Fashions by Ashton, Continued

Poop or chocolate?

Clothing optional in this hospital.

Fashion forward pairings, mixing seasons and occasions.

No costume makeup necessary when you're a gangsta.

FIRE!

 Yep.  You guessed it.  This post will be a ton of Halloween pictures.  C'mon.. You'd wonder if I didn't, right?  

FIRE!  Well, not even our fireman could put the hatred Reagan had for her original costume.  So she ruined my hopes of having a fireman and his dalmatian.  Ah well, sure made a cute monkey.  

Not to worry.  Halloween was still so so so great.  We asked friends to come over and trick-or-treat with us because our neighborhood is Halloween central.  Seriously, people ship in kids from around our country to pillage the Station.  All of the 10 kids had a blast marching around getting crack, I mean, candy.  It was the best Halloween I've ever had.

It's a Christmas miracle!  80% of our little monsters are looking at the camera and only 10% are smashing pumpkins!

 And both of my kids got a little action!

I'll see you at the crossroads

We're at a place that is difficult... and we're lost.

As a couple, we decided that I would stay home with the kids of course to save money on daycare, but also to help enrich our children's lives and our marriage.  It has been great.  It has been hard.

It seems like no matter how you work it, being an adult can suck sometimes.  I remember how terrible my parents were for making me clean up after myself and be home before the crack of dawn, and I'd give almost anything to be back in their house, living under their strict rules.  Those were the days...  (Also loved the days of uniforms, but I'll leave that out for now.)

Money is so tight for us that it is maddening.  I keep telling Jimmy that I wasn't made to be poor.  Not that I'm high maintenance, couldn't be further from it, but I have no clue how to save money.  I feel like an education and stellar work ethic should get you above poverty level.  Maybe just me on this one...

Jimmy's working like crazy.  Crazy.  So crazy that I told him with tears in my eyes tonight that I'm afraid he will die by December.  Every day off he's working alternative employment just so we can keep body and soul together.  I'm not exaggerating.  He's going without sleep so often that I worry every time he's on the road.  And I'm not a worry wart, so you gotta know this is serious.

So, it's 2:57 a.m. and I'm looking for jobs.  And finding nothing.  Wonderful...  This economy blows.

I have skills damn it!  Where are the jobs that have a purpose and in an industry I know something about? (Really should have gone to nursing school...)

Sure, the prevailing problem is availability, but I come with baggage this time around:

• I'm not 22 anymore, and while I am fully capable of working 80 hrs/week, I have no desire to do so.  I hated that about my last job.  
• I don't want a ridiculous commute.  Going back to my first point, spending two hours each day in a car is possible and in general, I enjoyed the alone time to think, but I don't want that anymore.  What a waste of time, time that could have been better served on my children, my husband, or for plain shavin' my legs.
• I want something predictable.  I've observed, for the most part, the more important you are, the more unpredictable your job becomes.  A year ago, I'd call Jimmy an hour before the daycare dash and tell him he'd have to break out of work to pick up the kids.  Yeah, that always went over well... (Am I trying to convey that I was important?  I'll let you be the judge of that ;-D ) 

So what's a gal to do? Hook?  You think there's a market for that in Richfield Station?  

Vegas baby

Earlier this month we went to Vegas for the first time, and it was so much different from what I imagined...

 One-eyed Pete and I were excited to see all that Vegas has to offer.  

Lucky for Jimmy, there's enough to see that one eye will do.

 

Who knew that really crappy limos can serve as taxis?

 Blatant nudity was expected, but to arrive in 20 minutes?  Now that's service!

  

 And some people played softball... 

 

  And Keshia and I did our best to enjoy the $7 pitchers...

                         

When we didn't win, we tested ways to lift team morale...  

All in all, we had a great time.  We're going back, by golly!  If you want in, you're more than welcome to join!

 

Masterpieces for Daddy's birthday

A salmon swimming up stream

Trevor, Ashton, and Joanna, who is Trevor's wife.

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." ~Albert Einstein

Ashton is incredibly agile.  He speaks very well for his age. He throws like a major league pitcher.  Ashton can run, jump, tumble like a child three times his age.    He has a wonderful heart and an easy sense of humor.  I swear, swear, swear he is a good kid. 

However, I am continually faced with the challenge of letting him be himself, spirited and boisterous, but well assimilated.  

We were at a park playdate on Thursday night and I was that mother.  While Ashton was on the play equipment, a man walked up pointing to Ashton and addressing all within earshot, "Is this anyone's child?"  What I wanted to do is say, "Hell no!" because I knew he wasn't going to praise Ashton's daring leap down the tallest slide.  But of course I answered softly, "Yes, he's my son..."

"Well, you need to watch him because he just hit my son, grabbed his face and pushed him down the slide. He's hitting and kicking and jumping in front of all the other kids in line"

"Oh my gosh!  I'm so sorry... ASHTON!!  GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!  THREE... TWO... IF I GET TO ONE, WE'RE GOING HOME!" Followed by a swift, choking grab of his shirt as he bolted away.  

I wanted to cry and probably would have if Jimmy were there (it's just safer when Mr. Macho is there to protect me).  I was mortified, but beyond that, I felt so sorry for Ashton.

If he grows and continues to be the bully, kids will start avoiding him.  I can already see it happening.  On several occasions kids have announced, "I don't want to play with the mean kid," or "RUN! The rude kid is coming!"  Even though he is young, at some point it is certain to damage his self esteem.   

I remember this happening to my brother. 

Trevor is a genius, but was misunderstood growing up. Kids can be cruel and somehow he was unable to crack the playground code.  He was just not like the mainstream kids.  The scars left by those formative playground moments ran deep and effected his self confidence for many years. Luckily, as Trevor grew to adulthood he learned how to harness his talents and gain self confidence, and finally everyone around him sees what I have always seen: the coolest guy on the planet. That said, it was a long and lonely process for all of us, especially Trevor; something I do not wish on anyone.  

At this juncture, I am lost as to why Ashton is so physical. Almost half the time we are with other children, he is attacking someone at one point or another.  

I've researched kids' aggression and reasons it might occur: dominance, verbal inadequacy, or ADHD.  

When I've talked about this with friends, I keep hearing the "well, he's two and a half," and "embrace what makes him different."  I get that he's two and a half.  I love what makes him unique.  But there has got to be a way to reign in his inappropriate violence.

No matter his personality type, he shouldn't kick two kids' asses in one trip to the park (Especially since kid #2 after face-grab dude was like 8 years old-- and this time it included biting).  

Is discipline the answer? I feel like all I do is discipline...  Can there be a greater issue rearing its ugly head?