It's OVER!!!

Once again, remember, spelling and typing - not my strong suit!

At long last the FallFest is OVER. After much tribulation on Friday and Saturday, it was a success. I am able to say that now due in part to the fact that I've slept for the first time in several weeks and because the children's faces and delight made everything worthwhile.

Garrison getting his face painted


Kmay in the obstacle course


Me getting my face painted


Here is the detail. As of 3:00pm Friday afternoon the Fall Fest was off because someone on our board forgot to turn in the necessary paperwork to shut down the street. For two hours over 43 email bounced back and forth between all the parties trying to determine if this was taking place, being postponed, how much money we were going to lose or if we were just going to cancel the entire event. I was on the phone negotation with all the entertainers to move the deposit and no sooner had I gotten and oral agreement to move the deposit and hung up the phone, than and other email flies up that the Asst. Mayor and the Fire Chief had approved the street festival without the permit being signed! Talk about scrambling! I was back on the phone making sure no one had rescheduled. Mind you, this is less than 24 hours before the event.

After all that was done, I went to Party City to reserve the helium tank and pick up the balloons. Thankfully, they closed at 11:00pm and I was able to do all I needed to that night.
Saturday was a routine straight from "I love Lucy". Jen Newman and I proceeded to buy bails of hay, move a 150lb helium tank, buy 20 pumpkins and attempt to get all this back to the pool in less than an hour. No kidding, I blew up over 350 helium balloons on Saturday.

The Entertainment guy, who shall remain nameless, was providing 2 bounce houses, strolling balloonist, cotton candy machine and a nacho machine. He was scheduled to arrive at 1:00. At 2:00 pm I called and left a message, he called back and informed me that he was running extreamly late because he blew out a tire. He would arrive a little before 3:00 pm.
At 3:10 I started calling again because the festival started in less than an hour. When I got him on his cell phone, he hadn't even been back to the wearhouse to get my stuff! Freaking out, I started loosing my cool. He then informed me that he had dropped the cotton candy machine and it was broken. So no cotton candy. My reply, "Just get your butt over here ASAP!!!"

At 3:45, My phone rings again. I am lying on the grass in front of the pool trying not to have a heart attack while my neighbor's 13 year old daughter says, over and over, "This is terrible!!! The whole party is ruined!!! What are you going to do, Stephanie???" I answer my cell and this guy says that he's blown his master cylindar on his car and can we come get the stuff!!!????
I didn't stop to yell I just ran for my car, called to the others to get the truck and follow me.

He was at an Exxon station about 2 miles from the sub-division. We loaded up, went back, blew up the equiptment and had a great time! I took my anti-anxiety med's as soon as I got back to the pool!

After the party, which really was a blast, we wnt over to a friends Halloween Party. They had terrific decoration and everyone was in costume but us. I did have a unicorn on my cheek from the face painter but no actual costumes. (Sean had a dragon on his cheek.)

We fell into be about 11:00.

Sunday, was church, where my children actually wore their costumes to Bible school because I was too tired to fight them and the church festival was after services. Almost all the kids friends were there and they had an awesome time.


Kamy in the bounce house


Two Cinderellas, Kamy and her friend Avery.

Today was the class parties and then of course the trick or treating. We have a neighborhood hayride that all the kids pile onto and ride from house to house. The kids had a pretty good time until the wind would blow. It didn't help that it was about 50 degrees out. Several time Garrison would just sit down on rhe sidewalk and say he couldn't go anymore. Kamdyn just walked from house to house with the determination of every two year-old and smiled and loaded up on the candy!

We got home and they poured it out all over the floor and laid on it. Kamy nearly fell asleep. She had 4 tootsie pops opened at one time and still nearly fell asleep!


All are in bed now and the house is quiet, except the occasional cat hiss and dog bark. I get to reflect back and think to myself, "I am so darn tired! But it was worth every second and I'd do it all over gain just to see the looks on my children's faces."

They will be little for about a half a minute and then it will be gone. Garrison starts kindergarden next fall and his whole world will change. Daddy and I are conflicted and we pray daily that we are making the right impressions and doing all that God would have us do to plant the seeds in his litttle heart and soul for tomorrow when he's too cool for mom and dad.

Kamdyn is still little and has a bit more time to learn and grow before the world calls on her. Do you ever ask yourself, am I doing absolutly everything I can to get them ready for the world? Everyday I pray for that little person out there that will becom my son-in-law and my daughter-in-law. Are their parents doing the same and asking the same questions?

Tomorrow I start my new job with Tickelopes and I'm back in the workforce. A new dynamic for us to get used to. It will be good!

Keep on praying, friends!

Tomorrow is the main event!

Excuse to type-o's. I never actually passed typing.

This is the kids school picture for this school year. Garrison starts kindergarden next Fall. They look like such big kids. I makes me a little wistful...

After no less than 25 phone messages and at least 100 emails we are on for the First Annual Fall Fest in our sub-division. It has been like an act of congress to get this thing approved but after special dispensation from the Mayor himself we are all a go. To say the least I have been on "pins and needles" for the last 48 hours.

Currently, in the French household, we are all sick! Bronchitis has taken ahold of both of my children and I'm sure Sean and I have the exact same thing. I have no voice and am "doped-up" on cough medicine.

Lets see, what has happened since my last blog... Garrison has had a terrific October at school, Kamdyn has also had a good month. We have had school pictures made (see above). I have a new job with a company called Tickelopes (www.tickelopes.com) as a consultant designer. I will continue working at Sunshine School when they need me but I'll be dropping Mothers-Day-Out on Tuesdays. So I'm not totally insane I am dropping one of my "duties". If I survive this weekend and the festival, then I'll be a whole new person. The kids are excited because they will get to spend every Wednesday with my mom and that will be my official work day. This will help our finances tremendously!

What is a tickelope? You have to check out the websit and see for yourself. It's much too hard to explain in the blog. It's a whole new (patented) take on the greeting card. Im thrilled about it!

My Mother's friend, Paula, has been moved to another big hospital in Downtown Dallas and they have developed a plan of action for prolonging her life and enhancing the quality of it. It's amazing what a change of scenery and a new doctor can do for a person's hope. Things are looking a tad more positive. Her condition is still grave but her attitude has improved 10-fold! EJ is due to have her 2nd baby boy, just any time, and Paula has that to look forward to as well.

Today, my good friend Traci rescued me and the kids by taking us to get my van at the train station (Thank you Traci!) I am getting ready to go to Sams (sick and all) to buy the candy and sodas for tomorrow. I keep telling myself if there are balloons and cotton candy people are bound to be happy right? I've giving them bounce houses and nachos and a professional photographer ta-boot! We are going to have a good time and that's the end of it. Afterwards Sean and I are going to a Halloween party (grown-ups only). It's been very hard to find a costume for Sean but, after many terrifing trips to various halloween Spirit stores, we have settled on, Black Eyed Peas! Sean will wear his normal clothing with the Letter P added to the shirt and a black eye. I will do the same. Or I'll be just a tad bit more creative and be a
black-eyed-susan. I know not very creative but when your husband is 6'9" tall it makes things tough!

Wish me luck tomorrow. Say a prayer and hopefully I'll be alive Sunday to enjoy my non-committed status for a while!

Enjoy!

I'm loosing my mind!!!

Just to make you smile!
This is a picture of Garrison when he was only 4 months old.

It's been a week since my last blog and for good reason. I've been busier than a one-armed paper-hanger in a hurricane! PFTH projects, meeting with a company about the future of PFTH and possible consultant opportunities, planning the Fall Fest, watching Cinderella 10 times, starting a new long-term sub-job, keeping Mothers day out, and being as sick as I've ever been with a stomach virus, TWO weekends in a row!

The kids have faired pretty well through me nervous breakdown last week. In the middle of all that I managed to finish their halloween costumes and they turned out great. Garrison is going to be Arkantos, a mythical (and totally fictious) Atlantian hero from his favorite cumputer came, Age of Mythology. He is now an expert in Greek Norse and Alantian Mythology. Remember he's only 4 and this is what he'd ralther do than play outside or throw a ball. I'm raising a computer geek just like his daddy. He and his dad and our closest friends went to the Stars Hockey game last night at the MAerican Airlines center and he is talking about it a lot this morning.

Kamdyn is going to be, you guessed it, Cinderella and she insists on wearing it every time the movie is on, which is pretty often since it's new. There is a lot of spinning and singing that goes along with the routine. She has also managed to find all the Beanie Baby mice (3) in the house and they are her "friends" that she pushes in the grocery cart. Her cosutme was purchased but as per my M.O. I've embellished it so it's got more sequins and bows on it. It's it makes it another three weeks I'll be shocked. If it's torn, we'll just tell everyone she is Cinderella,
pre-fairy-godmother.

Garrison has been a little better at school. We've been working on listening and responding the first time. I have been giving him time warnings like, "two minutes until you have to stop." He seems to understand that concept and we've also startd rewarding the positive instead of focusing on the negative.

This parenting thing is really tough stuff and not for the faint of heart!

My mothers friend Paula has asked me to do the flowers for her funeral. Of course, I'll do anything for her. I cried and cried about that. My mom is holding it together pretty well even though Mis P asked her to help he pick out her dress for the casket. I think if mom doesn't think about it than it makes it a little easier to deal with when she is confronted with a decision.

I pray that no one gets the "garbage" I had on Friday night. I'm still sick but not to the extent I was Friday. I'm a grown woman of 35 and I wanted my mommy! My kind brother-in-law went and picked them up and brought them to my house at 10:00 pm because I was ready to call 911! Sean and had taken the kids to Grandma and Papa's. In a way I am glad now that no one was here to see me in such a pathetic state. Mom Thinks I might have had food poisioning becasue of it's fast on-set but since I'm still under the weather two days later.

I'm thinking virus.

Well that is the most recent update in the insanity we call normal life. Cinderella is calling for her toys and I have to go run Garre off the computer. Until next time friends.....