Could you spell Paraphernalia without a spell checker? Correctly?

Whew. What a weekend! Need TMI? : ) We've had baseball, soccer, and the HOGS football!! There's been so much!

First was Clay's baseball game (in which he had a slide-into-home-plate run!) (which helps us get our money out of those sliding pants under his baseball pants that you can't even see!). Ethan successfully climbed the bleachers (!), whined to go play on the Park, desperately wanted popcorn, a drink, spilled my drink, wanted his *Clay*!, etc.

Then, we made it to Sam's, and they had Chester Cheetah outside, free Cheetos paraphernalia (which made it to our house..), a football throw, AmAziNg barbecue from Damon's BBQ (a vendor outside)-there was so much we couldn't made two meals out of all of all the ribs (FaLL of the bone-tender, seriously) and pulled, smoked pork. Then after an hour or so we made it inside the store to all the yummy samples (I just Love Food Day!), but I was too full to eat (note to self: game days are Food Days).

Last night, we did NOT make it to the great tailgating party that was at Pratt Barn, and was so cool! We are uncool (and have kids). We did, however watch the Razorbacks vs. Georgia Bulldogs (and were sad they didn't WiN!), at the same time as Minority Report and Sweet Home Alabama (yes, all at the same time!). We were up until MR went off at 12:12 last night (this morning!). We should totally not do that. We do it every night. I'm usually in bed by 11, then Ches moves his big eating party to our bed (yes, includes sandwiches, chips, cottage cheese, and ice cream in FRoNT of me!), and watches Jimmy Kimmel (and he DoeS make me laugh!), but last night we pulled the triple header, and we were so tired this morning!

I think part of it was Mary Claire. She was so low all evening. She was between 48-88 all evening. I was giving that girl free juice, sugar tablets, popsicles, and she was still staying low! We also turned down her pump's basal rate to 0% almost all evening. She was still dropping! I think I learned from it though. (Was there ANYthing good to come of it?) I think her basal is too high, even though her doctor thought it was too low in March. And I think her bolus ratio for food in the evening is too low. I think that might be why we have so many problems with irrational (unreasonable) blood sugars in the evenings (usually 9pm-12am). When her basal drops down at midnight to about .25 units an hour, I no longer have to worry about her. So, I'm still learning, five and a half years later. . .

Today, was church, and the first day of PRE for the kids for the year! Mary Claire was most excited, since this is the year she'll make her first communion! She just can't wait! : ) Sweet girl. Clay was only nominally excited, as he's peaked for a while. He did have fun in class since he found fellow boys to horse around with. (I did note the preposition, but it works for me)

Then, we had the seating dilemma. We don't really have a pew staked out, per se. We just sit in the same general area every week, and our church can get full. So. We planned (well, Ches planned. I really don't care. Really.). He dropped me off (not at the door I requested), and I went to get the kids from their rooms (two different buildings, but I got to see old friends!). I was supposed to take them to church, get Ethan from Ches, and take him to the nursery, all the while Ches would save us seats. Well. When we (me and oldest kids) got in there, Ches was alone! Come to find out, Ethan pitched a big ol' fit about No Church!! Play! so he didn't even bother trying to explain that I was going to take him to play, he just took him. (Yes, I know, it's going to be rough when he transitions back into church with us, but it works today, and I'm all about making it today.) So, we had seats, even room next to us, so crisis averted. : )

Today, my kids made a Space Ship out of all the tubs I bought to clean out their closets! I'll post pictures if I can get my camera battery charged enough to upload the pix! They are having very loud fun (which is almost as good as sneaky, quiet fun) since people get to know how great it is!

Ches' Biggest Issues:
Travel (includes, but is not limited to: car traffic on busy/game/event days and Wal-Mart employee traffic to Bentonville around 8am and toward Fayetteville after 5:30pm; plane travel: making it to the airport, getting through security, getting to the gate, food at the airport, getting kids through the airport, getting internet at the airport, parking at the airport, getting a rental car at the airport, getting a big enough car at the rental location, finding our way around a new city, finding the hotel)
Food: having enough (must go to grocery store multiple times a week, must always have Breyer's neopolitan ice cream, fat free cottage cheese, Hiland fat free milk, Coke bottles (small, 12 oz), his Diet Dr. Pepper cans, Diet A&W Root Beer cans, Sugar Free popsicles in Fruit Flavors, Tropical Flavors, Sargento cheddar jack cheese sticks, Smucker's grape jelly in the upside down squeezy bottle, Reduced Fat peanut butter, crackers, bread or buns...) Missing these items involves a trip to the grocery store. Even at 10pm. Must go to grocery store immediately after landing in a new city, usually before the hotel. Takes snacks on every road trip (even on the way to church-10 minutes away, on the way to take Clay to a practice, or on the way to the grocery store), Takes food to the movies (even though he buys popcorn and Coke every time)
Ok, I should stop. It's getting longer! : O

We asked the kids what they really wanted for Christmas, as they are old enough to only get one nice present, and we're tired of traipsing all over town for every little adorable thing to come along (And they're rooms reflect it!). This year, we started earlier than usual (we're usually done by Halloween-it works well for planning, but not so much for budget since we miss all the sales). Clay has decided on a Nintendo (I think) DSi (and he wants Mario Bros. game with it-yes, he called it bros. rather than brothers!), and Mary Claire wants either at DSi since she can play games AND music with it, or a pink iPod nano (and if she gets the DSi, she wants the Barbie horse game). So, I told them that now we've discussed it, and shopped at Sam's, we shouldn't speak of it anymore. Well, Clay was *game shopping* today, and locked up Ches' computer!

Clay: But, Mommy, I was just...
Me: No Buts. No more speaking of it, or it won't be a surprise on Christmas morning!
Clay: Ok, but don't forget Mario Bros!