually got out of bed without a fight but his gift was right next to Courtnie's and he never saw it because his focus was on his sister. How sweet is that?! They all brought us donuts and chocolate milk in bed. I wish I had video-taped Courtnie's reaction. She gets super excited - her smile takes over her face and her eyes widen beyond imagination. It's beautiful! And the boys are just as adorable. They actually enjoy their time with their Daddy, the planning and the preparations for special occasions like this one. I love the way this tradition has transpired. I pray my boys learn remember these times and that one day they will treat their wives like a princess everyday. I also pray that Courtnie never settles for anything less than she has been treated by her father and brothers.

That night Jason and I went to a friends' themed "Red Party". Here are a few pics from the night:

Storm Ready (or not so much)

Last night's storm was quite interesting here at our house. We were in bed just watching the news and Dan Henry is warning everyone in the DFW area that at one point in the night, your city will see this fierce storm. We sort-of laugh it off but stay awake to see whats going on. At one point we hear the storm sirens outside and Jason casually announces "Everyone's trash cans are all over the streets." This simple statement didn't sit well with me. All I could imagine was trash scattered throughout the neighborhood and this big green trash can flying through Colton's windows. And of course I'm gripping at Jason for not thinking about the storm and waiting until the morning to put them out. I might have even said a curse word or two at him. Poor guy, sorry Babe! The sirens continue and my thoughts of shattering glass and a four foot tall trash can flying onto my child's bed continue. So up I am off the bed, putting on my shoes to make a run outside to pull the trash cans in. That's right... The fear of the trash can crashing into my house was more fearsome than the storm sirens or the tornado warnings from Dan Henry. Jason wasn't going to let me do this alone so we make a mad dash together outside to pick up the debris from OUR trashcan and to pull the two bins into the garage. Once in bed again, Jason bursts out laughing and says "You always bring adventure into our marriage!"

The point of the story is, The Gautreaux's were not storm ready! However, we did survive and didnt have to camp out in the bathroom afterall. That is a blessing itself =)

"Daddy" by Courtnie Gautreaux

At the kids' school, the second graders had a poetry program last night. They sang two creative and energetic poetry songs and read poems aloud. They read some that other famous poets had written and some were their very own. Three children from each class were chosen to read their poems aloud and Courtnie was one of them. Her poem was about her Daddy, so sweet!

Black Eye Memoir

A year ago today, Cameron gave us quite a scare! He had baseball practice in the early afternoon on Super Bowl Sunday and Jason called me in a panic, almost in tears asking me where to take Cameron for an injury. I told him to head to CareNow and asked what happened and he kept repeating "It's not good". They beat me there and they walked in and they immediately told them they were not able to treat injuries like his and we needed to go to Baylor Garland ER. We get there and what I saw will never leave my mind. He was catching pop-flys in the outfield, facing the sun, and just completely missed the ball and it landed right in his eye pocket. By the grace of God, he sustained only a black eye. We totally know he lucked out on further injuries (a broken eye socket or eyebrow, loss of vision due to swelling, injury to the eye muscles). He was out of school for a week (more so because he couldn't see anything) and we spent many trips seeing multiple doctors just to make sure we were in the safe zone that week. Cameron told us tonight he even remembers watching last years game with one eye. Poor guy!