I knew I wasn't taking crazy pills! At least not about this.

So yeah, we moved and stuff and things are everywhere and I can't find anything and blah, blah, blah but there are way more important matters to discuss here people. 

I am a migraine sufferer {not to be confused with surfer} and back in December my neurologist put me on Topamax.  Now this drug I take daily and it has a long list of side effects but I only have a few.  Now some might argue that the few I do get should trouble me but alas they do not.  That's right.  Alas. 

My hands and feet randomly go numb and I can get overly tired quicker than the average person should.  But when compared to pain rated 8 out of 10 every day, I will take numbness hands down.  At least I think they're down.  I can't feel them.  Kidding. 

But some people have horrid side effects on this drug and can't take it all.  Like they forget how to speak.  So comparatively I'm doing great! 

Except.

For about six months now I've been saying things like "Gee I'm shedding a lot".  {Yes I use words like alas and gee in everyday sentences.  Nerd.}  Or, "Check out how much hair I can get when I run my fingers through my hair" or "Hmm, feels like I'm losing a lot of hair lately".  But then it turned to "Um, I think I'm losing all my hair.  Seriously"  or "I don't think this is normal to lose this much hair everyday".  Only no one seemed to really be hearing me.  That or my hair problems don't really rate high on the scale of things other people worry about. 

I have always had really thick hair, as in I used to complain like some kind of idiot about how thick it was.  Oh poor me.  Well that was before.  I have like half left.  I kept trying to figure out what the culprit could be once I really decided that it wasn't just in my imagination.  I even looked at my medication side effects list but it wasn't listed. 

So I finally researched online and sure enough, it's apparently a huge problem.  Well crap.  The good news for me is that it will grow back but really??  Hair loss?  And I have a hard time believing that my neurologist didn't know about this little hiccup.  So I stopped taking the stupid medicine and call me vain but I really like my hair and don't especially want to go bald thank you very much. 

And honestly I'm nervous about starting another medication that could potentially have other or worse side effects. 

But at least I feel vindicated.  I knew I was losing all my hair and that I wasn't crazy! 

Too bad I was right. 

No pinochio nose here

I finally got some pictures of the kids' trip to Colorado and Missouri! 

I know, I know.  But hey, at least I have actual proof that they did go and that I didn't, I don't know, stuff them in the closet and feed them from under the door for two weeks.  So there is that. 



My Aunt Rhonda and Uncle Tim's ranch in Colorado




Aunt Rhonda!



I thought this was a river when I was a kid.  This picture kind of ruins peices of my childhood.



That dog rocks.  Seriously.



I'm pretty sure Dylan is saying "Good people of the creek, I implore you to cross before I venture over."




Cousin Talon helping them build a dam.  Because he's cool like that.





Mamaw keeping a watchful eye. 





Skipping rocks.





This picture right here sums up my Dylan's personality completely.  The dirt, the face, the tree, the shorts hiked up and he doesn't even notice.  I give you...my child.




Sweet Chloe :)  My neices are so beautiful!




Daymon knows how to pose for a picture.  Like a boss.




Sweet Laney :)  See, beautiful!




Yay cousisns!





Not so sure about this horse thing.




"I was born to ride!  Now where are the pesants with my cool refreshing drink?"




Awwwww!




Reading clues for the scavenger hunt my SIL and mom and brother made up for them!




How fun!




My sister Sheri with the girls, look at those pretty faces!




All the kids!  Dylan, Laney, Aliya holding Jett, Chloe, Elijah, Isaac and Daymon.




Fianlly, a decent picture! 

 Thank you Mike and Sarah for letting my kids come and stay and destroy and plunder and pilage for days on end.  I know it wasn't easy so I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Truly.  I love you guys.  And my kids had a wonderful time and adore your children and miss them dearly.  And if I'm being honest my boys miss your video games and their Uncle Monkey most.  Because nobody rocks the video games like Uncle Monkey. 

And mom, seriously, you are simply the bomb.  Hands down.  And always will be.  There is not enough thanks in the world for all the love you show your grand babies and unfortunatly you set the bar really high, so good luck with that.  For next time I mean.

Okay, I have to go because there is like dust in the air or something and it's making my eyes water.  Ahem. 

Packing is, what is word, lame.

So....this.

And this.

Oh and this.

But that was after trying this.

And unfortunately it didn't work.  Like at all.  What the?

It seemed to work perfectly fine for that Jennie in the bottle when I was little on that show. 

So I stumbled around for a while longer in this.

Until he kept getting underfoot and I realized he was crying out for attention.

I think he likes it.

Did she seriously just put a hair band on my head?

And this.

Okay, I can see you out there, are you going to keep letting her put human clothes on me like some kind of idiot?! Get over here and help me!  Honestly, I can't bite her, she feeds me.

And this.

Okay, now she's put underwear on me!  For the love of all that's decent! My thing is gone! I can't even get to it! Where did it go!  This is wrong on so many levels!  Someone call animal protective services!

This is so humiliating.  I have to just go lie down.  I can't even. . . 

My life is so degrading.  

You guys, I've found my calling!  No, I need more exclamation points here.  I found my calling!!!! 

I could totally start a business dressing up people's pets and making them feel more loved and valued and a respected member of the family. 

I think we can all see that this day has been a complete success and that packing pales in comparison to my dogs complete happiness. 

I feel so fulfilled. 

Sometimes I can't believe I have to come up with a title every time. Geesh.

As of today, all three of my offspring are in school once more. 

That is the sound of silence.  That is the sound of my kids not arguing over who has the iPad.
    
It is also the sound of my wrinkles getting deeper because I'm getting older yo.  I threw that yo in there in hopes it will hold any new wrinkles that are even thinking about forming at bay.  They'll be all "did you hear that?  She just said "yo".  Clearly we are in the wrong place and need to immediately migrate to the face of Jennifer Aniston because that's just not fair." 

My kids just keep getting bigger despite my near constant protests and by bigger I mean actually taller not just older. 

My youngest is now in fourth grade and I can remember truly liking boys in fourth grade.  Like liking boys in fourth grade.  Crap.  As soon as he figures out how cute he is I'm in trouble.  The last time I told him he was cute he said "Well just wait until I'm a teenager."  Thinking he meant he would be smokin hot or something I urged him to contiue and he said "Well, because I'll be so ugly.  Because I'll have zits.  All teenagers have zits."  At least he has high expectations about what is to come. 

He's totally fake smiling because he didn't want to take pictures. 

And then there's this. 

Who gave her permission to be so cute?

Even in a uniform she's adorable. 

And this kid.

 Well he started a new middle school and one would assume that he would be, I don't know, nervous or scared or slightly terrified, but not this kid.  When I dropped him off on the first day and asked him how he was feeling his exact words were "You know, mmmm."  With kind of a shoulder shrug thrown in.  The second day our conversation went like this:

Dylan: I have a job!
Me: What are you talking about?
Dylan: My friend Cameron has a job in the cafeteria and I asked if he could get me one too, so he had me wait outside a door while he asked and now I fold pizza boxes.
Me:  Did all this take place in a dark alley?
Dylan:  ......
Me:  You fold pizza boxes? 
Dylan:  Yes, and I get free lunch all year!
Me:  High five me right now you glorious child. 

So while in my mind the story would have been much cooler had there been a dark alley and a man with a mustache and a cigarette named Tommy the Gun watching the door, the fact that he would rather have a job folding pizza boxes to get free lunch than go out to recess is just plain awesome to me. 

I tried talking the other two kids into seeing if there are doors at their schools that lead to jobs but they aren't willing to try.  They're also not willing to hang out in dark alleys.  Whatever.  How do they ever expect to get ahead in life if they can't get over the fear of possible muggings and or stabbings?  I guess a career in social work is out for both of them.

As for me, well, I'm going to try not to think about the fact that in five years Aliya will be off to college.  And that if I slouch we're the same height and that I have to have her sit when I curl her hair because I can't see it all when she's standing.  Or that I didn't see the way the boys were looking at her at orientation night.

Instead I'm going to focus on the fact that we're moving to a different house in two weeks and I have exactly zero things packed.  Or not.  I haven't decided if I'll stress about it or not.  Stress causes wrinkles and I'm not doing that remember.  Yo yo.  Threw that extra one in there for good measure.

I didn't say when. . .

Before you call me a big fat liar, I would just like to point out that I am wearing my skinny jeans.  So, you're argument is invalid.  But yes, I did promis pictures and no I do not in fact have them.  For a number of reasons all of which I'm sure you will find boring but no less true. 

Hubby and I did have a zillion dates, some out and about romping in lovey land and others in the living room, me in my jammies while we munched on cereal and watched redbox movies wrapped up in a blanket.  Each date I would think about how I needed to grab the camera and each time I would get side tracked and forget.  My bad. 

Our kids got back from vacation and I could not be happier!  Feeling them in arms is like feeling like I can take a complete breathe again. 

My mom is better than I am and did take pictures, I just need to get them from her. 

As if you believe me. 

I can see you making those doubtful squity eyes. 

Well, to use that weird old expression, the proof is in the pudding.  So get your spoon ready.