A second morgage and a new suit

My husband had a monumental day yesterday. Besides the fact that he spent more money on clothing attire then ever on himself he has now entered the professionally dressed (might I add snazzy dressed) clientele! Being a teacher for his professional years has not required much dressing up. He has his jackets mind you, those that are more of the "professor" look if you can imagine. He does have that black suit that one must own once they reach 21 years of age (unless your parents are members of a country club I assume) but even that suit was handed to him by I think my grandfather who passed away - that's sad huh?
The occasion you ask? We are attending a wedding in North Carolina. It is my family's side - enough said. No, really... He's been to weddings before without a suit I'm sad to say but honestly we never thought much of it. Now that we are maturing in age (35 is approaching soon enough - ha ha) I figured it was high time my fine man got himself fitted for a suit. And so the journey begins...
We visited one store going out of business and were greeted by an 18 year old looking boy in blue jeans and a tuxedo vest I think, with acne all over his face - WHAT? I had a bad feeling already! They only gave us 4 choices and I wasn't impressed so we soon left.
Then we went to the real suit store - I'll leave out names for lack of desire in giving them free advertising (they should pay us for as much as we paid them!)
We were greeted by a handsome looking character in a full suit! I felt at ease right away (I should have felt for my wallet right then!) He looked at Nate and said let me guess a 42? something something (I can't remember all those measurements). He was right on! Well, to say he took care of us would be an understatement. We were swept off our ignorant suit searching feet and whisked away into the world of good looking men! Nate looked great in most anything but we had our eyes on a summer suit. So, cotton - clean cut - light colored - it was! Then, b/c it was buy one get one free (which Nate reminded me we were really paying for two suits if you thought about the prices at the other store) we started in for the second suit. After about an hour of searching, comparing colors, whispering, asking the young man his opinion - me talking way too much and giving out more then needed to be told information (like, well you see my husband is a teacher so he hasn't had to wear many suits) and (gosh is that the MOST expensive suit you have? Could we look at one a little cheaper?) I don't play around with these sale guys - no matter how cute they come across! Come to find out poor suit salesman was a college dropout, 2 year Navy Seal discharged on medical leave - now salesman all at the ripe age of 23. He got really excited when Nate started talking to him about wanting to wear a sear sucker suit. Sale guy said "Oh I have one of those too - I wear it to my PIKE (frat.)party every year to celebrate the South!" We got a good laugh out of that - but didn't buy it!
Well, I only left Nate for 20 minutes after the 2 suits were chosen. He was to get sized by the tailor while I fed Elizabeth in the van. I look through the window at one point and see Nate and the sales guy looking over a table. What are they doing I wonder? I go back inside to see if I need to rescue my now sharp looking man only to find about 20 shirts and ties with shoes and socks color coordinated displayed for him to choice from. WHAT? I saw it in his eyes...I was too late. He was hooked into the suit trance of the now Jedi sales guy! I tried to break the trance only to get sucked in myself for about 15 mts. Once we had been shown everything a decision had to be made. I could tell my man was emotionally involved now. I didn't want to hurt his pride in front of now the sales guy and the designer girl! He came to for a minute and chose one shirt and tie that matches both suits instead of two shirts and ties (even though as the sales guy said it would be a better purchase b/c of their sale). But then when he tried to get Nate to pick out the socks he wanted - I had enough...I said "boy you are a good salesman huh?" He thought I was serious and thanked me while I looked at Nate with my most evil eye and said "don't you think you have some socks already?" The trance was broken and Nate came too. He said he didn't need the socks and that would be all. When we checked out Nate looked at me and whispered "don't ever mention the price of these suits out loud again okay?" I laughed and told him not to worry b/c he would be buried in the suit! He then replied "oh no, you make sure it is an open casket ceremony so you can reach in and take the suit off me for Eli!" An exciting day - a handsome professional looking man for my family to see in North Carolina - and now two suits that will be written into our will for the boys! Pictures to come later...

Mother's do know best!

It was on Monday...I picked Ian up from school and noticed he was holding his arm funny. When he got in the car I immediately asked him what was wrong and he showed me his torn Star Wars shirt. He had jumped out of the swing at school and gotten his arm caught in the chain (I assume?) and hurt his arm. I was a little taken back that the school had not called but he told me he didn't tell his teacher it hurt. So, I tried not to make a big deal of it since we were going to the doctor that afternoon for a sinus infection checkup anyway. Ian was really quiet that afternoon and sat around on the couch. Nate and I both weren't too upset though b/c Ian wasn't complaining. I take him to the doctor and start out the checkup with his cold symptoms - yes, he needs a z-pack. Then I ask him about a lingering rash from some poison ivy that is all over his stomach - yes, he needs a steroid lotion. Oh, and please look at his arm b/c he jumped out of a swing and said it hurts. The doctor touches his arm and right away Ian tears up. Then the doctor says oh yes, he needs an x-ray. After the x-ray sure enough the Dr. says Ian has a buckle fracture. The best kind of break you can have but still a break. I even said at one point "Now, I"ve never had a kid with a broken bone but oh, it's not really broken." He said "oh, it is broken..." Me: "But what can he do and not do? Like can he ride a bike, jump on the trampoline?" hee hee... Doctor: "oh my, no he can't jump on the trampoline. Ian, don't jump on the trampoline! But he can ride a bike!"
Best part - this is the only break that they allow you to wear a soft cast, which means we can take it off in the bath tub. And we let Ian play in the water yesterday and the cast was fine - dried great outside! Only three weeks and we check to see if it's healed. If not - HARD CAST! And of course right after the check up we are going to Pigeon Forge to play at Dollywood's water park! HEAL ARM HEAL!!
He is a trooper though - no complaints still and is handling the trampoline time out like a champ (that is all my boys do outside!)
Lesson learned: Mothers...children can break their bones when they jump out of a swing! (I've been telling them they would do that everyday when they try to do Olympic high jump contests off our swing set and they just laugh at me!) Mothers do know best!

A girl's weekend getaway

Well I've talked about it for a long time (literally years). What? Getting away with my mom and sister for a girls' weekend of course. Scheduling, babies, work, husbands - you name it - but finally my sister and I told my mom that we were going to do it and we're doing it on Mother's Day weekend. So, baby and all - we planned to meet to get away. It started out big...we were going to go to some far off city to be pampered but then reality hit. We got real - how long would it take to drive there, what do we really want to do - how can we make the most out of our time together? So we settled on Franklin, TN. (just a sweet 40mts away from my city) It was perfect. It was close enough for Nate to keep Elizabeth most of the day and then he was so sweet to drive her to me in the afternoon. We were able to eat out lunch (baby free) and shop like crazy - first the famous consignment store my mother always brings me designer suits/dresses from - and I got a beautiful linen pants suit for half off $7.00 - that's right 3.50! And a seersucker pants suit (for $5) that I need to lose a few inches in the trunk to wear - but really folks - $5.00!
Then of course we had to hit Kohl's! After we got Elizabeth we crashed at the hotel for sister girl to take a nap & for us big girls to have a coke and cookie! Then back out to eat pizza buffet at Guidos, which was great! We finished the night off with a little shopping at Target like any good woman should do when out on the town! A little iron board cover and vacuum seal storage bag, along with a bag full of baby food! Good times...good times! Back to the hotel where again we had big plans for a late night movie in the room. But after Elizabeth was asleep and everyone started showering we settled in the bed together to show my mom how to really use her face book page! That was fun until I couldn't stay awake another minute (yes, it was a late 9:30pm at least) and I crashed in one bed - only to wake up about an hour later to yell at my sweet girls to "go to bed!" Then I rolled back over in my huge queen size bed with about 10 pillows all to myself and dreamed the night away!
Good times with my big sister girls and baby sister girl! Nothing like it! (until we do it again next year - right ladies?)