We're Home!

I missed all y'all SO MUCH!

We left Thursday afternoon to go to Herrin and take care of Carter and Cade on Friday while Kathy had to take their mother to Belleville for a drug hearing to decide what kind of therapy(in or outpatient, etc). Herrin got snow, about 4 inches, but there's none in Belleville when we got back while ago. They left about 4 a.m. to pick Abbey up at the jail at 6 a.m. and got back home about 3 p.m. Abbey didn't try "to make a break for it" but they did let her call to talk to the boys and when I answered the phone and heard it was her, I had to think a minute on how I could rip those boys' hearts up talking to someone they had not seen in 3 weeks! I preached her a sermon on the mount about how lucky she was to get a 2nd chance, that she'd better do some tall thinking while she was in there and if she thought her life has been hell the last 3 weeks, just wait til she gets back to Kathy's. Kathy told her if she(Abbey) said it was raining, she would have to go and look as she has lost all credibility and trust with her. The drug evaluator said since it was her first offence she could do outpatient 3 days a week(HELLO? THE GIRL'S BEEN ON XANAX BARS, POT, METH AND ALCOHOL FOR A YEAR AND YOU WANT TO REHAB HER OUTPATIENT?) I think the family(Kathy and Abbey's dad) will be talking to the judge. So I handed Carter the phone and he said, "Hi MeMaw!(he calls Kathy this)" I told him, "No, babe, it's your mom." and he couldn't have been less interested. Usually he yaks incessantly on the phone with anyone but not this time. I prompted him into telling her what crafts he had made at daycare, etc. but he didn't have a lot to say. He gave me the phone and I asked her if she wanted to speak to Cade(who only says a few words but has been talking more since his mom has been gone) and she said yes, so I handed the phone to Cade and tried to get him to say his favorite new word "airplane" but he wasn't having it either. I told him it was mommy and he just looked at me as if to say, "You've mistaken me for someone who cares." and went back to watching Disney...I told her that he hadn't been up long(lie, but hey, I'm a mom and it hurts to be away from your kids even though she brought it on herself!) and it didn't seem to bother her that they didn't want to talk. Kathy called me right back and asked if the kids were crying or upset after talking to their mom and I said, "No. The only thing Carter said was, "Where's MeMaw?" and when I told him she was gone taking care of business he gave me a hug and went back to watching Disney."

When the snow stopped about noon, I put the car seats in the truck and Roger and I took the boys to McDonalds for lunch and to play in Playland. They had a ball. We then went to the store and got fish and stuff for supper(ever the Good Catholic girl) and went home where they went down for naps. My kids came by that night and Michael and Kiereney loaded the dryer Kathy gave us(her washer died so she got a new complete set last Sunday).

Michael's Spring break is on and he drove to Richmond, VA yesterday. We were truly blessed as he had a safe trip despite there being ice and snow above and below his route. He took the southern route--had he taken the northern through Indiana and Kentucky and W. Virginia, he would have had to turn around as the winter weather was brutal. He arrived safely and is having a great time reconnecting with his friends.

Yesterday we went to McDonalds and had a birthday party for Carter. Roger took a zillion pics but I'm gonna put up these two:




Blowing out his candle on the Cars cake Aunt Nessa and Uncle Roger got him. He LOVES Cars!



We are lovin' our brother's cake and practicing getting messy for our 2nd birthday in June. I didn't know whether to flush him or clean him up when he was done as he was totally covered in cake icing and ice cream!

After the party was over, Kathy and I had to go clean out the house Abbey rented and turn it back over to the landlord and then went shopping and I bought the boys Easter outfits. We went to the store and picked up chicken, carrots, green beans and potatoes and she cooked them in this type of automatic pressure cooker she got on QVC(Cook's Essential brand) and I want one!



It would take me forever to tell you all the cute things the boys did and said so I will spare you. Roger is down hooking up the dryer and I'm gonna give it a trial run!

The truck drove like a dream on the trip and the dachsies approved of their back seat accommodations. They spent the weekend with the kids at their house and they have been glued to my side since we picked them up this morning. They're trying to encourage me to get in the recliner so they can snuggle...told them I had to catch up with my blogger sistahs first!