Happy Halloween!

Dorothy and Superman

Mason hasn't been too sure about his cape, but he agreed to wear it for pictures. Ellie has no clue who Dorothy is but the fact that she wears Ruby Slippers was enough to convince her that this was the costume for her. Of course Nana came through with all the costume making and getting together. The dress Ellie has on is one mom made for me when I was about 5. Mom made Mason's shirt and cape and thankfully we didn't put much money into it!
We are going to spend the night in Gallatin tomorrow night. My kids have never been trick or treating anywhere besides my Nan's and all my aunts and uncles. I figure we'll hit about three houses and then they can pass out candy too all the other kiddos!

It's Over!

I survived. Monday and Tuesday I left the house before the sun came up and Biz brought the kids to school for me. Yesterday things got back to normal and they came with me. Ellie and I had some pretty meaningful conversations on the way to school yesterday.
Conversation 1:

Me: Ellie, do you see that house? They started building it AFTER we did and now those people already live in it.
Ellie: Really? That was fast!
Me: I know. What’s wrong with this picture?
Ellie: What picture?
Me: The picture of them living in their house before us when they started building their house after we started. Think about it in your head.
Ellie: OH! Good question! Another good question is: Why do the Duggars have so many kids? And they are ALL J!
Me: Hey I could live with them because I am a J.
Ellie: Me too!
Me: Ok, but we’d have to call you Jellie.
Ellie: Ok, I think I will just live with you.

Converstation 2:
{She told me something about Bob going on a day trip to Africa.}
Ellie: Who can I be married to when I get big???
Me: Well, maybe you can marry one of your friends.
Ellie: How about I be married to Daddy?
Me: Well, you can’t do that and he’s already married to me {for now}.
Ellie: Ok, well then I will just live with you forever.
Me: Ok I think that sounds great. But if you do get married you would marry someone your own age. Your friends will get big too and you will marry one of them.
Ellie: Ok but I will still live with you.
Me: That sounds great. You and your husband and kids can live in the basement.
Ellie: Where will we sleep? Ok, my husband can sleep with me {GASP!} and the baby can sleep in a crib.
Me: How many kids will you have?
Ellie: One. Well, you have two so I will have two.
Me: Not 18?
Ellie: No! Only 2.

I am thrilled that she is so conscious of her carbon footprint that she doesn’t want to overpopulate the Earth. I am also really happy she and her family will be living with me.
Mason had a great birthday. All of his grandparents came and he was showered with gifts. I joked that I was going to put it all away and put it under the tree from “Santa”. Last night, he went into his room right before bedtime {Somehow it seems that my kids always play like angels when they know bedtime is nearing. It’s as if they just know if they are quiet, we might just forget they are there and forget to put them to bed…} I sent Ellie in to check on him because he was just too quiet. When she walked in I heard him say “GO way!” She came back to report that he was playing with his train and motorcycle and he told her to go away. Howyalooya! Maybe the 2 Year old Mason will learn to play alone for 5 minutes!
Sunday we had a great time with the Jordan crew at Bizfest 2009. All of mom's family came out to Trammel for an afternoon of cornhole, a chili cook-off and we celebrated the October birthdays. Jake came up with the theme for the year: "Chili in the pot and a bun in the oven" Humor runs in the family.

Headed for Breakdown

Sometimes I get so caught up in my day to day stress that I forget how lucky I am. I am stressed to the max this week in preparation for our federal review at work. Mason's birthday is coming up on Friday and I feel like I haven't planned a thing. I have people coming at me from 90 different directions asking what I want for the house and with things that need to be done at work. And life goes on...there is still laundry to be done and kids to be fed.
The kids are finally well. Mason ended up with a really bad case of pneumonia last week after the flu. Thankfully I had the intuition to take him back to the doctor last Monday so we spent the entire day in the doctor's office and at the hospital getting a chest xray to confirm a very "dense pneumonia in both lungs". Poor guy had to have an antibiotic shot and another round of oral antibiotics as well as more breathing treatments at home. Thank goodness for Brandon, Nana and Poppop who stayed home with him all week last week. He is all better this week and glad to be back at school!

My nervous breakdown is still slated for late this week or early next week but I am sure it won't last long. A few days of rocking back and forth in a corner and I should be good to go!

In all of this, I was reminded this morning when I uploaded some house pics: I AM SO BLESSED! It's so easy to lose sight of that when things get crazy. I look at those house pictures and I can't believe it's really mine. I added some pics to the album:
HOUSE

It's a Praty!

Several years ago we had a little Jordan Vacation to the lake. Sometime during that week, my dear, sweet, hilarious cousin Shelby {who was 8 at the time and is 22 now...I think} made a banner. The banner read "It's a Praty!" That has kind of become our family motto. And if you know the Jordans, it fits.
Welcome to my pity praty. I actually think I should just change the friggin blog name! I feel like all I ever blog about is the horrible circumstances of my life. Before I go on, I do realize I am BLESSED and people have it so much worse than me. But the way you feel about your own circumstances is relative, right? Some people might say I don't know stress. Perhaps. But this seems stressful to me.
Anyway...Mason has the flu. He was going downhill all weekend and by Sunday night/ Monday morning I knew we were headed to the dr. They confirmed flu so it's been a pretty crazy week trying to juggle work responsibilities and two kids. Brandon left Monday at 7 am and won't be back until this evening. I have had a lot going on at work because we are preparing for a federal review the last week of October {happens every three years and all of our funding depends on it. Big DILL.} Ellie woke up this morning with sniffles and a cough. {I was actually just SURE she had a mild case of the flu two weeks ago!} Thank the good Lord for my parents.
Mason seems to be improving and I am just hoping Ellie will be ok. And really not {only} because I don't know who will take care of her next week, but because I just hate having sick kids. They are so pitiful!
Have I mentioned that I have a nervous breakdown scheduled for sometime before November 1? Seriously people. Sick babies, ENORMOUS pressure at work, 90 calls/ decisions a day about the house {not to mention that after a couple of good weeks of progress they didn't hit a lick at a stick this week!}...November 1 cannot come soon enough.

Meet Buck

Brandon hunts. It's caused minor issues, but in all honestly, I have never had a major problem with his hunting. Being a wise old married woman, I realize that it is really important for spouses to have hobbies other than one another.
I've taken on his hobby with some personal interest. I certainly understand the sport more than I did before I met Brandon. And I like venison {even though I originally just tried it to impress Brando} Brandon is a very ethical hunter and he likes the sport of it. He primarily bow hunts. Actually in the nearly 9 years I have known him, I think he's only taken a gun hunting twice. I've felt the defeat he feels each time he goes out and comes home without having gotten a deer, specifically a buck. Since we bought this farm four years ago, Brandon has cultivated the deer population. He has created "food plots" and tried very hard to manage the land so that it is a desirable habitat for deer. He has several "game cameras" set up around the property so that he knows what kind of deer are out there. Over the last two years, he has been getting pictures of several very nice bucks. Until this year, he has not considered them "shooters" because he tries to be very selective and only kill large bucks. He has wanted to let these deer grow, mature and mate.
So he decided this was their year and he's been ready for one of them since bow season opened a few weeks ago. But every time he has gone out to hunt, if he has seen them, they have been just out of range. Until tonight!
I'm so proud of him! Ellie was THRILLED. Tim's nephew Luke who is almost three is here visiting from Alabama with Meme and Jack so Luke was really excited to see the deer as well. When Brandon rode up on the four wheeler with the deer on the back, Ellie said "Look at that thing Luke! We're gonna eat him up!" Awe she makes her Daddy proud. And her Nana cringe! LOL!