10

Today Dawson is 10. It is so hard to believe. So many things have happened in our lives in 10 years. There was a time in my life that 10 years seemed like FOREVER. Like that endless time that would never come or happen. But today 10 years seems like yesterday. I can not imagine waking up and not having him around. Dawson is my boy that wears his feelings on his shoulders and wants to please everyone. He wants everyone to be happy with him and not disappointed. And very rarely are we. He loves to play sports, and wants to excel (to a fault), although he is stomping his fears daily.


Dawson makes friends easily and loves his family. He has long hair, that I can't stand. He is wearing contacts and has a retainer. He is growing up in front of my eyes and I am afraid to blink.

Dawson, I love you, and hope your day is great. I just wish I could slow down time, but I promise I will not take any time for granted!!!! Maybe the next 10 will be slower.....but I doubt it.

Forgot

It has been pointed out to me that I forgot a few things in my return to blogging.....My boys are lucky enough to be able to attend the same elementary school Greg and I both did. I have fond memories of HP and even after I left elementary, my mom still taught/teaches there, so our entire family is very familiar with the building. Probably too familiar. One of my sisters required stitches due to a accident while running in the building. My brother broke a window with a friend, and I am sure my littlest sister did something.......I am just not sure at this moment.

D is in 4th grade and has had GREAT teachers at HP. He amazes me each year what he learns and is able to be taught. This year he is lucky enough to be surrounded by two ladies that I love and adore, at least most days!!!! His teacher is a dear friend of mine and our entire family. She loves her classroom, and loves D. She has his best interest at heart and is not afraid to put me in my place if I am over stepping or being a little hard on him. ( I know you are surprised, that I would be hard on him). Ms. B is a great lady all around. She is a wonderful MATH teacher and loves to see her kids "get it". She knows what they need to know and how to teach it to them. One day when D is using math everyday, I know he will look back and Ms. B will be the reason!!!

D also gets to spend some time in my mom's room. She is the best reading teacher around, and I don't just say that because we are related.....You can ask most people around and they will save the same. D was not sure how he felt about taught by JoJo. He has a hard time separating what is expected in class and getting trouble by his grandmother......But half way through the year, I would not have it any other way.

C.B. is in 2nd grade and we are lucky again. He has a long time friend of mine as a teacher. We are the same age and grew up in Benton together. Many of you know, C.B. is a strong will child, to say it mildly, and I worry each year about his teacher and classroom. I want him to learn and continue to grow BUT I also don't want him to drive a teacher crazy, which I KNOW he is capable of. He has had a great year so far and I know we have Mrs. T to thank for that. She is open to anything that will help C.B. It is like he is the only kid in her class. I know she works extra hard and puts in lots of hours to make me feel so comfortable, and it does not go unnoticed.

Being a teacher is NOT my calling.......But for those special people that do it everyday, I can not thank them enough. They see my boys more hours in the day than me on occasion and knowing they are being loved and cared for AND being taught is a huge weight off my shoulders.

Ladies, I love each of you and can not repay you for the job you do.

Returning to the Blog

Well, I was horrible in 2010 blogging. I was spotty at best, well I am going to try to be better. I often look at other blogs and am very jealous. They look so cute and tell so much....I will probably never be there but I am going to try. And I am going to try to use it more like a journal, and be more about all of our family life and maybe not just about the boys and their craziness, although I know the only reason my sisters look is so that they can see what the boys are up to, and see current pics.....

So far 2011 has been fast and furious. I have friends that are hurting and having to struggle with parents that are sick, I have new, dear friends that are expecting babies, and I have been able to form relationships with new friends that I hope will continue to grow this year.

I spent my days making plans and chasing my boys, and I would not have it any other way. Over the next few weeks, my job maybe in changing in looks, like the days I work. I am some what stressing over the fact that I once again may after to leave before they get up for school and return when it is bedtime, but we will do it, and we will survive. I know God sent me to ACH for many reasons, I have learned SO many things. I have been able to use nursing skills, I did not even know I had. I have made some GREAT friends, that I hope I will have for a lifetime no matter where we work!!!! I have also learned to be more compassionate to parents of children that I take care of. No one ask to be there and they are stressed too, I should have known that, I WAS that parent once.

Greg is working and keeping this family a float. He works hard and probably does not get much in return. But he never complains (at least not to us). He is coaching both boy's basketball teams....Probably more than he wanted but he does great. And I think the boys actually like it, but they are not going to admit it. He is also getting ready for baseball season to start...he coaches C.B. there too.

The boys are of course just running wild. Both are doing great in school. Although they are SO different, they are the reason I get out of bed in the morning. D is mini me in the boy form. We cry reason and carry our feelings on our shoulders and they get hurt easily. C.B. is probably more like my sister Jill than anyone else. He is not scared of much and he is certainly NOT going to tell you if he is, but he loves his MOM and I cherish the moments he climbs in my lap and just hugs me.

Well, I hope this is the beginning of at least being a more productive blogger, and I guess I will add a picture or two just for Ninny!!!

Ditto....

I seem to started every post with apologies for not posting in a long time. I have no excuse. I get on the computer EVERY day. And I look at other blogs, I am just not motivated enough to type something on mine. So this is yet ANOTHER attempt to do better.
Lots of things are going on in the Ramsey House. Basketball season is all but over and Chase is gearing up for baseball. Dawson has decided not to play baseball, so he is going to play soccer again. He is very excited. I am a horrible mom and have no pictures of Dawson's team on my computer yet......SORRY D.



We have had a little snow this winter. The boys missed 3 days of school. Probably a first for them.
They had a big day sledding at Howard Perrin. The second day was beautiful, and not TOO cold, Which is a must for Chase.




I am not going to make any huge promises....But I will try to do better on the blog.

Frist Day at Disney

On Sunday we started off slow. We let the boys swim at the hotel, and then went to Downtown Disney. We had reservations for a late lunch at T-Rex. I found this resturant on line and thought Chase would love it and he did. There were dinos everywhere. We witnessed a meteor shower and the loss the of dinosaurs.


We are not sure who the random child above Matt's head is but our family had a great time.






After a little time at Downtown, we headed to Magic Kingdom. Where else do you start a Disney vacation.
We ran for the first ride we could see, maybe not the best idea. We rode Stitch's Great Escape. It was an Alien ride the last time I was at Disney. I thought since Stitch was involved it would be low key and something the boys would love. Boy, was I WRONG!!!!! They were both not very happy and I was worried we had scared them for life on the first stinking ride.

Good for us, they got over the trauma as soon as we found Splash Mountain. Both of the boys were all about that ride. We watched the Spectro-Magic Parade and then the boys and Mom and Dad called it a night, we did have 6 more days of fun!


Magic Kingdom was open until 3 AM on that Sunday so Matt, Amanda, and I decided to get a few more rides in.

Disney

We had a Great Thanksgiving week. The boys and I went to Disney World with my mom and dad. Matt and Amanda went as well, and Jill and Vicki meet us on Wed. We left Benton on Saturday morning and drove to Memphis to catch our flight. The boys had never flown before so they were pretty excited.

This picture is just as our trip started. I don't think we got one in the car on the way home, but trust me we all looked a little more tired.















As we were getting off the plane in Atlanta the pilot let the boys in the cockpit. Just the thought of one of them flying a plane scares me to death.





We spent most of the day on Saturday traveling. So on Sunday we got up and started making GREAT memories.

We stayed at All Star Music. The boys loved swimming in the piano pool. Although we did not spend too much time hanging out in the hotel room, it was nice and just what we needed.

Little Vacation

We have life long friends/family that live in Houston. Debbie, aka DV, and Stuart, aka Stu-rat, have been in my life since I can remember. Their daughters Amber and April are my longest known friends. Amber and I are the same age, just seperated by a few weeks. April and Jill were also close in age. April was born with Cystic Fibrosis, and in 1998 she lost her battle. There are lots I could say about April and what she taught me, but I will save that for another blog.

Today I want to share about our little summer vacation. Mom and I took the boys to meet Amber and her sweet girls, Kayla and Taylor, along with DV for a little hang time. We started at a camp site at Lake Livingston. YES, I said camp site.


Everybody had a GREAT time. The kids play so good together. Even though they are only around each other a couple of times per year. But they love each other, just like Amber, April, Jill and I did.
We had a great time. The kids went fishing, which was Chase's highlight. We spend some wonderful quality time just being togther. After our camping adventure, we drove into Houston for a couple of days. The kids swam and we went to the Children's Museum.
We made lot of memories, which the boys still talk about. We all had a great time.