Game Ball Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want to give a quick shout out to my little baseball buddy.  Yesterday Christopher played a fantastic baseball game.  He played short stop, and made three really good plays in the field.  He also had a good hit off of live pitching, and another hit off the tee.  All his great effort was rewarded with his very first GAME BALL from the coach!

Way to go buddy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so very proud of you.  You keep me young, and I am thankful every day of my life for having such wonderful boys. 

William

Enjoying My Kiddo Time

For 6 years now, I have been writing about my family, and keeping everybody who reads it, informed about our daily or weekly happenings.  Even during this difficult time, I have continued to do the same.  It is hard at times, but cathartic too.  I wish I could speak to all of you that read the blog on a regular basis, but since I can't, I hope my writing makes you feel like all of you are still part of my, and the children's lives.  I want to thank each and every one of you for taking time out of your busy days to stop by and gain a sliver of incite on our feelings and routines.  It still means the world to me. 

Lori's attorney finally sent over her version of the Final Divorce Decree.  It was a real eye opener.  I had hoped and assumed it would mimic the Temporary Orders that we both worked so hard on to approve.  It represented the sacrifices and compromises we made in the best interest of the children.  If it had, our divorce would be final now.  Unfortunately, it was much different, and many of the proposed changes were out of the question.  I cannot for the life of me understand why Lori wants to change our original agreement.  To do so, makes no sense at all.  I was extremely disappointed to say the least.

I of course had to make many changes to her "Final" version, and my attorney has been working on making those corrections and sending it back to Lori and her attorney.  It should happen today or tomorrow.  With my changes, I have tried once more, and for the final time, to be fair with my response.  In fact, I actually penned two different "Final" versions, and submitted both to my council.

The first version I submitted to my attorney mimics the Temporary Orders that Lori and I agreed upon.  When I agreed to the Temporary Orders, they represented the absolute threshold of my sacrifices and compromises.  Those compromises were done in the best interest of the children, and would allow Lori and me to move on gracefully and amicably with our lives.  If she accepts this version, which is essentially the same one she agreed to 8 weeks ago, our divorce will be final in the very near future.

If Lori declines the version that mimics our Temporary Orders, then she will receive my second, and final version.  It is drastically different than our Temporary Orders, and it will land us in a very long, expensive and drawn out court battle.  It's unfortunate, and for all of you that know me, the very last thing I want to do to the kids.  I simply will not have a choice.

The kids are, and have always been the most important thing in my life.   I have been their primary care giver for at least the last 5 years, and I will not sacrifice any additional time away from them.

So, there you have it.  Not an encouraging update on my life, but as always, I have hope.   Anyway, on to some more positive things.

This was my weekend to have the kids.  It looked like both Aidan's and Christopher's ball games were going to be rained out on Saturday, so since Lori would not be seeing them on that day, she asked for a bit of extra time Friday.  I, being the kind of person I am,  said yes.  Lori ended up dropping them off at my house around 6:30pm Friday afternoon.

The rain that I mentioned earlier, actually started on Thursday night.  As a matter of fact, it actually started right in the middle of Aidan's baseball game.  Let me tell you, it was an absolute deluge.  Cats and dogs doesn't even begin to describe it.  Unfortunately for us, when the bottom just fell out of the sky, we still had a 500 yard walk/run to make to the vehicles.  Woo Wee, we got DRENCHED!    Soaked to the bone.  Not good, especially for Lori, who had come straight from work and was wearing a dress.  YIKES!

So, it rained all night Thursday and the majority of the day on Friday.  We really needed it.  It had been a long time since we had seen a rain like that.  Normally, rain like that is always a good thing, but like I stated earlier, it's not good if you are planning on playing sports.

Christopher's baseball game was cancelled on Saturday morning like we thought it would be, but his soccer game at noon was still supposed to be played.  Lori met us at the fields about 11:45am and the kids prepared to play their game.  After all of the teams arrived on all the fields (probably 20 teams), the geniuses in charge decided to actually look at the fields.  Well, what do you think they saw?  Ant piles......a whole bunch of ant piles on every field.  Now, mind you, these ant piles didn't just pop up in the 10 minutes it had been since we arrived.  No....I can assure you that they had been there all morning long.  Yep, it took hundreds of families to arrive, park and walk over to the fields, before the brain trust that is Frisco Soccer actually decided to walk the fields.  ALL GAMES WERE THEN CANCELLED!  AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!  NOT HAPPY!!!!!!!!

After we left the fields (angry I might add), Lori joined Aidan and Christopher and me for lunch.  We all went to MooYah burger, and feasted.  The boys absolutely love their hamburgers.  We left there full and happy.

Later that day, I decided to do something crazy.  Aidan and Christopher both received gift cards to ToysRus from Kenny and Hailey for their birthdays.  For some insane reason, I decided to take them to the store on a Saturday afternoon.  For those of you who have been to a ToyRus on a Saturday, you already know how completely insane that store gets.  Kids everywhere you look!  Not only that, but more toys than you thought possible.  I swear I think Christopher touched almost each and every one of them.  1 1/2 hours after arriving, the boys had finally made their purchases.  Whew....that was a beating....

 

 

 After we got home, the boys were knee deep in their new prizes, and having a ball.

We got some pizza on Saturday night, and watched some fun movies.  We had a blast.

On Sunday, Aidan had baseball practice.  I took the kids to the field.  While Aidan made his way over to the diamond, Christopher made a bee line to the playground.

Lori met us at the field, and while I helped with practice, she and Christopher got to play on the MerryGoRound!  Wooo Hooo

It was a fun day for all, and we got some much need rest on Sunday evening.

I have the kids until tomorrow night, so I'm sure there are more adventures in store.  I'll keep you all informed, and hopefully have many more pictures soon.

William

P-A-R-T-Y T-I-M-E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last Friday we celebrated Aidan's 11th birthday at Main Event.  Aidan and his friends got to enjoy bowling, laser tag, and lots and lots of video games.  Everybody had a fun time.

For Aidan's main birthday present, Lori and I decided to get him a new mobile phone.  He's had his HTC mobile phone for over 2 years, and has never lost or broken it.  That is quite an accomplishment for a 8-10 year old kid.  His new phone is a Samsung Galaxy S4 Active.  It is really a cool phone.  You might have seen the commercials, praising its waterproof ability.  He can actually take it underwater in a swimming pool and take pictures if he was so inclined.  Obviously, he was ecstatic when he opened the gift.

We arrived at Main Event around 6:30pm and the kids all started bowling.  There were 12 of them there, so as you can imagine, it was pretty crazy.  They all seemed to have a really fun time.

After bowling, the whole crew, including Christopher "dead eye" Thornton disappeared into the laser tag battle room, and prepared for Armageddon.  30 minutes later they emerged from the front lines, smiling and sweating from their mini laser war.

Before video games, it was cake time.  Lori really outdid herself on his sugary delights.  First up was this delicious looking chocolate cake.

Next were the awesome MineCraft cupcakes Lori spent far too much making.

Enjoying a little brotherly love.

I'm not even sure what this is??????

Blowing out the candles!!!!!!!!!!

After everyone was filled to the brim with yummy cake, it was video game time.  All the kids had a fantastic time.

Here is Aidan and his brother sharing a scary interactive plane ride together.  Isn't that great!!

And last but not least, a very proud father hugging his birthday boy.  That is one handsome duo if I do say so myself........ ;-)

Another birthday past.  Wow, they are growing up too fast.  I still can't figure out how they keep getting older, but I do not..........amazing I would say!!!!

William

MonkeyBoy X11

11 years ago today I was blessed.  I did not know my purpose in life until I heard the faint muffled cries of the most beautiful gift a man could ever receive.  An Angel........A SON.

Since that day, I have worked tirelessly to help Aidan become a better student, a better athlete, a better friend, and an all around fine young man.  I have succeeded past my wildest dreams.

It's hard to explain the immense pride that I carry daily, knowing that Aidan is one day going to carry on the Thornton name.  I could not ask for a better thought to keep me going in these tough times.

Happy Birthday MonkeyBoy.  You are special.

I love you buddy!

William

A New Baseball Player, And A Proud Dad!

Last Saturday marked Christopher's very first baseball game.  He is participating in a "modified" coach pitch league, and it was a blast watching him play for the first time.  Obviously, most of the kids at this age are severely lacking quality coordination.  They sure try hard though, and I really get a kick out of being on the field with Christopher helping him learn the game I love so much.

Here is Christopher swinging for the fences in his very first at bat.

Here is Christopher playing short stop.  Yep, that's me in background showing his teammate Ethan how to get down on a ground ball. 

After the game we came back to my house to get Christopher changed into his soccer uniform.  His first soccer game of the years was also Saturday, and let me tell you, it was Africa HOT out there.  Bless those kid's hearts......they were suffering.  That, combined with the fact that one of the opposing players was the son of a major league soccer player, made for a very long day.  That boy was a true phenom.  Unbelievable.

I'm really looking forward to tonight.  Aidan has his second game of the season tonight.  They won their first last Wednesday 11-3.  I'll have pictures soon.

William

Dumbfounded

The impudence and audacity of some people is simply astounding.  I will never understand how some people go about their lives with so little regard for others.  I can only hope and pray that bitterness, that so readily rises from such circumstances, subsides before the point of disdain and contempt.  Unfortunately, I think after tonight, it's probably too late.

This blog will mark the very fist time in 6 years of writing about the family, and in 17 years of knowing Lori, I am forced to show or speak about her in a negative light.  It's painful, and makes me terribly sad to even comprehend. 

I have always taken pride in knowing that I have a soft heart.  I trust people.  Normally it's a blessing, but tonight it's a curse.  I trusted Lori one last time and it has cost me.  I really thought her word was her bond.  I took it to heart when she and I signed the temporary orders two months ago that we were trusting each other one last time, and after the divorce was final we would move on to our new lives.

Everything was going great, and the attorneys were drawing up the final papers.  I was finally going to be able to breathe a sigh of relief, and be able to pay my mother back for the unselfish sacrifice she made that allowed me to move out of our house, and into a new house.  A sacrifice that was made because of the amicable nature of Lori and my relationship, and the nature of the temp orders we signed. A sacrifice, that I'm afraid will now turn into a very real burden for her.  For that, I am horrified, and truly sorry.  I would never have let her help me if I had even the slightest inclination that Lori would change the agreement.  I feel terrible.

The call came out of the blue from Lori yesterday letting me know that she no longer agrees with our temporary orders, and we will be starting over from scratch concerning custody of the children.  She informed me that she would be seeking much greater custody.  What?  Is this some kind of joke?   What?

Nope, no joke, and I am almost as confused and disappointed right now, as I was the day she told me she wanted a divorce.  How can something like this happen?  We had a plan that was working.  She is a good mom, and I am a good dad.  Best of both worlds.  Sure the kids dislike not having mommy and daddy in the same house, but that is something that they are always going to have to get used to now.  She claims it's for the "stability" of the children.  Oh, this should make our situation much more stable.  Spending thousands and thousands of dollars in court and attorney costs over the next year and subjecting our friends and families to hours and hours of court interrogatories and hearings should do wonders for the kids "stability".

I will never understand this.  I will now be forced to fight tooth and nail for everything I can.   She will do the same.  Great.  Just what the kids need....to see us fighting with each other constantly.  Just what we need...to end up hating each other...perfect.  We were doing so well.  Really getting along better than we have in the last year.  Why now?........It really makes no sense.

She thinks the best thing for the kids will be to wake up in the same house everyday of school.   That would be great if we lived together, but to get that now would take visitation nights away from one of the parents.....meaning me!  That is what she is thinking.  What?  Like I'm just going to let that happen.  Of course I'm not.  No judge in his or her right mind would take my time with those kids away.  They need their father.  I have plenty in the bank to support the kids and myself until I find a good paying job.  I also have my home inspection business to fall back on.  That's not an issue, and certainly has nothing to do with the kids stability.  Nope not a thing.  Those kids will never want for anything.

So, now I have more stress than ever, and I will probably have an eternal shell around my heart for ever.  There is no way I'm letting anyone else in there.  Perfect...really appreciated Lori...... :-(

Hopefully her attorney will dissuade her from such a rash and unproductive action.  I am proud to say, that even though it would mean more fees and money for him, my attorney would.

William