The Dangers of an SUV

Let me start by saying I ALWAYS make sure I know exactly where all my kids are, and the neighborhood kids too, before I EVER back my truck out of the driveway! I have heard the horror stories, and I do not want one of my kids to become the victim of carelessness. No matter how much of a hurry I am in, I always take the time to make sure I know where the kids are.

That being said, Yesterday I was quite busy after the kids got home from school. I couldn't tell you exactly what I was busy doing. But I was supposed to pick Kate up from her friend's house at 4:30, and I remembered at 5:20 when we were getting ready to leave for baseball. Austin was finishing mowing the front lawn so I was going to hurry and get her from her friend's house, then come back and get ready to leave for baseball. I counted heads. Austin is on the front lawn with the lawn mower. His friend is across the street on his own front lawn. Shannon is in the house finishing her homework. Kyle is dressing for baseball. Kate is at her friend's house. Emily is in the car with me. Everyone is counted for, so I hurriedly back out of the driveway thinking Kate's friend's parents must wonder what kind of mother I am. Leaving my child an hour later than I said I would. I am flustered and my head is spinning. I never saw it, I never heard or felt the car hit it. It wasn't until I saw the look of shock on Austin's face that I realized, I ran over the garbage can full of grass clippings.

It had been sitting in the middle of the driveway. I knew it was there, but I forgot and I couldn't see it in my rear view mirror. The scary part was that I never realized I hit it. This was a big garbage can and it was full and heavy! It was bigger and heavier than a small child would be. It was a BIG reminder of how important it is to always be cautious when driving these SUV's. They are powerful machines!

A Nice, Hot Shower??

I sent the kids off to school this morning and took care of a few things on the computer. Emily started getting fussy, so I laid her in my bed for a nap. I have to admit, I was a little tired so I laid with her for a while. My husband called and said he was coming home from work early today and thought we could go out for lunch. I decided I couldn't go out without a shower, so I finished up what I was doing earlier and then headed to the bathroom.

As I got in the shower, I thought about how nice it is to just relax and enjoy a shower for a change. I don't have to hurry and get ready to go anywhere. I don't have any kids pounding at the door because they need to use the bathroom. I don't have to rush out of the shower to break up a fight between a few of the kids. I can actually ENJOY this shower! At some point I heard my husband come in the front door. I knew he had some things to do before we could go to lunch so I continued to take my time. As I finished my shower, I turned the water up nice and hot and just stood under it. I contemplated staying there until the hot water ran out. Then I noticed it! I felt something on my neck. It felt kind of like a "skin tag". I don't have any skin tags! I grabbed it with my fingers and gave a little tug, but it was attached to my skin! I pulled open the shower curtain and tried to look in the fogged up mirror. All I could see was a small dark spot on my neck. But I don't have any beauty marks there, not on that side! I screamed for my husband to come help me. He yelled that he was in the middle of something, and was I OK? I yelled back to him "Yes, but I think I have tick on my neck!"

My husband comes up to the bathroom, takes one look and so sweetly says "Yep, you sure do!". Followed by, "Where the He-- did you get that?"

"I don't know." I told him, "But would you please get it off?"

"I don't know how to remove ticks." he tells me.

By this point I am getting extremely upset about the fact that there is a BUG stuck to me. I am not upset at my husband who is remaining pretty calm, but moving much too slow as far as I'm concerned. I am just kind of freaking out a bit. I suppose by this point I may have raised my voice, though I was trying to remain calm. I'm pretty sure I screamed something along the lines of "I don't care how you remove it, just get this thing OFF OF ME!"

He did manage to find a tweezers and pulled the tick out, head and all. The nasty thing was still alive and wiggling in the tweezers. GROSS!

I have no idea where it came from and how it got on me. I remember that I put on my winter coat this morning when I took the kids to school. My coat had been thrown in the back of the truck where the kids have been throwing their baseball bags and other stuff that has been who knows where. The only thing I can think of is that it must have been brought into the truck from somewhere else, found it's way onto my coat, and ended up on my neck! But just thinking that it must have been there all morning without my knowing still gives me the shivers.

After my husband saved me from the tick, he decided he needed to get online to make sure he did everything right. We were reassured that he accidentally did everything exactly as he should have, except for one thing. Apparently rather than flush it down the toilet, we needed to keep the tick in a jar. This way if I develop a rash, weakness, confusion, shortness of breath, or paralysis we can show it to the Doctor. I'm not sure how that's going to help, but I'll try to remember that in the future. For now, I guess if I have any symptoms the Dr. will just have to take my word for it.

Mom's Overture by Anita Renfroe

If you are a Mom, or if you know a Mom you have to listen to this!

Words to Mom's Overture

For those of you who may have missed a phrase or two, I am publishing the words Anita Renfroe wrote for "Mom's Overture".

Get up now, get up now, get up out of bed.
Wash your face, brush your teeth, comb your sleepyhead.
Here's your clothes, and your shoes. Hear the words I said.
Get up now, get up and make your bed.

Are you hot, are you cold, are you wearing that?
Where's your books and your lunch and your homework at?
Grab your coat and your gloves and your scarf and hat.
Don't forget, you've got to feed the cat!

Eat your breakfast, the experts tell us it's the most important meal of all.
Take your vitamins so you will grow up one day to be big and tall.
Please remember the orthodontist will be seeing you at three today.
Don't forget your piano lesson is this afternoon so you must play!

Don't shovel, chew slowly, but hurry, the bus is here!
Be careful, come back here, did you wash behind your ears?

Play outside, don't play rough, Would you just play fair?
Be polite, make a friend, don't forget to share.
Work it out, wait your turn, never take a dare.
Get along...Don't make me come down there!

Clean your room, fold your clothes, put your stuff away.
Make your bed, Do it now! Do we have all day?
Were you born in a barn, would you like some hay?
Can you even hear a word I say?

Answer the phone, Get off the phone.
Don't sit so close, turn it down, no texting at the table!
No more computer time tonight!
Your iPod's my iPod if you don't listen up!

Where you going and with whom and what time do you think you're coming home?
Saying thank you, please, excuse me makes you welcome everywhere you roam!
You'll appreciate my wisdom someday when you're older and your grown.
Can't wait 'till you have a couple little children of your own!

You'll thank me, for the counsel, I gave you so willingly.
But right now, I thank you, NOT to roll your eyes at me!

Close your mouth when you chew, would appreciate
Take a bite, maybe two of the stuff you hate.
Use your fork, do not burp, or I'll set you straight.
Eat the food I put upon your plate!

Get and A, get the door, don't get smart with me!
Get a grip, get up here, I'll count to three!
Get a job, get a life, get a PhD!
Get a dose of ...

I don't care who started it,You're grounded until you're 36!
Get your story straight and tell the truth for once for heavens sake!

AND if all your friends, jumped off a cliff would you jump too?

If I 've said it once, I've said at least a thousand times before
That YOU'RE too old to act this way, It must be your father's DNA!

Look at me when I am talking, stand up straighter when you walk.
A place for everything, and everything must be in place.
Stop crying or I'll give you something REAL to cry about!
Oh!

Brush your teeth, wash your face, get your Pj's on.
Get in bed, get a hug, say a prayer with mom.
Don't forget,
I Love You!
***KISS***

And tomorrow we will do this all again because a mom's work never ends!

You don't need the reason why!
Because, because , because , because
I said so, I said so, I said so, I said so!
I'm the Mom!
The Mom, the Mom, the Mom! The Mom!
Ta-da!

Life Happens...

...And so does death.

As I prepare for the death of Gram, I have been looking for answers and explanations. Not so much the why's. We all know Gram is 89 years old. Her body appears old and fragile. For many months now she has fought the good fight. She has lived a very happy and fullfilling life. That's not to say she didn't go through any hard times. She just was always able to look beyond her troubles, knowing that God has a greater purpose for her and all of us. I think it is HER great faith that has brought me to where I am today. I am not afraid to let her go. I cry tears of sadness because I will miss her terribly. I cry tears of joy because I know she will finally be reunited with God, Aunt Dorothy, Brittney and all of those who went before her.

The answers I am looking for I have not yet found. What is keeping her here? She has said many times she is not afraid to die. Many of us have felt at one point or another over the past few days that Gram was trying to tell us she is leaving and that she is OK with that. Don't get me wrong, I am not anxious to get rid of her. I cherish every moment I have left with her. But I am anxious about not knowing when she will go. It is this anxiety that got me searching the internet for answers. I Googled "Death and Dying". Then I Googled "The Dying Process". I read a lot of interesting things, but I did not find the answers I was looking for.

I suppose there are no answers, and the best we can do is continue to be here for Gram and each other as long as she needs us to be. I find strength in Grams faith and knowing that one day I will see her again. And I suppose that is what draws me to the following story I found while surfing the internet last night. I would like to share it with you.

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!”

”Gone where?”

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!” there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: ‘Here she comes!”

And that is dying.

Henry Van Dyke

Poetry Wednesday

Here is this weeks winner for Poetry Wednesday. I hope the weather warms up again so the kids can STAY outside!

Out-of Doors

The kids are out-of-doors once more;
The heavy leggings that they wore,
The winter caps that covered ears
Are put away, and no more tears
Are shed because they cannot go
Until they're bundled up just so.
No more she wonders when they're gone
If they have put their rubbers on;
No longer are they hourly told
To guard themselves against a cold;
Bareheaded now they romp and run
Warmed only by the kindly sun.
She's put their heavy clothes away
And turned the children out to play,
And all the morning long they race
Like madcaps round about the place.
The robins on the fences sing
A gayer song of welcoming,
And seems as though they had a share
In all the fun they're having there.
The wrens and sparrows twitter, too,
A louder and a noisier crew,
As though it pleased them all to see
The youngsters out of doors and free.
Outdoors they scamper to their play
With merry din the livelong day,
And hungrily they jostle in
The favor of the maid to win;
Then, armed with cookies or with cake,
Their way into the yard they make,
And every feathered playmate comes
To gather up his share of crumbs.
The finest garden that I know
Is one where little children grow,
Where cheeks turn brown and eyes are bright,
And all is laughter and delight.
Oh, you may brag of gardens fine,
But let the children race in mine;
And let the roses, white and red,
Make gay the ground whereon they tread.
And who for bloom perfection seeks,
Should mark the color on their cheeks;
No music that the robin spouts
Is equal to their merry shouts;
There is no foilage to compare
With youngsters' sun-kissed, tousled hair:
Spring's greatest joy beyond a doubt
Is when it brings the children out.
-Edgar Guest

Easter Break!

I meant to post often over spring break. I thought we would be busy, and there would be plenty to post about. Well, I was right about one thing, we were busy. Let me give you the quick run down.




















First, we made cookies at Gram's house!

Then we colored Easter Eggs!

(It is quite an art form you know)

We had a lot of fun hunting for eggs...


























And enjoyed the company of family for brunch AND dinner!

We traveled back in time to the midieval days where we saw a live falcon presentation, a tournament with horses and jousting, and knights in a battle for glory!

We met the King
the Prince and Princess,

and our knight in shining armor, The Black and White Knight.



Did I mention we celebrated some birthdays?




Somewhere between all of that, we found time to enjoy some of the brief but beautiful weather outside. Now break is over and it's time to go back to school. The kids are disappointed but I reminded them we only have 2 more months until Summer Vacation!

Hug O' War

You asked for it, and here it is. The winner of my poetry poll. One of my favorites as well. For Poetry Wednesday, I give you...

Hug O' War


I will not play at tug o' war,
I'd rather play at hug o' war,
Where everyone hugs,
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles,
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.

-Shel Silverstein

Spring!

Finally! It feels like spring today! I slept this morning because I worked last night. But then we spent the entire afternoon and a good part of the evenining outside. We went to the park where all the kids ran around. It was crowded today, but who cares, we all had fun. Our park is split into two parts. One part has large slides and climbing obstacles for the bigger kids. The other part has smaller slides and swings for the little kids. Can you guess which park Emily had the most fun at? I'll give you a hint, it wasn't the smaller one. No, she wanted to run around with the big kids. It didn't matter that some of them were high schoolers. She was not intimidated. Of course I kept a close eye on her. But I have to say, all the kids at the park were well behaved. We flew kites, rode bikes, played football, threw frisbees. Thank God we finally had some nice weather for running around in. And the best part? Everyone couldn't wait to go to sleep tonight. Me too!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from my family to yours! This year seemed much colder than years before, but I suppose that is due to Easter being so early this year. I know last year was definitly greener than this year!



But we found ways to add our own bits of color!

Popcorn or Cookies?

Here is a recent conversation between Emily, Daddy and Mommy.

Mommy: "Emily get your coat on so we can go to Gram's."

(Emily lays on the floor with her blanket.)

Daddy: "Emily, Daddy is going to make popcorn. Do you want to stay and have popcorn?"

Emily: "Oh, popcorn?"

Mommy: "We are going to make cookies at Gram's."

Emily: "Oh, cookies?"

Daddy: "Daddy is going to make LOTS of popcorn!"

Emily: "Oh, lots of popcorn?"

Mommy: "We are going to make lots of cookies at grams and frosting too."

Emily: "Oh, cookies AND frosting? Oh-kayte!"

Emily puts her coat on and we leave. Sorry, Daddy but it looks like cookies and frosting beat popcorn!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I know St. Patrick's Day was 2 days ago, but that was Monday and today is Poetry Wednesday! So we'll continue the celebration a little longer with a little Irish poem.

There's a dear little plant that grows in Ireland.

'Twas St. Patrick himself sure that set it.

And the sun on his labor with pleasure did smile.

And a tear from his eye oft-times wet it.

It grows through the bog...

Through the brake, and through the mireland.

And it's called the dear little Shamrock of Ireland.

.

Welcome Anthony Louis!!

We are very excited to announce the arrival of a new nephew/cousin, Anthony Louis!! He was born on his Mommy's birthday, and weighed in at a grand 5lb 11oz. At a whopping 19inches, one has to wonder if he will take after his Grandpa! I know these numbers don't seem that big, but he did arrive more than a few weeks early. His cousins are thrilled to finally meet him. Shannon promises not to hold a grudge, even though he missed her birthday by 1hour and 21 minutes.

By the way, Happy Belated Birthday Jenny!

Loser

So I missed Poetry Wednesday. Sorry about that. I have appropriately selected a Shel Silverstein poem. Sorry, It's not Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me. No, instead I give you Loser.

Loser

Mama said I'd lose my head
If it wasn't fastened on.
Today I guess it wasn't
'Cause while playin' with my cousin
It fell off and rolled away
And now it's gone.

And I can't look for it
'Cause my eyes are in it,
And I can't call to it
'Cause my mouth is on it
(Couldn't hear it anyway
'Cause my ears are on it),
Can't even think about it
'Cause my brain is in it.
So I guess I'll sit down
On this rock
And rest for just a minute

-Shel Silverstein

An Irish Blessing

I had intended to write more this week, but as many of you know it has been a very busy week. It's late Wednesday as I am finally sitting to do my promised Wednesday Poem. In honor of Tommy Finnegan I bring you a prayer and an Irish Blessing.

God saw you getting weary,
He did what He thought was best;
He put His arms around you
And said "Come and rest".
He opened up His golden gates
On that heartbreaking day,
And with His arms around you
You gently slipped away.
It broke our hearts to lose you
You did not go alone;
A part of us went with you
The day God called you home.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

The greatest pain a parent can ever know is the loss of a child. My prayers are with Brian and Kathy as they begin this difficult journey. I only hope it is not too long before they can think of Tommy and smile without tears.

Poor Man's

My husband told me when we were married I had to learn how to make his mother's Poor Man's Casserolle. It was a regular meal in their home, and one of his favorites. It was either that or Tuna Fish Casserolle. Growing up with more than several cats in our house, just looking at Tuna makes me think CAT FOOD! The thought of actually eating the stuff is absolutely disgusting. Not only was I not going to learn how to make it, he is not allowed to make it in the house unless I am out of town. The smell lingers for days.

So I learned to make the Poor Man's, and it soon became a favorite in our house as well. Nobody complains about dinner when Poor Man's is on the table, and there is rarely any left in the pan when we are done.

At special request, I will share this recipie with you today. It is really simple, and even the greenest chef can produce a perfect dish. The ingredients are approximate, and can be adjusted depending on whether you like it more meaty or more soupy.

First, the ingredients:

1lb box of elbow noodles
4-5 10 oz cans of tomato soup
1-2 pounds of ground beef
approx. 16 slices of american cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles as directed on the box. while they are cooking, brown your ground beef. Remove as much grease from the cooked meat as you can. Then add the cans of tomato soup to the cooked meat. Reduce heat to low and allow the soup/meat mixture to simmer, stirring often so it does not burn. When noodles are cooked, strain the water. Then dump the noodles into a 10x14 pan. Pour the soup/meat mixture over the noodles. Stir in the soup until it is al evenly mixed. Level off the top of the casserolle. Then layer the slices of american cheese accross the top. Cover the pan with a larger pan or aluminum foil. (If using foil, be careful so it does not fall onto the cheese. The cheese will stick. using toothpicks can help with this) Let sit for at least 5 minutes or so. Serve with a spatula.

Do You Believe?

My 5 year old daughter Kate lost a tooth last weekend while visiting her cousins in Wisconsin. Knowing that the tooth was very loose and would most likely fall out while she was gone, I made sure her Aunt Cuckoo knew how to handle the situation. Kate was thrilled when she came home from her trip with not one, but TWO golden dollars from the tooth fairy!

A few days later, my oldest son Austin (11) was complaining that a loose tooth was annoying him. He kept wiggling it and insisting it needed to come out soon because it was bothering him. Well today, He woke up for school in the morning and PROUDLY announced to the ENTIRE house that he "knew there was no such thing as the tooth fairy and now I have the proof!" I knew immediately that this was not a good situation and needed to be diffused immediately. He declared that he had pulled out his tooth the evening before and without telling any one he put it under his pillow. When he got up this morning, the tooth was still there and there was NO money! I quickly and loudly explained to Austin that the reason he did not get a visit from the tooth fairy was because he stopped believing in her and this hurt her feelings. After all, how would he feel if no one believed in him?? I insisted he keep his mouth shut while he thought about this. A little later, I approached him in his bedroom and made sure he clearly understood that if their were any such announcements about the Easter Bunny, he could be certain that their would be no Easter Basket waiting for him Easter morning. I told him he had better stop and think about how he will feel Easter morning if everyone else has a basket and he doesn't. He admitted that he would be sad and his feelings would be hurt if he did not get a basket too. So I reminded him that he does NOT want to hurt the Easter Bunny's feelings by announcing that he does not exist either. We'll see how well this holds up over the next few weeks.

Too bad for Ausin. He still has several more baby teeth in his mouth and the way I figure it, he could have kept collecting until his two year old sister was at least his age.

Poetry Wednesday

Shannon has recently been given an assignment to do research and write a paragraph on a famous/important person. Coincidentally, the person she was assigned is one of my favorite poets, Shel Silverstein. As I thought about this, my thoughts trailed back to my childhood and how much I enjoyed reading children's poetry. I've decided to revisit this, and bring you along.

From now on every Wednesday will be Poetry Wednesday and will feature one of my favorite poems from when I was young. Many of them I still enjoy now.

The first poem I would like to share with you is the first poem I ever memorized and one of my all time favorites. I'm not sure what drew me to this poem. Perhaps it was just the free, careless feeling you get while reading it. I think I also loved the picture that accompanied it in the book I used to have. I don't know where the book is at the moment, but I can still imagine it. It was a picture of a young girl, all dressed up in a white frilly dress with a pick sash. She is sitting on an old fashioned rope swing tied to a tree in the countryside.

Anyway, here is your poem.

The Swing
How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantist thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside-

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown-
Up in th air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

-Robert Louis Stevenson

There's always a third option..

My husband was sleeping in this morning because he did not feel well. Perhaps he caught my cold?? Anyway, I needed to go to the store to do the grocery shopping for the week. Emily was in need of a nap, but rather than fight with a two year old I decided to give her an option.

"Do you want to go shopping with Mommy, or take a nap with Daddy?"

Knowing that she loves to go shopping and she hates napping with daddy I thought I knew what her answer would be.

I was wrong she replied quite simply, "I play Play-doh!"

I guess their is always a third option with a two year old.


p.s. Yes, I managed to skip the play-doh and convince her to go shopping. She took a nap later.

I Don't Do Sick

Those of you who know me know that I am usually very healthy. I don't get sick very often. I have a theory for this. It's pretty simple. I don't do sick. It's not something I am very good at. Not that anyone actually enjoys being sick, but some people deal with it better than others. Some people can crawl into bed with their tea and tissue boxes and stay there for days while they nurse themselves back to health. Some people are really good at getting others to wait on them while they are sick. If either of these sound like you, I mean no offense by it. There is nothing wrong with staying in bed for days and having others take care of you. It just doesn't work for me. I don't like to be tied down. I lay in bed and think of all the things I need to be doing. I don't like to depend on others to do things for me. Sure I could tell my husband to go to the grocery store and get something for dinner (and today I just might). I could ask the kids to get the clothes out of the dryer and put them away. I could ask someone to put the clothes from the washing machine into the dryer and start another load. As far as the dirty dishes in the sink, I know those will be waiting for me until I feel better. The rest of the family would rather use paper and plastic than have to do dishes! But the bottom line is, I don't like depending on others to do things for me.

So her I am. It hit me like a train last night while my husband was out at the little league baseball draft. I started sneezing. Then my head started to feel stuffy. Soon after that, my eyes started to get that dry, burning feeling. I can feel that awful nasal drip down the back of my throat. I am so glad I don't have to go to work the next couple nights. And I hope I am feeling better by the time I do have to go back to work. But I am also disappointed that I feel this way when I finally have a few nights off.

I took some cold medicine this morning, and I am starting to feel a little better. Did I mention I HATE the way that stuff makes you feel all druggy? Anyway, I think I will load the dishwasher, transfer the wash and start another load. Then I will crawl into bed and try to pretend I know how to be sick. Hopefully I will feel better by tomorrow, because I don't do sick!

For The Birds

One of the first things we did when we bought our house was to start taking apart the carport. It is unstable and just an eyesore. We removed the plywood on the underside, and that is about as far as we got. We need to put in new supports, and it only makes sense to redo the driveway at the same time.

There are now small openings which appear to be the perfect size for sparrows' nests. Over the past two years we have had several sparrows who have decided to make our carport their home. They seem harmless enough, (except for the occasional dropping on my car) and the kids enjoy listening and watching for the baby birds every spring.

I do have a new concern this winter. We have found at least 4 or 5 dead birds over the past few weeks. I can't help but wonder why they are suddenly dying. I know we have a hawk in the area, and our first thought was maybe he was killing them. But I would think he would take them and eat them if that was the case, not just leave them lying around. I wonder if they are eating something that could be making them sick? And if that is the case, should I be concerned about the dog? Maybe the problem is that they are not able to find enough food with all this snow, or perhaps it has been to cold for them this winter.

If anyone knows anything about birds, particularly sparrows, I would appreciate some answers to what could be happening to them. Eventually, the carport will be torn down, and the sparrows will lose their home. But for now, I am concerned about what could be causing them to die.

Chicago Auto Show

We took the boys to the Chicago Auto Show today. It was very crowded, but they had a lot of fun. One of their favorite displays is the ARMY display.




They are awed by the trucks, tanks and helicopters.

We also saw some motorcycles. I tried to get Jeff to sit on one, but I guess he is camera shy. Austin was more than happy to jump on!

We looked at all the different cars. At the Toyota booth, Austin got the chance to make his own commercial! Uncle Danny will be so proud. Check it out!

Welcome Finley!

Welcome Finley Ames, and congratulations to Patrick and Sarah on the arrival of their new daughter! For those of you who would like to keep up with what is going on in her new world, her parents have put together this site. I've seen the pictures, and she is absolutely beautiful. She may have her dad's musical talents, but I think she look a lot like her mom!

Look Out Hannah Montana!

Last week, Sue and I took the girls to see the Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana 3D Movie. We parked 3 blocks away, and had to walk through the snow and slush to get to the theatre. It was cold, but everyone was too excited to care.

I have attended a few concerts in the past, and I have to say in some ways this was better than a live concert. With the 3D effect, you felt like you were right there and every seat was a front row seat! I liked that they showed some behind the scenes. I think it shows the girls that it's not all fun, some of it is actually work!










As you can see, the girls had a very good time!




After the show, the girls showed off some of their best star poses.



We even got to see some of thier best dance moves!

I can't belives that some people paid as much as they did for tickets to the live concert. Our seats were much better, and as you can see, the girls definitely enjoyed themselves. The giggling and singing continued all the way home! It was totally worth the touble of getting down there.

Beware the Sleepwalker!

So I have fallen a little behind in my blogging. What can I say, Life Happens!

To bring you up to date, some of you may already know we got rid of Emily's crib. She started trying to climb out of it at night when she would wake up and throw tantrums. You have to love a two year old. Anyway, I was afraid of her falling out so we decided to get rid of it. Kate had well outgrown the toddler bed she was still sleeping in. Because of a lack of space in their room we decided to skip the toddler bed with Emily and get bunk beds for the younger girls. Another factor in this decision was that one way or the other, we would have to put bunk beds in their bedroom. If I gave the bunks to the older girls, Shannon would most likely want the top bunk. Even though she is the oldest of the girls, I was not at all comfortable with that idea. You see, Shannon is the occasional sleepwalker. Since she was a toddler she would get up during the night dazed and confused. She doesn't seem to know where she is, and usually mumbles nonsense. We quickly learned that the urge to use the toilet seemed to be what would "wake" her. If we sent her back to bed, she would wake up wet in the morning. If we guided her to the toilet, she would go to the bathroom and back to sleep. In the morning she would be dry. Now when she gets up at night, we gently guide her to the bathroom and then send her back to bed.

So now that Emily has a big bed, she likes me to lay with her at bedtime before she goes to sleep. I worked Monday night and did not sleep all day Tuesday because the kids were off school. By Tuesday night, I was beyond exhausted. I laid down with Emily around 9:00pm and fell asleep with her. I woke up at about 1:00 when Shannon got out of bed and was walking towards the bunk bed. I thought she was coming to tell me something. She continued to walk past me and then proceeded to climb the ladder to the top bunk. I leaned over and asked her "Shannon! What are you doing??" To which she responded. " I have to go to the bathroom." I laughed and told her she is going the wrong way, she needs to get down and go the other way to the bathroom.

I have to wonder what would have happened if I was not there in Emily's bed. Would Shannon have laid down and gone to sleep with Kate? Or would she have gone to the bathroom in Kate's bed?!! I guess we'll never know. And I guess putting Kate and Emily in the bunk bed did not take care of my worries with Shannon's sleepwalking.

If you are wondering, I asked Shannon the next day and no she does not remember any of this happening.

HOORAY FOR SNOW!

Winter break is almost over and we have not yet had a chance to go sledding. So after lunch today, we decided to head out and hit the hills.



READY?



SET?



GO!



NO, STOP!!!


Some of us went airbourn!




Some of us preferred to watch.

But we all had fun!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Does that say Happy Birthday Jess???







Looks like someone got into the cake early!





But I want it NOW!!!



Oh well, Happy Birthday anyway!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Let me be the first to wish all of you a Happy New Year!

Wow, December really flew by. I can't believe it has been 2 1/2 weeks since my last post. It has definitely been a busy 2 1/2 weeks! Christmas concerts, Birthdays, more Christmas concerts, more Birthdays. Not to mention Christmas squeezed in there somewhere. Everyone seemed to enjoy Christmas. The kids are enjoying all their gifts. We haven't done anything exciting over break due to the fact that we have been in and out of the Dr.'s office with Strep Throat. Four of the Five kids are being treated with antibiotics. If you can be the first to guess which of my children does NOT have Strep, I might be handing out prizes. Anyway, we have stayed home all week which has given the kids a chance to really get into their gifts and tear the house apart.

The Christmas Tree came down Sunday. I couldn't take the mess anymore, and the kids needed room to play. I left the decorations in the windows, and the outside lights are still up. I'm not a total scrooge.

I have many pictures I was hoping to share, but haven't had a chance to go through them and get them posted. Maybe I'll get some up later. Considering the 5 nights in row I will be working the end of this week, any pictures will most likely be posted after the kids go back to school.

I have to add that the whole family is enjoying the Wii the kids received for Christmas. We have all been competing for the best scores on Guitar Hero III daily. Jeff and I continue to play after the kids go to bed. I think we're all addicted. Thanks to Danny and Lisa, Jenny and John!

So once again,

HAPPY NEW YEAR, and here's to a great 2008!