Soccer is in full swing!

Today was Tucker's second soccer practice. I think that out of all of the sports, he loves soccer the most. He loves football and basketball, but part of the reason that he loves those sports might be due to the fact that his daddy was a phenom in both of those activities. Tucker always wants to make his daddy proud, so he tries his hardest at those two sports. He has played soccer since he was three, and he truly has a passion for it. There are two main reasons that I think make him love soccer so much:
1. He loves to run and chase people, and vice versa.
2. He loves to chase a player down with the ball and kick their feet out from under them and take the ball, and get applauded for it instead of admonished.

Tucker is so aggressive on the soccer field that parents around us even comment on how good he is at defense. If a player on the other team his the soccer ball and they are running twenty yards in front of him, Tucker will break out of the pack and be on that player before he knows what hit him and then Tucker will usually take possession of the ball. I love to watch him play. He laughs and smiles the entire time. He is very happy on the soccer field. I think that he is going to be a soccer player, and a swimmer when he gets older. He is a very strong swimmer due to his endurance and love of the water. I am proud of him, as you can tell. I will post some pics from soccer soon. I won't get to go to this Saturdays game because I have to work, but I will get Brad to take some pics. Thankfully his practices are on a Tuesday, so I get to see him play then. Connor is much easier to control on the soccer field as well. He plays ball behind me inside an unused goal meant for high school players. I can actually concentrate on Tucker most of the time. I also make sure not to talk to any mommies while I am on the field. I got scolded by Tucker on many occasions last year for "talking" instead of "watching"during practices.

One new cute thing that Connor has started doing this week is that you can tell him he can have "just one" of something and he will hold up his finger and say "one". Also, if you ask him if he loves you he says, "Nooooo." with this cute little grin on his face. He keeps doing that to you until he starts laughing at himself. He has also started acting out the "I love you" song from Barney. He surprised me with this on Sunday night when the song came over he gave me a hug during the words for hug, and a high five for the best friend part. That was the SWEETEST thing he has ever done!!! He is just getting cuter and cuter every day, I am so blessed with all three of my boys!!!

Spring, a season of new beginnings

I just finished planting the flower garden that surrounds our mail box. After two and a half hours of hard work, I am exhausted.

I am the first one to admit that I am not the best gardener. My mother and grandmother, as well as my stepmom are all blessed with the green thumb. I on the other hand, have a black thumb. I enjoy planting flowers, and looking at them after they have been planted. My problem with gardening is that it requires you to remember to water the plants that you have planted. I have a short term memory issue, and am also pretty busy being a mom, and am not the best at remembering to water my plants.

Planting flowers brings me a good deal of joy. I love putting my bare hands in the dirt, no gloves for me, and spreading the soil around to make room for new flowers. My fingernails resemble those of an animal after I have finished planting, but the dirt comes out after several washings and an occasional scrub with an old toothbrush.

My mother in law, who I will now refer to as: She Who Will Not Be Named, is a "Master Gardner". She took the course and everything. Those people who live in her hometown know that she is out on the streets inspecting plants, and supervising teams of workers on a daily basis, all without pay. She Who Will Not Be Named believes that she knows the best color combinations, flower arranging techniques, and planting secrets that know one else could possible understand or know about.

When Brad and I were first married, our little house in Crestline Park had a iron window box which hung below our bedroom window. I could not wait for the first spring to plant flowers in that window box! As soon as it got warm, I went to Lowe's and picked out my flowers very carefully, choosing all of my favorite colors, red, blue, lavender, and yellow. I chose different types of flowers, some that would spread and hang over the box, others that would sprout up toward the sky and I would be able to see them from inside our bedroom. There was also the most beautiful Hydrangea bush underneath the window box. We had compliments on that Hydrangea every time we had a gathering at our house. I have a particular love of Hydrangea bushes, due to the fact that my Granny, who was a good Gardner, had Hydrangeas planted all around her house. I loved walking through the yard in the spring time looking at all of those beautiful blooms, my favorite was the lavender ones. When the blooms began to fall, I would pick them up and place them in a small shoe box, for a keepsake. The Hydrangea bush underneath our window box was the lavender color that my Granny grew, which made me love it even more.

One day, in late August, I was putting Tucker down for a nap inside the house and heard voices from underneath my bedroom window. She Who Will Not Be Named had come to our house for a visit. I walked outside to find SWWNBN and my husband digging up my hydrangea bush! I was shocked and dismayed by the sight and asked why they were digging up our beautiful plant. SWWNBN replied that the bush was throwing off the "symmetry" of the house and needed to be moved to the side of the house. Now, I have said before that I am not a master Gardner by any means. I do read Southern Living, and from the authors of that wonderful magazine, I have learned a few things about plants. One of the lessons being that you are not supposed to transplant any bush during the summer or early fall. It is guaranteed not to make it if you move a plant during this time frame. Knowing that my hydrangea was doomed, I watched as they pulled up the beautiful bush and moved it with the help of the wheelbarrow to the side of the house next to the carport. I silently told the Hydrangea that I was sorry, that I had no control of what had happened to it. Sure enough, by winter, it was dead as the grass that surrounded it.

The people who had owned the house we live in now, had been avid gardeners. They had a "salsa garden" in the back yard, and a beautiful front bed around the mailbox as well as a Azalea garden. When the flowers started to die in during the first fall that we had lived in our house I went to Lowe's and bought some pansies. I love pansies. They are so colorful in the fall and early winter, and bring a little bit of joy to the falling leaves and bareness that comes with that season. I bought all of my favorite colors again, and spent hours planting them under the mailbox. When I was finished I was so proud of my work that I took a picture.

Two months later, it had not even begun to freeze outside, I came home from work to find She Who Will Not Be Named at my house. She had pulled out all of the pansies in my mailbox garden and they were scattered in the yard. I asked what she was doing and her reply was, "They are about to die anyway, I brought some more flowers for this garden that will look better and last longer." I silently watched again as she replanted my garden, that I had been so proud of, and simmered deep within.

So, as Chicken Little says, "Today is a new day!" Brad and the boys are in Noxapater visiting his Memaw and I had all afternoon to myself after I got off from work at 12:30. The thought occurred to me that this would be the most opportune time to plant some new flowers around my mailbox. I normally do not have the time to go and pick out flowers and plant them, when I have the boys at home with me. I went to Lowe's as soon as I got off from work and loaded up a cart full of flowers, reds, yellows, purples, azure blue, and a lovely fern. Don't ask me what the names of these plants are, I couldn't tell you. I picked them by their color first, and then by how much sunlight they could take, and how much watering they needed. After I got home I unloaded all of my flowers and potting soil and walked over to the mailbox garden. The plants that SWWNBN had planted were dead, and I couldn't wait to pull them out. She has been planting that garden every season for the past four years, before I ever get a chance to do it myself. I started out with my garden spade, trying to get out some sort of tall monkey grass she had planted. I went and got the garden hoe from the garage and started hacking at these plants that were in the garden, with so much voracity that I was sweating. Then I walked back into the garage for the shovel, to get one bush out that she had planted whose roots were too deep for the garden hoe to reach. The next thing I know I am jumping up and down on the shovel, lifting and pulling the bush until finally it ripped free. I threw it behind me and attacked the "ground cover" that she talked about so often. Again, I had lost myself in my vigorous task, I was pulling at this ground cover with strength I did not know that I had possessed. With each handful of plant that came out, a little bit of aggression from my body was released. I pulled and threw the plants over my shoulder until I had completely cleared that garden of every speck of green. All that was left was dirt. I took the garden hoe and hammered it into the soil and pulled back the dirt until it looked new. Then I planted my new flowers. I didn't take a picture if it this time, but I am still proud!

Valentine's day surprise, Forrest and Polly's party

Brad Boswell gave me the surprise of the century when he orchestrated a romantic night out for the two of us on Friday, Feb. 13th. I came home from work that night to find his parent's van parked in front of our house. I knew that his parent's were coming to watch Tucker's basketball game on Saturday, but I was under the deception that they were coming on Saturday morning. Therefore, when I saw the van, I just assumed that they had changed their minds and came to spend the night.
Following the normal hellos, and how are yous, I mentioned that we could all eat the Taco Soup that I had prepared on Wed night for dinner. Brad casually said, "You and I could go to dinner if you wanted to." I asked if he was sure and looked at his parents to make sure that they were okay to watch Tucker and Connor. Everything was a go, and I went upstairs to change shirts. I had been through a day from hell at the branch and was very tired, so I didn't feel like fixing my hair or dressing any nicer than I already was. I was wearing my glasses due to a cornea problem that I have been having and I must say, the glasses do not help me achieve a sexy look.
We got into the car and started toward Greystone, a nice area of Birmingham. Brad mentioned going to Wing's to eat and I was fine with that. I am not hard to please at all when it comes to eating out. As long as I do not have to cook it and clean it, I can eat anything, anywhere.

He turned into a newly developed shopping area that was on the way to Wings. He is a property accountant and is always talking about this new property being developed by this company, and so on so I didn't think anything about him saying that he just wanted to check it out. There are several nice little boutiques in this development and an Edgar's Bakery. There is also a very nice Italian restaurant that my friend Margaret Ann and her husband have eaten at before and raved about. Brad suddenly pulled into a parking spot and announced that he wanted to "check out" the bar inside this extremely nice restaurant, Bellini's. I said, "Ok, that sounds good. But I think it is expensive?" Questioning him to make sure that he knew what we were about to walk into. As we approached the door I saw the chalkboard sign read "Make your spring reservations now" and thought, oh well, we won't get in here tonight. We walked into the door and the Maitre De' asked "do you have a reservation" to which Brad immediately replied, "Yes, Boswell for 8:15" At that point I almost fell on the floor. That is when he announced that this was part of my Valentine's Day surprise, and that there was more to come!
What came next was a beautifully delicious dinner and a romantic atmosphere. He had planned the evening down to a tee. After dinner we went to see the Liam Neilson movie Taken, which was phenomenal. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.
Brad created the sweetest memory for me this Valentine's day and I will never forget his initiative, planning and sensitivity that night.

The next evening we attended an engagement party for Brad's friend Forrest and his fiance Polly. Brad's parents had driven our boys on over to Columbus after Tucker's basketball game, and when I arrived home after work we were able to pack and take a little cat nap before heading to Columbus for the party. It is a good thing that we got the nap because it took all the persuading and strength I had to get Brad Boswell to leave that party at 3:15 in the morning. He had a great time with his friends, but paid for it the next day, and unfortunately missed a trip to see his Memaw and Meme and Doyle. Tucker, Connor and I went to see the great grands by ourselves and had a great time. Memaw was disappointed that she didn't get to see Brad but I assured her that Brad and the boys would be over to go to the catfish opry with her on a Friday after Tucker's basketball season is over.

Tucker is turning into the sports enthusiast that Brad has always dreamed of. Tucker doesn't think of seasons in terms of Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring. Instead he remembers them by what sport is played when. He announced after the last flag football game that he played that it was now time for basketball, and then when it got hot, he would be ready for soccer. We are probably going to get involved in the swim team at our YMCA. He loves swimming and takes to water like a fish. I am ready for summer too. I am excited that this will be the first summer that I will be able to be at home with the boys 4 days of the week! We will have loads of fun and I can't wait for the memories we will make!

Up late again

Here it is midnight again, and I am in front of the pc writing. Brad has been asleep for a long time now, and I am quite sure he can here my typing in his dreams. We had the computer in an office once, that was the dining room, and now, it is a playroom. That my friends is called "good use of space" and I don't even appear on HGTV.
Anyway, one of the reasons that I am still awake is because I have been talking with a dear friend through facebook tonight. She is a couple of years younger than me and a truly remarkable girl. She has three kids and is suffering from Chronic Lyme Disease. Her case is even worse than most chronic lyme disease patients because her case was diagnosed very late. This young woman has gone through so much in this life, and through it all she remains strong and faithful to God and his Word. Her name is Crystal, and if you are reading my blog, and you are a person who believes in God Almighty, please lift her up in prayer. Her bone marrow came back clear and she hasn't been on antibiotics for about three months. All of that is good, but she had a set back today and I am praying that is all it is, a set back. I believe God is using Crystal as he has used others, to show that He is still in control of us, and that He still performs miracles every day even when we are not aware. She has a caring bridge site: www.caringbridge.com type in southernbelle28 and read her story. You will come away from your computer screen with a new out look on life after you read it, trust me.
Nothing exciting to type about the Boz household today except that I went to the Dr. today and my pink eye is slowly fading. He said I can wear contacts again Friday. Praise the Lord. I hate my glasses right now. Oh, and for those of you who are wondering:
Brad graduated with his accounting degree!!! We received his diploma in the mail on Friday. Funny thing though, it reads, Bachelor of Science, in the school of Business. Well, that is funny because his diploma from Mississippi State reads the same darn thing. After checking his official transcript from UAB to make sure that he has an accounting degree, he found out that no diploma actually lists what it is you graduated in, that being your degree. My question to universities every where is this: WHY NOT? They need to realize that corporate America doesn't give a darn that you have a BS, BA, they want to know what your degree is in or you don't get a high paying job. Needless to say, the diploma from UAB will not be hung on the wall in a frame. But the transcript might.

The need for hand sanitizer

I have never been a sickly person. I grew up in a smoking household, so I got my fair share of sinus infections, and colds, had my tonsils out when I was 8 years old and of course had tubes put in my ears as a baby. Other than those listed, I have never been sick very often. Until I started this new part time job at the bank. In the last six months I have been sick three different occasions, and each illness lasted for two or more weeks. I had two really bad colds, got a staph infection on my toe, and now I have contracted pink eye.

I haven't had pink eye in a long time and did not remember how much it hurts.
Let me tell you now, it hurts like hell, and I am talking Dante's Inferno type hell.

Brad and I had our anniversary yesterday and celebrated over the weekend by going to the movies and dinner by ourselves Saturday night. My eye had been red all morning Saturday and one of the girls that I was working with even said it looked like pink eye. I told her, "No, it doesn't hurt, I think it is just an infection from my contacts." So much for my keen sense of intelligence. That afternoon, Brad and I were sitting in the movie theatre watching Valkyrie (which is VERY good by the way) and my eye started tearing up, tears were pouring down my cheeks. Thankfully it was dark and no one could see my eye dripping. We went on to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, which is also darkly lit. We ate dinner, and my eye stopped dripping. As soon as we got into the car to ride home, the pain set in. It felt as though there was a piece of sandpaper stuck onto the inside of my eyelid. Every time I blinked, my eye would pull inward and the pain would make me flinch. We stopped at a drugstore to get over the counter drops because I wasn't about to go to an after hours clinic with all of the drug addicts in this town and pick up another bacteria. I went to sleep with my eye still oozing and hurting, but not too severe.

Sunday morning I woke up in misery. My eye was swollen completely shut, my nose was stopped up and my throat was sore. I told Brad that I would be making it to church and asked for a cold wash cloth and some Aleve. Then I fell asleep for three more hours waking up at 11:00 which is a miracle in itself. Finally around 2:00 I gave in and called our family doctor who by the Grace of God called in a prescription of antibiotic drops for me. They helped but not enough. I am finally feeling better today and had to go to work yesterday with pink eye because the stupid people there are just, well, stupid and wouldn't let me go home. So, in a very non Christian like way, I hope that they all get pink eye and walk through the inferno as I had to, only maybe they will get scars on their feet from the coals. I don't like ignorance, in fact I detest it, and that is a very bad fault of mine. I am working on it.

I have come to the conclusion that all of these years I have been working in a very clean corporate atmosphere with professionals who were also clean people. I am also OCD when it comes to germs, and am a frequent handwasher. Just ask the lady that used to manicure my fingernails when I had the money to get them done on a regular basis. The skin on my hands is as dry as a piece of paper. Now that I work in a branch as a teller and have to deal with the general public two and a half days a week, and count their gross money that has been Lord only knows where, I am getting sick more often. I can't wash my hands after every customer, I can't even use my wet wipes or sanitizer after every customer. My immune system is just not what I thought it was. It has disappointed me but I am sure that it will rebound soon. Until then, I have to stay well! I can't take care of these three boys (Brad included) in my life when I am sick all of the time.

Well, now that my rant is over I am going to go and make Brad and Tucker a lunch for tomorrow. Speaking of jobs, I have to say that a mommy never gets a day off, and her job is much more like a 20 hour shift than an 8 hour shift. There is no monetary payment given to a mom for her time or her talents. However, there is one thing that I am certain of and it is this: There is no greater job than being a mom, who is blessed with the ability to stay at home with her children even if it is only three days a week. I would not trade all of the money in (France? US doesn't have any so don't want theirs) for what I get to do every day. I have waited 6 long years to be able to wake up in the morning and play with my child during the early morning hours, eat lunch with him at our table in the kitchen, (even if it is a lean pocket and chips and not an extravagant lunch out) and then be able to hold him in my arms until he falls asleep for his nap during the day. I am only sad that I was not able to do this with Tucker. But the 5 years that I got to have him all to myself makes up for the additional time at home that I get to spend with Connor now. I hope that every stay at home mom that I know realizes how very lucky, no change that, BLESSED we are to be able to be with our children every day.

I look back on all of those days that I had to take Tucker to daycare in the morning, waking him up early, rushing around the house, shoving food in a bag for his teachers to feed him when we got there, and walking down the hall listening to him crying because I was leaving him all the while knowing that I had no choice but to keep walking. That is what I did, I kept walking, and praying that someday, it wouldn't have to be that way anymore. Beth Moore said something in a Bible study that I was in this morning that really hit home. I can't remember it verbatim, but it went something like this, "God has a purpose for each of us. We don't know what that purpose is, sometimes things do not go the way that we plan for them to go. We don't always get what we pray for when we pray for it, because it all falls into His plan and His purpose for us. Not ours." I will never fully understand why things happen the way that they do, but I believe in God's Promise to me that he will always love me, take care of me, and be here for me when ever I need Him. For right now, that is all I need. Thank you God, for my life, and all you have blessed me with!

Happy 2009!

Wow, where do you start when you haven't posted in over three weeks? Well, I guess I can start with Brad's tonsillectomy and the reparation of his deviated septum. He did pretty well, considering that his entire nasal cavity was probed, prodded, sliced and stitched. The doctor that performed the surgeries is a friend of Brad's that he met while playing basketball at the Jewish Community Center here in town. The fact that the doctor knew Brad personally was a comfort for me, and he spent a little extra time talking to us before and after the surgery. It took about an hour and a little change to complete both procedures. The amount of time was disconcerting to me because I was told that it would be a 45 min. deal, tops. When the doctor came out to talk to me he said that Brad's tonsils were some of the largest that he had ever seen and that his septum was in one of the worst conditions he had ever seen. He told me that it was a challenge to rebuild the cartilage in between the nostrils so that the tip of Brad's nose would not dip onto his upper lip.

Post surgery was pretty tough on Brad the first day after the pain meds wore off. My dad and Jackie kept Connor for us at their house so that I would only have to take care of two boys, instead of three at one time. I was worried about Tucker seeing Brad with his nose bloody and bruised, but Tucker was not phased. He and Jake both saw Brad that first day and neither of them were scared by his appearance, in fact, they thought that he looked pretty cool. Of course they would. Anyway, once the Hydro Codene wore off, he was in pain. I believe the nose hurt him worse than the throat at first, then vice versa. The coolest, and most gruesome act of the entire saga occurred when I took Brad to have the stints taken out of his nose the following Friday after his surgery. When the doctor told us he was inserting stints into the nostrils to hold up the new cartilage, both Brad and I pictured those little pieces of cardboard that you hold in your mouth while you get an x-ray at the dentist. So, to watch the doctor pull a 4 inch long, two inch wide piece of thin plastic out of my husbands nostrils, on both sides, was surprising to say the least. One might think that a non medical person as myself might be grossed out by this. Quite the contrary, all I could say was, "Cool! Did you see what he just pulled out of your nose?" Yes, I am not a very empathetic wife. I was not thinking of the fact that Brad was only slightly numbed when these apparatus were pulled from his skull. He nodded yes, and then the other 'stint' was pulled out. He looked at them for second before we walked out of the room and almost threw up on the spot. I still thought they were pretty awesome. The doctor said that people have no idea how large the nostril cavity actually is, and he is right.

On to Christmas. Very busy, very hectic, but enjoyable. Thanks to some awesome friends and new customers to my business, I was able to paint enough lap trays and picture frames to pay for both Tucker and Connor's Christmas gifts! It took me about three weeks to get them all done, but I was happy with the results and I certainly hope my customers were as well. The Lord was there for us again, because had it not been for those orders, I don't know what we were going to do. It is so true that He will always provide, no matter what. Not that my kids needed toys for Christmas, but He still found a way to make sure that we had groceries in our pantry and food on our table instead of us spending it on the toys. God is good. So good.

Brad's parents actually spent the night with us on Christmas Eve, and Tucker loved having them and Uncle Bryan here to see all of his and Connor's gifts. Connor got a really cute toddler bus that he can sit in and ride through the house or in the yard. It is adorable to see him riding in it, and he is becoming a better driver every day. I am just glad that I know how to fix the new notches in the walls that he is making. Tucker got every Star Wars toy known to man between Santa, and his Grandparents. I swear, that child is going to be speaking backward like Yoda soon. Brad received enough gift cards to Dick's Sporting goods to buy me two new Life Is Good T-shirts to go with my new running shoes that my mom gave me. He is planning on purchasing a mountain bike with the rest. lucky dog. I also got two gift cards to book stores, one of which I have already depleted, but am looking forward to reading all of my new books!!!! I am currently reading The Black Tower, and it is very good so far. There is a lot of French terminology in the text but I am slowly getting through it. :) Should have listened more to that French teacher I had in high school. Hindsight, you know what they say. Great, now I sound like Yoda. I had better stop writing for now. The bed is calling, as well as my book and I need to finish a chapter.

Another week down, where does the time go?

This week has been a good one, but stressful, and short. Brad took his final tonight in what we hope will be the LAST class that he has to take at UAB to get his Accounting degree. Most of you already know that Brad has a Business degree from Mississippi State. After college, he was blessed with a job as an accountant with Saks Incorporated. It was during his time at Saks that he realized that accounting was where his interests were and he was encouraged by his boss and friend Rod to go forward and receive his degree in Accounting. Like most occupations, accountants must have a degree in accounting in order to be paid what they are worth. Brad has been very blessed in the last four years to have received good accounting positions, with decent salaries without his degree. However, to advance in his career he had to finish this degree. It has been a very long four years for all of us, especially him. In the beginning, he only took one class at a time until he realized how many years it would take him to actually finish. Then he started taking two and three classes a semester, on top of a full time job and a family. I really do not know how he did it. I look back at all of the long nights he spent at work, and then came home to study and admire his determination. I would not have the patience that he has had to go through all of this for four years, but thankfully he is not like me. If he passes this last class, which I really believe he will, we will be free of text books and nights during the week without him while he is sitting in a classroom at UAB. I am praying that he will find out his grade soon, and that it will be good.
He and Tucker are downstairs right now watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars, that is their thing to do on Friday nights. I am supposed to be down there as well, but had to write for a few minutes. Tucker gave me permission to read my book and not watch the movie, but I must be in the chair down in the den with them. He really does not like it when I read, Connor doesn't like it either. I only grab my book when they are playing with each other or watching a movie. Somehow, they can be engrossed in their own activity, and the second I sit down in my chair, arrange my blanket across my legs and open my book, I have two little faces looking up at me inquiringly as if saying, "What do you think you are doing mommy?" Connor will go as far as to close my book on me, sometimes losing my place, which is pretty frustrating when you are reading a 1000 page book! That is why I reserve my serious reading for after 9:00 when the boys are in the bed and I am free from interruption. My own ritual gets me into trouble when I stay up too late reading, as I did last night until 1:00 in the morning when I have to get everyone up at 6:15. I can function on 5 hours of sleep for one night, but add two or three nights to that and my brain turn to oatmeal. My brain is really runny oatmeal tonight, so I am going to go ahead and stop blogging before I start being redundant, if I haven't started doing that already.

If you are reading this, and you are someone who loves and has faith in our Lord, and knows our family, please say a prayer for Brad tonight. Pray that he will have passed his class and will be finished with his accounting degree. I know that there are other things that you need to pray for as well, but just this once, pray for my sweet, precious, loving husband who deserves this degree more than anyone else I can think of.

God bless you all, and to you all a good night!
April