The Joys of my Life

Mitchell's football party

2009-11-14T09:25:00.009-06:00

Mitchell-my full-back and corner back! He has definitely found his sport. He has always been one that gives it his all, never gives up, and never complains. He is a coaches dream..does exactly what he is told. As a mom of a 3rd grade tackle football player, I have to say that it was very hard to see my sweet, mild-mannered boy come home covered in bruises. I mean WELTS! I would force him to put some ice on a few of them just in case we had to go see a doctor or something. I didn't want to be written up as an abuser.

He would never complain, jump in the car when I said it was time to go to practice (which was 3 days a week).

I can't say enough about his coaches. His head coach played football for West Point and has a philosophy of fun, learning the game of football, and if we happen to win a few games that's just a bonus. He teaches the kids that, like in life, in football you will be knocked down. He teaches them to get back up and persevere. And persevere he does. He gives it his all every day.

One week we had some players down with illnesses and Mitch had to play the entire game--every play without a break. It was a very hot day in Denver, and he played his heart out.

WE ARE SO PROUD OF HIM!!

Here he is thanking his coaches and parents.

We love his team and their parents. We look forward to many more years together, watching our boys grow as a team, in their friendships and ours. Thanks for making our first year GREAT!

A Day in Denver

2009-11-07T11:40:00.003-06:00

I took a field trip with Mitchell's class to Denver. We walked down 16th St. Mall, visiting historic landmarks and beautiful buildings.

We started at Union Station where we checked out the Amtrak trains. Sorry, not a lot of pics--my camera died after 2 pictures.

Next we went to the Oxford Hotel:

This is the 'Oxford Hotel'. One of the oldest hotels in Denver. It is beautiful inside, very expensive to stay there, and supposedly haunted.

From here we walked to the old Clock Tower, the City Bell, then out to lunch at 'Rock Bottom'. It was almost 80 degrees, so we ate outside and got a little sun.

One of the parents worked at this building, which is the tallest building in Denver, and gave us a tour.

Here is Cole and Mitch on top of the tallest building in Denver. I couldn't get any closer than this. :)

It was a great day, full of history and VERY active boys. I think the girls groups saw us coming and took off as fast as possible. Us Moms were very concerned that one of the boys were going to get hit by a bus. Whew...to have their energy...

Our last stop was to the 'Brown Palace'. A very historic, gorgeous hotel. When we arrived it was high tea time, where there were patrons and their very fancy dressed little girls having tea and cakes. Needless to say, our stay was limited---6, 8yr. old boys, just didn't get it. So, we took them to City Park and let them play tag, wrestle, and pretend to shoot each other among the numerous homeless that called the park 'home'.

November Moon

2009-11-07T11:27:00.002-06:00

So bright and beautiful, it lights up the night

Animals that lay low during day

Come alive under this glowing night light

Fall in Colorado

2009-11-04T15:42:00.003-06:00

Our hike at Kenosha Pass.

Ashley did not want her picture taken.

Beautiful Aspens.

Taking a rest and overlooking South Park.

South Park--can you believe how flat it is?

Fear

2009-11-03T11:23:00.002-06:00

Yes, it's been months--over half a year, actually. I can't believe how they have flown by. A lot has happened, it'll take me half a year to post about it.

Fear--I'm consumed by it lately. Just typing the word brings up so much emotion that I don't know how I'll get through this post. I'm hoping this will help release some of it...and maybe get my family to snap me out of it! C'mon girls...I need you.

I'm afraid. Afraid I'm not going to learn to love it here.

Afraid that I won't be 'in tune' to my kids when they need me most.

Afraid for our financial future.

Afraid of not being able to afford health care.

Afraid that my family won't know how much I miss and love them because I don't call them often.

Afraid to move forward because I'm consumed by the past.

But what I'm most afraid of? Not really LIVING due to all this fear! I'm missing out on so much and I'm just starting to see it. I get so mad at myself because I have SO much to be thankful for...why can't I keep that first and foremost in my mind? Is it because it's easier? Easier to keep living this way rather than change? I hate it!

I'm on a mission of change. From here on I'm determined to focus on the title of my blog...the Joys of my life. There's a lot of them...and I'm recommitted to finding them.

A weeks worth...

2009-03-23T15:34:00.006-05:00

I'm putting a hold on any more house news. It seems to be changing every day, so I'm not going to post about it until it's all settled. Just patiently waiting until things fall into place, that will tell me where we are supposed to be. I've decided to stop obsessing about our next house, and picturing us in each house we see. I do love to daydream about where I'd put our furniture, which bedrooms would belong to each kid, but I find now that I can't get to sleep 'cause I lay in bed THINKING!! So, I'm letting it go. What will be, will be.

We joined our church last Sunday, with a reception afterwards. What a great group of people. Our pastor just has a way of speaking to my heart. Maybe it's because he's close to my age and speaks like he's talking to a group of friends, but it's great, and I've never felt this way before about a church. It's exciting.

Last Sunday was a beautiful spring day, and we headed to the high school for a 2 hr. lacrosse scrimmage. Tanner scored 3 points, so he was excited. He's really getting the hang of the game. We just need to work on his stamina....mine, too. :) I can't imaging running ONCE down that field, let alone 2 hrs. worth of running back and forth.

During the scrimmage, the girls finished up their last performance of 'Beauty and the Beast'. I'll be getting a CD of pictures, and will post a few then.

Afterward, we grabbed the boys and headed back to church for pizza and cards. We taught the kids how to play 'Spades'...and ourselves, too. It was so much fun. I knew Mitch would enjoy it, as he loves playing any and every game. It is now his fav.

We wrapped up the night and prayed for rain/snow overnight. We didn't get a flake or a drop! We need it soooo bad. We are in extreme fire danger right now.

----------------------------------------

Well, that was all LAST weekend. Our week flew by with school and work. On Thursday morning it finally started to snow! School was called off, and we were officially in spring break. The kids were, obviously, ecstatic! It was great to have a snow day. Even Chuck got to stay home. Yay! We ended up with over 18 inches of snow that day. Three days later it was melted, but it was a fun 3 days!

So, my plan was to take the kids somewhere different every day. We were going to head to Colorado Springs to check out some 'touristy' things there, but the weather isn't cooperating. I don't want to do outdoor things while there's snow on the ground. I can hear the girls now....brrrr....yes, they're such wimps. Honestly, I don't like the cold air either. My other 'cool' idea was to head to Glenwood Springs and soak (me)/play (boys) in the hot springs. But, you guessed it, Vail pass was closed yesterday, and the weather hasn't been the best for traveling in the mountains--with a mini-van, that is. We'll try it at the end of the week. Allison is back to work and has been need the van every day in the evening. She's off Thurs. and Friday, so we're going to pack everything into those two days.

Today, we're heading to Denver to Plato's Closet to sell some of the girls' clothes. They have so many that they don't wear. I'll let you know how much we get for them. I have a feeling it won't last long in their pockets, though.

So...over this past weekend Ashley was asked to prom. She's only 15 (freshman) so Chuck and I were quite leery about letting her go. We haven't given her the final o.k. We're still talking about the 'rules'...like no driving alone in a car together, must be in a group, Allison's the chaperon...stuff like that. :) We'll see how this pans out. Alli is going to prom here and back in MN. She's paying for her own trip to MN..hence the new job. Hopefully she doesn't purchase a one way ticket and never comes back!...maybe I shouldn't have said that.....

Alli has been working on a quilt for Phil's (her boyfriend) graduation. It will be beautiful when it's done. I can't post pics 'cause Phil reads this...sorry Phil. He knows she's making one, so I didn't just ruin the surprise, he just doesn't know what it will look like/ or what colors she's using. She's been cutting every day for over a week. She's now onto sewing. I'm so proud of her. I'm dying to help her...which she doesn't want....so I have to leave the room when she's working on it. I haven't tackled a quilt before, and watching her makes me want to go out and buy fabric to make my own. It looks so tedious, but the outcome is so pretty...Can't wait to show you all.

Yesterday, I started a little spring cleaning. I just can't bring myself to decorate for spring yet, mainly because we'll be (hopefully) moving in the next month or two. We're so cramped here that I just want to put all un-needed stuff in boxes. Believe me, Chuck feels the same...less to clean. So, I started by vacuuming all the cobwebs off the wood beams and ceilings. You would not BELIEVE the cobwebs/spiders in this state! I was shocked. I shudder right now thinking about it...I swear I was covered by them!....ick.....I packed up all my dusty yarns just sitting there waiting for me to play with them. I really need to find a project...and some money for more yarn. :) Chuck's allergies have been TERRIBLE in the last week or so!! I feel so bad for him. Spring has sprung down in Denver and the pollen is VERY high and the atmosphere is very dry, so he's miserable. I have to keep the windows closed now so it doesn't get in the house, and I'm getting rid of everything that is a dust magnet---which is almost everything. We put a new filter in the furnace, too, so hopefully that will help a little. Poor guy....meds aren't doing the trick either. :(

Chuck and I have been budgeting. We've been pretty good about it, too. Our weakness?...eating out. It's the one thing that we went over at the start of the year. This past month has been so much better, thank you very much. We're still working out the kinks, and trying to figure out what works best to keep us both on budget. The kids will be getting an allowance starting next month, so that they can start budgeting their own money, too. Another thing we've been talking/thinking about is a 'Plan B'. With the economy the way it is, people have been saying that everyone should have a 'plan B' just in case they lose their jobs--which is a very high possibility these days. It's not fun to talk about, and makes me very anxious, but it's smart. We have a family at our church that I think about daily. He was a financial planner in CA until his company let him go. He hasn't found a job yet, and him and his wife and two kids had to move here to CO to live with her parents. Nobody is hiring right now in the financial world, and they're just in limbo. There are so many stories like that out there, it's terrifying. So, a 'plan B' is in order.

I need to go make breakfast for the kids. Hope all is going well with everyone. :)

Saturday lacrosse, soccer and further house hunting...

2009-03-21T22:16:00.002-05:00

It's me again! Yes, I'm going to try to be better at this now. Today, we were out of the house by 8:00 a.m. ON A SATURDAY!!! Not my favorite thing to do, but it was for a good reason...Tanner's lacrosse game. We headed down the hill towards Denver and ended up at this beautiful lacrosse field at the edge of the foothills. The weather was GORGEOUS...in the 60's. I could have stayed there all day. Sad to say, Tanner's team lost, but they played a tough game.

After his game, we headed back up the hill for Mitchell's soccer game--after a quick bite at McD's. Up here it's about 10 degrees cooler than in Denver, but it was still nice enough not to need a coat. After being in the sun for 6+ hours, I was ready to head home and veg. Chuck was not having it--he likes to pack in as much as he can on the weekends. Usually I like to do whatever he suggests, especially if the weather's nice. :)

In my last post I mentioned that we found a house. We really like this house, but there was one house out there that we hadn't looked at yet. We've seen this house online for over a year, but the pictures just didn't look that great. Anyway, we thought we should go look at it, since it is in our price range, and we didn't want to regret not looking at it. So, right after the game we went to check it out. Boy, are we glad we did!! It was awesome! It was clean, updated (mostly), a great size (five bedrooms) and on a perfect lot. It is actually cheaper than the other house, too. So, we ran home, grabbed the kids, and brought them back to show them. They all loved it, and picked this one over the original one. The boys loved the tarred driveway (the other was granite chips), it already had a basketball hoop, and the road to the house is quiet and paved (the other was gravel) so that was a plus for Chuck--and my floor. So, we have to re-think things a little. I'll keep you updated. I lay in bed at night just visualizing these houses..and us in them. Now, I'll have to think about 2! I'll never get sleep now....

So, tomorrow we join our church! The girls are finishing up the last weekend of the musical, and tomorrow is their last performance. It should be another busy day. After church they are having a reception for the new members, then it's off to the musical, then there's a BBQ at the pastor's house. It's all fun stuff, and should be a great day!

Last night we had Tanner's lacrosse team party. They had the party at a boy's dreamland...a place that has every game console you can think of--Wii, Rockband, Playstation, etc. You pay a fee and the kids can play til their hearts content. They have large screen t.v.s, balconies where the kids sit and the t.v. screen is on the wall in front of them, so it looks like they are in the game. It was very cool. Of course, no one wanted to leave when the time was up. Maybe that's why they were a little sluggish this morning for their game....hmmmm...
The parents were very nice. It'll be fun getting to know them.

The girls just got home, changed their clothes, and are off to the cast party. We've hardly seen them these last two weeks, but it's so fun to see them having fun.

For us, it's jammy time....

WooHoo...I'm back!! What a winter....

2009-03-20T13:47:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's truly me! I need to get back to this blogging stuff. There is always so much to post, but I don't seem to have enough time.
It has been a crazy winter for us here in the mountains. First off, we've hardly had ANY snow! C'mon, it's our first winter here...we wanted some SNOW. The ski resorts have gotten plenty, but here in the foothills and Denver, absolutely nothing (except for an inch or two here and there). It looks as if MN has gotten all the snow that CO usually gets. I guess it was a good winter to be out of that state, though, with the sub-zero temps. Can't handle wind chills...
So, onto us. We are in the midst of spring sports. Tanner-lacrosse, and Mitch-soccer. Tanner is adjusting well to being the new kid on the team, even though he gets a lot of slack. My heart breaks when he tells us some of the mean things that are said to him. He just shrugs it off--unlike I would at that age--and knows that it's their way of testing him. He's such a strong kid.
Mitch is lovin' life. Things are going great with him. He has a best friend, and those two are a powerhouse together. He can't get enough of sports...and chasing girls on the playground. :)
The girls are in their final weekend of performances of 'Beauty and the Beast'. Allison plays the oven-mitt...and is hilarious in the fight scene. She runs around the stage bobbing forward, hitting anyone that gets in her way. She has no arms, and you're only able to see her face. So funny! Ashley plays a plate and takes up quite a bit of stage space. She was so worried about tripping and falling, but so far has done a great job. They have after-parties every night, so she's having a blast.
We have four more days of school until spring break, and I'm so anxious to explore this state of CO with the kids. We can pretty much go anywhere in a day, so I'm checking out quite a few things for us to do. Skiing isn't going to be one of those, unfortunately. I don't think I dare to go alone--without Chuck--and, to be honest, the Natalie Richardson accident scared me to pieces. :( So, we will be checking out some cool zoos and other nature things. :)
Well, we have some good news, too, to report. We found another house. Yes, we are moving YET AGAIN!! I won't say that this will be the last time..as I've said that quite a few times before, but we will be unpacking our boxes...FINALLY! We knew that this house was temporary, as it is way too small for our brood, and found one that is just the perfect size for us. Not too small, not too big. It needs updating, but is livable for a while. :) The lot is what we are most excited about. It is gorgeous and level (something very hard to find here), and reminds us of a very nice campground. The evergreens are beautiful, and I can't wait to see the snow falling amongst them next winter. We will be getting the details this weekend on when we can move in, then I'll be packing my boxes like a crazy woman! I'm also excited because now we will have room for visitors!! Any takers?? Mom and Dad...unfortunately we won't be in before you come. :(
We are joining a GREAT church this weekend. We finally feel like we've found an awesome church family. They are so loving and helpful to us, being the newbies. There are so many great people at this church, and we're really excited to be a part of it. So...YAY!
This weekend will be filled with 'Beauty and the Beast', lacrosse party/game, and soccer! So, after a slow winter, we are filling up our weekends. I have to say, I'm so ready for spring break, though. Four more days.....

Finally....an update!

2008-11-21T13:19:00.004-06:00

I know, it's been forever since I've updated this. Here's what we've been up to:

My handsome Tanner getting ready for his band concert.

Our pizza and movie night with our neighbor girls. It was so much fun! I forgot how much three little girls can giggle. They all get along so well together. If you couldn't tell, we watched a 3D movie....'Journey to the Center of the Earth'.

Mitchell spent a day doing crafts. This is one of his creations. He was so proud....:)

Last weekend the boys decided to build a tree house. Chuck was going to let them do it all by themselves....but it didn't take long for him to join in.

The start.....

Then Dad joins in, and the tree house doubles in size...

Ashley couldn't resist joining in, too..

My big boy using a power tool for the first time. He's screwing on the floor here...

Tanner waiting patiently to add the slide.

The end product...minus the walls, that's for another weekend! Chuck sprayed silicone on the slide so that it was VERY slippery. We all had fun going down.

In other news....

--Ashley attended a Christian Rock concert at a church in Denver, and had a lot of fun.

--Allison tried out for the band at school and got picked as first chair in the best band at school. I'm so proud of her! Yippee...Allison! You ROCK!

--Allison really wants to graduate early and has been searching colleges she may want to go to. Chuck says absolutely not, she's not graduating early...but Alli points out that she will be 18 next summer and doesn't need to ask for permission anymore. Yeah.......teenagers......

--Tanner's been writing his Christmas list and it includes various forms of guns and ammunition. Air soft guns...paintball guns...ammo for both..............I don't think so. Where does he get this stuff??

--Mitchell wants to do the science fair. Am I the only parent stressing over this possibility?? It is a huge deal here, with judging and whatnot. He can do it every year, but, of course he wants to do it right away. I'd love to just observe this year then jump in next year. I have a feeling some of these science projects will be over the top. Help!

--I've been fighting two different bugs this week. A stomach thing, and probably a sinus infection. I haven't missed work, and on top of it all, I had two meetings and a Father's class to teach this week in the evenings. I'm spent.....so glad it's the weekend....

--Planning our Thanksgiving Feast! It's fun to cook all our favorites and just relax---that is, after the turkey has cooked. Looking forward to taking in some good movies...like 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas'.

--Looking for ideas for Christmas gifts. We're doing a French theme for my side of the family, and a Green theme for Chuck's side. I can think of a ton of 'green' things, but the French one is a little tougher. Ideas, anyone??

--Last weekend we got the home movies out, and stayed up LATE reminiscing. I had a lump in my throat the whole time. My dreams that night were filled with memories, my sisters, my BABIES, our homes throughout the years, and how things were just simpler then. I want those years back soooooo bad!

Hope everyone has a nice, relaxing, fantastic weekend. All you northerners.....stay warm!

Thank God it's Friday!!!

2008-11-07T08:30:00.003-06:00

Oh...how I love Fridays! I think I say that every week. :) We've had a busy week of late nights, working on homework, Tanner's band concert (which we had to drive down the mountain to shop for clothes) last night, then coming home to TONS of homework for him. It never fails...he waits until the night before to get his reports done. After repeated times of being frustrated and disappointed, last night I just shook my head and said, "Let's get it done." He pays the consequence the next morning....and I guess I do, too. Some day he'll learn......right?......please.....

So, tonight we are getting cozy by a fire and watching 'Journey to the Center of the Earth'. We are watching the neighbor girls tonight, and plan on having a great movie night with popcorn and pizza. Tomorrow I'm taking the neighbor girls, and mine if they want to go, to a Christmas Festival/Craft Fair at one of the local high schools. Part of the proceeds benefit the program where I work.

My family and I are trying to come up with a Christmas theme this year. We've brainstormed and came up with a 'Green' theme....or a 'Cozy' theme....or a 'White' theme. If anyone else has any great ideas, let me know. This should be really fun.

It's been cold and windy the last couple days. It still seems so strange to see all the skiers in the area. We don't have to drive very far to the nearest ski resort--like 20 minutes--but we don't have snow here yet, so it feels strange knowing it's not too far away. We have the best views of snow capped mountains. I'll have to snap a picture for you all. Even though it's beautiful and brisk outside, I can't get my butt outside to walk. Lorrie, you'll appreciate this, but Danielle, I expect to get a lashing from you...but MY EARS!!! I can't get over the frigid ear pain. If it gets below 50 degrees, my ears hurt like he**. Yes, I know, ear muffs will do the trick, but how embarrassing.....it's 50 degrees and everyone here is wearing shorts...and I'm wearing ear muffs. I'm a Minnesotan.....toughen up, girl!!

All in all...things are good. We still have our ups and downs with the move, and all the adjustments. We've found a great church, and a pastor we LOVE. He is only 40, and we have so much fun with him. He's very youth oriented, and has embraced the kids. I'm anxious for the girls to sign up for everything they offer, but the girls are slow to warm up. Ashley would do everything, but she doesn't want to do it alone. Allison always has so much homework, and really hasn't wanted to do much in the evening. I'm encouraging them to try ONE thing, then it'll be easier to jump in the second time.

So, life goes on. Most days I'm dazzled at the beauty surrounding me and really do feel happy. I'm thankful for all that we have, and that we're together. Of course, I miss my family and friends. I try so hard not to be sad sitting at a school function and not knowing a soul. It'll come, I'm told....but I want friends NOW!! :)

I'm off to clean my house! Have a great weekend everyone!

What a beautiful day to vote!

2008-11-04T10:52:00.002-06:00

I love voting day! I love the feeling in the air....everyone is so proud, excited to be casting their votes. No matter who you vote for, it's just a great day...a great opportunity to get your voice out. I do feel proud to be an American today.
I do, however, feel for our next president. He will have a great burden on his shoulders. May God be with you....

HAPPY VOTING DAY EVERYONE!!!!!

A couple weeks in pictures.

2008-11-03T13:34:00.003-06:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted. We have been busy. We had a great Halloween, all the kids dressed up and had really fun plans this year. Allison's costume was homemade--by her, except for the shoes. Here is her ingenious costume:

Isn't she cute?

Here's Tanner:

He was a beat up lacrosse player. We tried to get him to go as an 80's rocker with a mullet, but you know my son....very conservative. :)

Here's Mitchell:

He's a ninja!

Ashley was dressed up as a fairy, but I didn't get a picture of her, unfortunately. They all had plans with their friends, and Chuck and I felt so good that they all had something fun to do that night. Mitch had a big parade and party at his school, then went downtown with a friend to trick-or-treat. After getting home and running around the neighborhood, Chuck and I tried to take him out to eat....just us three as the others were gone, but he just wanted to stay home and watch movies. He said his legs were tired. :) Who passes up a chance to eat out??? So, we ordered pizza and settled in with his candy. We didn't have one trick-or-treater, so I had a whole bowl of candy to myself. I'm going to have to hike for hours to wear off this weekend.

On Saturday we took the boys out to eat for lunch then went to the park to throw around a ball. It has been beautiful weather here, warm enough for shorts!

That night Ashley and I went to our church for a concert. It was 80's night, and our pastor (who is the same age as me) came walking in with an acid-washed jean jacket that was covered with pins. (Remember those???) We cracked up laughing when we saw a pin with his and his wife's picture from when they were dating. MULLET CITY!! He'll never live that down. Ashley was so embarrassed when I put ear plugs in my ears when the band started. I don't think she'll be asking me to go with her again. :)

A friend of mine gave us her sons' outgrown snowboards this past weekend, and the boys are so excited that they've been wearing them around the house....yes, the boards and everything. If I trip over one more board I'm going to scream!! They are waiting, not so patiently, for the snow to fly so they can try them out. I can't wait to see them. We're pricing out helmets and gloves. Amazing, the cost of snow equipment. I'm in the market for some cross-country skis. I'm leaning more towards that form of skiing this year. We are surrounded by hundreds of miles of trails, and you are able to ski on all of them. Can't wait!

What season is this???

2008-10-24T18:08:00.002-05:00

We woke up one morning this past week with 4 inches of snow. It was beautiful, and brought up feelings of Christmas and sleigh rides. One thing I didn't like, or expect, was that I couldn't drive up the driveway. I didn't even make it up a fourth of the way. Yes, our driveway is that steep, and my front-wheeled drive van is hopeless with snowy, slippery, steep hills. This may be a long winter. I would of parked on the street, but we're not allowed. So, I left the van at the bottom of the hill. A little bit later I receive a call from Ashley whose class was taking a field trip. She says, "Mom, is that our van stuck at the bottom of the hill???" I told her "Yes." and her and her friends burst out laughing. That summed up my day, and my attempts to make it up the hill.
Three days later the snow was melted and gone. That's typical here, so they tell me. My emotions are askew....wanting to start a fire in the fireplace, cooking pot roasts and stew...to spring cleaning and taking hikes outside in the 70 degree weather. The sun is so strong here, melting everything and warming things up. I think I'm gonna like it here.....
In other news, we're on fall break right now. Chuck took the girls with him back to Minnesota to get the rest of the stuff out of our house. So, the boys and I are having a party of our own. We went and saw "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" yesterday. It was really cute. Any dog lover will like this movie. Tonight we're watching 'The Hulk'. We bought a mini cart full of goodies for tonight. On special nights like tonight I let the boys get whatever they like. It's kind of a treat for me, too. :) Our favorites: Garden Salsa Sun Chips, Sour Cream and Cheddar chips, little containers of our favorite ice cream, Garlic Bread Pizza (yum), pop (non-caffeine for the boys), and CHOCOLATE!! I have to make up for the fact that they didn't get to go home to see their friends, like their sisters. I can't even bring it up as it 'causes great sadness--in both me and them. I'll be counting down the days until the holiday season, when we'll be home next. I take solace in the fact that the girls are on cloud nine. Chuck said that they sang all the way home. They were just giddy. Today they went to school with their friends, and have bonfires and parties this weekend. This is just what they need right now. Allison just recently broke up with Jack, her latest boyfriend, so she needed some best-friend time.
Otherwise, we're trying to come up with Halloween costumes. This may be one of the kids' favorite holidays (can you call it that?), but me....I hate trying to come up with costumes, and I hate buying ones from the store. Tanner wants to go as 'Edward Scissorhands'. I'll have to research that. He's invited to a halloween party and trick-or-treating with friends. He's very excited. Mitch, who knows? He wants to be something scary, but I've never allowed the kids to dress up as something too scary, so I keep saying no to everything that he suggests. I'm no fun! ;)
Does anyone have any unique ideas out there for costumes? What are you dressing up as?

My week--Thursday

2008-10-10T10:20:00.005-05:00

Morning went the same as the others--driving Tanner up the hill to the bus. I know, I'm spoiling him. I would just rather have him leave home in a good mood rather than the opposite. His morning mood lasts throughout the day, unfortunately. He just can't shake crabby moods very well.

I didn't get many pictures today, and my computer doesn't want to acknowledge my memory card this morning. :(

I put in quite a few hours at work today. After class we switched the toys in the room for next week. I swear, I keep that preschool room cleaner than my own house!

After work I picked Mitch up for his doctor's appt. He passed his appt. with flying colors....shocker, huh? No shots for him today...just the flumist. He skipped his way out of the office, anxiously waiting to rub it into his brother and sister. :) Ashley is well today, and the doctor said that her reaction was from the meningitis shot. I remember when she was a baby, she would react so much to her vaccinations. One night I remember frantically calling the ER because her fever spiked to 104 degrees. I'm shocked that she still seems to react to them. Scary stuff! I hate putting those vaccines into their bodies. The doc said that just imagine her sickness and times it by 150, that is what it would be like if she GOT meningitis. I just couldn't imagine.....

Mitch had soccer after school today. That boy is amazing on the field. Tanner loves to stay and help, so he did. I had to run the van home for Allison 'cause she had to work, so I called Chuck to see if he would pick them up from soccer. As soon as Allison left for work, I get a call from Chuck--he locked his keys in his car! So, I had to walk over to the school to pick up the boys. It's getting cold here, but I was sweatin' my butt off (I wish) by the time I reached his school. I arrived just in time to see him kick the ball straight into the face of one of his teammates! Poor boy..... That finished the little boys' soccer practice and Mitch was so concerned. He kept apologizing over and over. :(

After making chicken and gravy for the kids for supper, it was Tanner's turn to do the dishes.

After getting the kids settled, Chuck had the great idea to go out for Happy Hour. He scooped me away in his company vehicle--since his sat at work with the keys stuck inside.

We went to a wine bar downtown that had the coolest atmosphere. We shared fish tacos (which reminded me of my friend Leanne, who was obsessed with them in Mexico) and french onion soup. It was nice to just catch up with each other.

We came home, slipped into our jammies and watched 'Kath & Kim', 'The Office', and 'Grey's Anatomy'. Great t.v. night. :)

Wednesday...

2008-10-08T15:08:00.008-05:00

Today started out normally. Ruby wasn't up during the night last night, so that rice must have bound her up....YAY!!!!!! So I wasn't up with the dog, BUT...did I ever mention that my dear hubby has sleep apnea and has to wear a mask at night? Well, he does, and some nights his mask, or his mouth, make the most annoying noises. Last night was one of those nights. I feel bad 'cause he can't help it, but MAN!!! I kept poking him in the back to try and fix it. Of course he thinks I'm CONSTANTLY poking him all night...even though I did it, like, twice. sigh.

Tanner and Ashley woke up with tremendously sore arms. They could barely brush their teeth. :( Tanner thought he should stay home......good try, son) and doesn't know how he's going to play lacrosse tonight.

Today is 'crazy hair day' at Mitch's school. It's the elementary's equivalent to 'Homecoming' week. Here is a picture of Mitch's CRAZY hair.....

Did I mention he HATES doing anything different to his hair? So much like Tanner that way.....come to think of it, they're both like their Dad that way. :) No crazy hair for him...

I was off to work early today. We had a busy class...but fun all the same. While cleaning up the room I receive a phone call from Ashley. "I'm so sick, Mom. Can you come get me?" She sounds terrible...probably a reaction to all those shots yesterday. She aches all over, possibly from the flu-mist?? I take off to get her. I finally get her home, fix her soup, and within minutes she's out...

Poor girl.....

All I'm thinking about is Tanner. I wonder if he's feeling bad at all.....

Well, the answer to that was a resounding NO! When he got home from school he said his arms were still a little sore, but he was pumped for lacrosse. So, after a snack I dropped him off at lacrosse practice and ran to the grocery store.

My hubby was home when I pulled in.......

My love....

I have to tell you my insane Mom moment today. After school was out, I was waiting for Allison to come home. I waited 20 minutes....no Alli....so I called her to see where she was...no answer. I thought, "O.k. she'll call any minute, like usual." A half hour went by....no Alli, no call....so I called again, no answer. Forty-five minutes went be with nothing...and I'm starting to freak out a bit, thinking of running up to the high school to see if she was just 'hanging out'. I'm calling every 5 minutes at this point. AN HOUR comes and goes with no call or sign of her....I call Chuck to see what he thinks I should do. During this whole time I'm leaving increasingly angry messages. My last one to her was, "Alli...BE PREPARED TO GET IN TROUBLE WHEN YOU GET HOME!!!!...click" As I'm talking to Chuck Ashley pipes in from the couch, "Hey, Mom, maybe she's still on her field trip." ........that's totally where she was the entire time. They had gone into the city for French to see Les Miserables. Needless to say, I left a very sheepish and apologetic message to Alli after all this. She calls me back when they're done, I pick up the phone and all I hear is..."Mom, you're a dork." I'm glad she has a sense of humor.

Within 5 minutes of getting home she has her jammies on. (A girl after my own heart) Here she is eating her latest favorite snack.....caramel rice cakes.

After a spaghetti dinner with pesto bread, Mitch and I sat down to do his homework.

After picking Tanner up from lacrosse practice.....

feeding him a plate of spaghetti......

and helping with HIS homework.....

I snuck downstairs to take a picture of the girls doing their favorite thing....

Watching a movie with their favorite actor...

Will Farrell---can you guess the movie?? ....answer at the bottom of page....

It is now 8:00p.m. Time to do the bedtime routine. Chuck is down in the basement with the furnace guy. It is just not working right...and believe me, we need the furnace at night.

The troops are getting crabby....mainly because I said no bedtime snack--due to the fact we JUST ate spaghetti and I'm still burping it up.....and because I'm so 'crabby', as one put it, because I got mad that he was sticking his stinky, smelly, just-from-lacrosse-practice feet in his brother's face. I have to go 'crack the whip', I guess. ;)

Good night all.....

....Anchor Man.....

A week in the life of ME....

2008-10-08T13:47:00.008-05:00

O.k. my sis Danielle is doing this this week, and I have so much fun reading hers that I think I'll try it, too. Please forgive me if it bores you to tears.

I'm starting on Tuesday of this week. I have no pictures prior to 7:00 a.m.--I won't do that to you. I crawl myself out of bed, reluctantly, at 6:30 a.m. in order to get Tanner ready. I don't think you want to see that mess, so I'm sparing you. One morning I'll try to get a picture, but, like me, he is NOT a morning person. I'm afraid it'll just ruin his day, but I'll try to be sneaky.

Tues:

Tanner needs to be out the door at 7:00a.m. in order to catch the bus to his school. The bus meets at the high school, so Tanner has to walk up the hill to catch it. On this particular day, he thought it was too cold to walk, so I slipped my flip-flops on and drove him the 1 block to school. Yes, I know. I get back home to find that Ashley is mad at me because it's not 'fair' that I drive him and not her, so into the car I go. I finally get home to hop in the shower to get ready for work when Allison pouts that she wants a ride, too. See where I'm going with this?

Finally, after my shower, I wake up sleeping Mitchell. Yes, he gets to sleep until 8:00a.m. How unfair is THAT??!!

Every morning Mitch needs some cuddle time on the couch....watching the weather report.

After getting him fed, and in his room changing, I head back to the kitchen to mix up a gourmet breakfast for our dog Ruby. She has been sick off and on since we moved here--giardia from the creek....or elk droppings.....or both--and was getting better until I changed her food. Stupid...stupid me!! So these last few days have been terrible for her and us (mainly me... as I seem to be the only one that hears her during the night to go out). Poor Ruby! So, this morning she is having rice mixed with pumpkin. Everyone swears by it here, and has been working great.

Here's her pumpkin and giardia medicine....yum yum.

She doesn't mind it at all!

After that, I threw a chicken in the crock pot for supper......

....and packed Mitchell's snacks in his backpack.

"Mom, can you help me with my hair??"

"Of course, my handsome man!"

Off to the bus stop! I work late today, so I get to walk with him, and wait for the bus to come. He loves that. "Bye, my sweet...have a great day!"

Here's my daily water bottle on my way to work. It's sooooo dry here, I can't get enough water.

Here is some of the scenery I'm treated to on my way. It's a 15min. drive, but I love it. I crank the tunes and sing, and look at all the fall leaves changing on the mountains. Please don't ask how I got these pictures...

Here is the building where I work.

Something I learned today....Did you know that when the weather turns cold in higher altitudes, it makes the air pressure in your car tires decrease? I suppose it's simple science, but my car didn't know that....and neither did I before today. The light turned off as soon as the air warmed up. Interesting......

I left work a little early to take Tanner and Ashley to their doctor appointments. They needed check-ups and SHOTS. Here's Tanner being tough.....

.....while Ashley was getting hers done. Don't you love seeing me in the mirror? :) They had a total of 4 shots each...along with the flu-mist. Yuk!

We came home to find that poor Ruby couldn't hold it while we were gone. So, hence the drying kennel. Not a fun thing to return home to....especially when you have chicken cooking in the crock pot that smells delicious....and, well, you know....

After cleaning up, I monitor computer time,

and enforce trumpet practice and homework.

After supper it's shower time and bedtime snack time.

At this point, I'm trying to watch the debate, but....

this is so much more interesting...

While I was reading with Mitch, Chuck was doing the job I hate the most...washing dishes (especially crock pots with chicken cooking in them all day). Thank you, honey!

One more gourmet meal for Ruby. It's strictly rice tonight, baby. O.k. maybe a little chicken bouillon.

After scratching backs, and listening to all the super-hero names that Mitch has picked for his stuffed animals, it's lights out for the boys. Goodnight, 'blue-bear' (who can swim underwater without being noticed)...goodnight Freddie (who can disappear at any time), and goodnight Willy (who can disguise himself as a rock). O.k. maybe not too creative, but you gotta love 'em.

Finally, I'm off to the couch, exhausted, with a 'Mikes Hard Lemonade' and 'The Biggest Loser' on the tube. Sorry I hardly have any pictures of the girls today. Allison didn't get home from practice until after I was on the couch under two blankets. Hopefully tomorrow with be a little less chaotic.

What we've been up to.....

2008-10-05T14:34:00.008-05:00

Yes, it's been a while. Once your life gets into a routine, time flies by....but here is some updates on our family.

Work for me is going great. I'm bonding more with the kids every day, and can actually be my goofy self and not worry so much about doing things 'right'...(though that is important, too). I love that these teachers/parents aren't so strict about fitting everything in. If we want to just get out the instruments and dance and march our morning away...we do just that! It's great, and most days I laugh so much (mostly at myself) that I carry that into the rest of the day.

A couple weeks ago we had our first fire in our basement fireplace. Yes, it was cold enough outside for it. It hasn't been since, though, but there are a few changes we will have to make before we have ANOTHER fire downstairs. We realized that the fireplace opening is too large and the smoke from the fire flows into the room before it's able to make it to the updraft thingy. The majority of it goes up, but quite a bit enters the room. We've had the smoke smell in our house for weeks now.

Last weekend we went to Golden, where they were having a festival. It was a beautiful day...one of those you just want to bottle up and save until mid-January.

While there we enjoyed a BBQ--ribs, chicken, potato salad, beans, and homemade pie. We toured some old buildings, including a one-room schoolhouse. We were amazed that it was used as a schoolhouse until the mid-'50's. Grandpa Merril attended school in a one-room classroom like this, and we were just imagining him sitting in the corner wearing a 'DUNCE' hat. :)

Some girls were in there playing school. It was so cute..I wanted to stay and play, too.

Tanner was able to make a hook with a blacksmith that day, too. It took a long time, and really made us appreciate how hard those blacksmiths worked...and how talented they were.

Tanner pumping the fire.

Showing Tanner how it's done.

Giving it a try....

So hard to twist that metal. See how red his face is?

Here are some more pictures of the day:

We really had a great day. Golden is a beautiful city, one you must visit if in Colorado. We walked along the river watching a father and son kayaking, and further down watching a group of college boys bath themselves in the FRIGID river. I shiver just thinking about it now.

We also attended a Farmer's Market and taste-tested a lot of yummy food.

On another note....We have found a church!! I'm so excited about this. We've felt comfortable since we stepped into the building. It is smaller than any other church we've attended, and at first we thought we would rather attend a larger church..mainly for the youth involvement. But, right away I felt at home. The pastor is a younger pastor and today was the first time we've heard him preach. All I can say is, "WOW". He just knew how to connect with us. So, yeah, that's exciting news to us.

The girls celebrated their Homecoming this past week. They've had a lot of fun....from a bonfire in the school parking lot, a carnival, the game, and last night had the dance. Here are a few pictures of my beautiful daughters.

One last thing. This is what I purchased at a garage sale this past Saturday:

This dresser doesn't fit in our bedroom, so we put it in our dining room where we'll use it as a hutch for now. It matches all our furniture. Did I mention that they have great garage sales up here in the mountains??!!

Mitchell's awesome weekend

2008-09-19T16:28:00.002-05:00

What a popular boy he is this weekend! Today he's invited to a friends football-themed birthday party. They are all wearing their favorite jerseys (Mitch's of course is his Vikings jersey), playing a football game, then heading to the highschool football game tonight to cheer on the Cougars. Afterward, they are heading back home to have a sleepover! He's so excited...to say the least. We went shopping this morning, and the entire time he wanted to get home so that we weren't late for the party! :)
Then there's tomorrow!!! After we pick him up from one party he heads to another! At this party they (get this) get to go to a local gold mine and pan for gold! Isn't that cool? He keeps asking if he can keep the gold if he finds any. I sure hope so! :)

Good luck Mitch!

A little out of sorts...

2008-09-17T13:45:00.003-05:00

That's how I'm feeling. Don't get me wrong, the new job is great. I've met a lot of Mom's this past week, along with their beautiful children. What fun my work day is.....
What's gotten me out of sorts? Maybe it's my health...I'm trying to kick something that kept me on the couch with aches from Friday last week until Monday. Tuesday was the first day I felt a little normal. Today, though, I'm in a funk....lack of sleep, terrible dreams last night, dehydration...it could be any one of those. But the real reason, I think, is how I'm feeling as a Mommy. A couple things that have been brought to my attention yesterday and today make me feel as if I'm failing, in a way. One of my beautiful daughter's is getting a 'D' in a class. Her other grades aren't great, either. She has NEVER had worse than a B- in all the years she's been in school. My first reaction was horror! I tried not to yell....that doesn't solve anything. My reaction went from anger ("How could you let it get this BAD??"), to faked indifference ("Well, this means you can't attend the next field trip. That's too bad.") to worry ("Is everything o.k.? Is there something you're not telling me?"). I don't think Chuck got a word in...poor guy. So, I went to bed feeling terrible, and angry at myself. I don't want her to feel bad about herself...there's no need to, she's an awesome and SMART person. Today I'm in 'fix it' mode. I'll be sending some emails out to see what we can do for her. Any other suggestions?

When I got home from work today I had a number of different emails from a few teachers. I was informed that my son has two MAJOR assignments that he hasn't turned in yet. Of course I had no idea. His teacher said that normally the highest grade he can receive for late work is a 'C', but she's going to give him a 'teaching moment', accepting the work for full credit IF he agrees to not have any more late assignments for the rest of the year. So, the pressure is on!

Why is it that us parents take it personally when their kids get a bad grade, or assignments are late? I know that I'm not the only one! I guess it's because it's been my JOB to teach them responsibility. I know I can be hard on myself...this is THEIR lives...THEIR grades...not mine. But man, I feel as if I am being graded......and failing miserably.

A week of New Beginnings.....and old sicknesses

2008-09-12T09:05:00.002-05:00

My first week on my new job! What a week it has been. We've been hard at work cleaning the classroom, cleaning the toys, and brainstorming on how to decorate this newly constructed room. The walls are bare--no color to them yet, unless you count the light tan that was freshly painted over the summer. My brain has been busy trying to recollect the ECFE rooms my kids attended. They were always so full of color, with a million activities filling up every inch of space. I want to turn this space into something like that, but the program here has hardly any funding to work with. I want to dig out my paintbrushes and paint a huge tree on one very bare wall. I have yet to summon up the courage to act on it. I guess I'm afraid that if I suggest it I'll actually have to DO it. :)
I really love the women of this program. It should be a very fun work atmosphere. They are all so kind and excited about their jobs and the kids. We've planned some holiday activities that will really help the community, and I'm anxious to get my kids involved.

As far as the rest of the family.....sickness has, once again, hit our house. From diarrhea, sore throats to ear infections. Ashley is finally going to the doc today. This has hung on too long. She woke up this morning not being able to taste anything or hear anything on her left side. So, the hunt for a new doctor is in the works.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I've been dying to decorate for Halloween and Fall, but my darling hubby says that it's too early for that! He still wants summer and all the beautiful weather. Fall is my favorite time......cooler weather (even though I hate dragging out warmer shoes. I'm such a sandal person), apple crisp, crock pot beef stew, fires in the fireplace, football Sundays (goooo Vikings), pumpkin pie spiced candles.......I could go on....and on......

Very busy lady...

2008-09-05T14:03:00.005-05:00

I have been very busy this last week...but an exciting busy, to say the least.
First off....after 17 yrs. of being a stay-at-home Mom, I now am part of the working class! Yes, I got a job offer this week...and I snatched it up as fast as I could. This is my dream job, I tell ya! I've been so excited, and didn't think I had a chance, but after a quick description of myself and all of my volunteer work through the years she offered me an interview. My interview was 45 minutes long, went extremely well (I loved these women), and they offered me the job that afternoon. So...what will I be doing? I'm officially an ECFE teacher's aide. I only work a couple hours in the morning to start off, get to work with my favorite ages (babies and toddlers!!!), and I have the same vacation days as the kids. I went to an all-day training yesterday (which was exhausting--I haven't used my brain for that many consecutive hours in a long time) and everyone there said how excited they were that they found me! Yay ME!!! O.k....I'm done bragging on myself. :)

Today, Mitchell had his field day at school, and I was in charge of the refreshment table. It is 55 degrees out today and very misty....FREEZING to say the least. Not ready for this weather yet! I met some great women today, and had a blast. But now I'm home and trying to warm up my feet.

I've been knitting a ton. I'll spoil the surprise for some...but I've been making the CUTEST winter hats. I'll post a few pics and I want you to give me feedback. If you'd like to claim one as your own...let me know!

My favorite......toddler size 2--they stretch--made of soft wool.

Blue and oatmeal....toddler size 2

Cream with blue polka dots....size 12 months

Oatmeal...size 2 to 3

Large blue, cream and green stripes--size 10 to 12 (kids)

Cream colored--size 3 to 6 months

More colors are to come. I've been trying to use up my scrap yarn, but if any of you want a certain color, I can whip one out in a couple hours. They are so chunky and warm. I'm thinking of making myself one, too. :)

Happy Labor Day!!!

2008-08-29T10:14:00.002-05:00

We have been in school for 2 weeks already, so it feels very weird to be celebrating Labor Day this weekend. The kids are so looking forward to sleeping in on Monday....and, I have to admit, so am I. I AM NOT a morning person. I don't function without my coffee. I sip it VERY slowly because I don't want it to empty too quickly. I've tried making another pot, but my nerves just get wired and I'm shaking like a drug addict going through withdrawl. One, large cup is good for me. What is my ideal time to wake up, you ask? Between 8:00 and 8:30a.m. I just can't sleep past 8:30...though I try my darndest. I enjoy getting up before the kids, however, making coffee for Chuck and I, fixing a big breakfast, watching a non-cartoon for an hour or so. Ahhhhh....Saturday mornings are the best.
Friday nights are also a family favorite. The end of the week, Dad's home early from work, we either eat out this night or order pizza, maybe a movie night. One of the things the boys like to do is sleep on the couch downstairs. Our bedroom is downstairs and I think they just like to be closer to us. Tanner, of course, doesn't admit that, but he says he sleeps better down there. ;)
Not sure what's in store for tonight. Chuck and I still haven't done anything for our 19th Anniversary, and we've been talking about going to a beautiful wine bar by the lake. We'll see. I'll post pics if we decide to go.
Tomorrow we have the first high school football game. Allison is in the marching band and performs at the game tomorrow. It still seems strange to cheer for the 'Cougars' rather than the 'Cardinals' from back home. But soon we will be singing along when they play the school song, and wearing blue and gold rather than red, black and white. :(
Also, this weekend in Denver is 'The Taste of Colorado'. I would LOVE to attend this festival. There's nothing like a festival of food. That's all I want to do at fairs and carnivals anyway...just eat the food. I never seem to get full at these things. Our family has stopped eating out during the week altogether, so during the weekend it's definitely a treat to have someone else make the meal for us. We have saved quite a bit of money eating at home....duh....But it has been a tough change. The kids, mostly. They beg to just go through a drive-thru....any drive-thru, but we've been pretty strict about it. I've been trying to vary our meals every night, but I think all of my meals contain pasta! I must have been craving it when I made the menu for the week. :) Next week will have to be pasta-free....o.k. maybe one night of pasta. :) It's my favorite....
As far as how school's going? I think it's going pretty well for the kids so far. Ashley's the only one that I hear who HATES it. She hates school altogether...wherever it may be. She's slowly meeting new people, and learning their personalities. Her favorite class is Theater Arts. She came home yesterday saying that class that day was amazing! The students get up in front of class and perform, and she LOVES it. Can't get enough of it. I'm so excited that she's found something that she can really get into.
Alli is enjoying her time in school, and with her new friends. She's really liking the band kids...she calls them band geeks, and yes, she's one of them and proud of it. She seems so happy all the time (except when she has to work) and I'm so glad. Do you remember how hard of a time she gave us when we decided to move here? Who knew it would change so quickly?
Tanner has to get up and out the door by 7:00 a.m. to catch the bus. That is the only complaint I hear from him about school. He's been great at getting his homework done right after school, too. Him and I have our run-ins quite often...especially when I'm tired. We feed off of each other, unfortunetly, on those days. If anything is wrong, it's always Mom's fault. Some days it can get very old. I just have to remember to keep my voice calm and quiet. Very hard.....Otherwise he's making friends at school, too, and says that everyone here is really nice. Whew.....
Mitch loves everything about school. He starts soccer next week and is soooo excited about it. He has a good friend that lives up the street from us, and they play after school quite a bit. He's trying to get over his first cold of the season. His nose is so stuffy...poor thing.
Otherwise, work for Chuck is good. He's very busy...but getting more computer time than he likes. :) He'll need some fresh air this weekend, and we live in the perfect area for that. It looks like hiking will be on the schedule. As for me, I'm trying to land a job. Who knew that finding something would be this hard? Everyone, wish me luck....I need it. I've been knitting, too, and thinking of heading to a few consignment stores to see if they will carry my knitted hats, mittens, and slippers for kids. Fingers crossed....
I hope all have a very fun-filled, safe, relaxing Labor Day weekend. And I pray that all the kids that start school next week have a safe week, also.

Adam and Maja's wedding

2008-08-26T10:13:00.012-05:00

I'm finally getting pictures on here of my brother's beautiful wedding. I took off to Spokane on Friday evening, and returned home on Monday night. It was a great, hot and very fun weekend. I stayed with Adam and Maja to 'help' with Luci. I don't know how much I helped them....but it sure helped ME---I got to kiss her all day long. She is a complete doll, even though she was a little scared of me at first.

Meeting Maja's family was really special, too. What a great, warm and welcoming family they are. Their house is in the midst of a huge remodel, but they welcomed us with open arms. Here is the weekend in pictures:

On our first morning together. See the smile??!!

Her bashful look...

Swimming before the rehearsal.

At the rehearsal....(is it hot enough?)

Wedding morning.....cheerios and the Vikings game (pre-recorded).

Luci unpacking everything Mommy just packed. She was very happy while doing this.

Having her jacuzzi bath before the big day!

At the church, helping Mommy get ready.

Here's Maja sneaking up on Adam....

Lorrie, Alaina and Jonnie

Flower girls and ring bearers. (Alaina and Luci, Aidan and Jonnie)

Grandma Jeanne and Miss Luci Belle

The LeBon sisters (minus one) dressed in black. Danielle, Lorrie, me, and Sharyn. We really missed Julie. :(

Grandpa David (Maja's Dad) and Luci

I love this picture of us and Adam.

Beautiful Alaina looking at the breathtaking stained glass.

The Wedding Party....

A little breather before the ceremony.

Dad and his son....

After the ceremony...ready for the air-conditioner!!

The beautiful...and DELICIOUS....wedding cake. Maja loves her cake, and she did an excellent job in picking this one. Each layer was a different flavor. I'm craving some RIGHT NOW!!

At the reception. We're finally cooling off.

Sharyn and Adam...

Lorrie and Adam.....

Danielle and Adam....

Me and my Mommy and Daddy...

Cutting the cake....

DANCING TIME!!!!!!

Peter, Maja's brother, sang to Adam and Maja for their first dance. So amazing. My girls are obsessed with this song now. :)

Warming up to Auntie Lorrie...

Grandma and Jonnie dancing. Jonnie LOVES to dance, just like his Mom and Aunties.

Dad and Mom...

Twinkle toes getting his groove on...

Maja serenading her Twinkle-Toes Junior...

Sorry, Maja, couldn't resist posting the scary, sexy bride picture....

Lorrie's got the touch.......

So, there's the pictures! Actually, it's about half of what I took.

Thank you, Adam and Maja, for a great weekend. I was very honored to have been there and to celebrate with you. I'm so happy to have a new sis-in-law--especially one as great for Adam as you are. I love you both!!

New Student registrations, MealPay, Payschools....

2008-08-12T11:19:00.002-05:00

We are in the throws of registrations. Man, I didn't realize there was so much information! My brain is swimming...I can't imagine what the kids are going through.
The girls and I met with their school counselor last week and got their schedules and a tour of the school. A little confusing, to say the least. I hope they give out maps for them.
One major surprise I received that day.......school fees! We've never had to pay more than $25.00 for a registration fee at our previous school...here you have to pay for your textbooks, materials, some tests, uniforms for phy ed. and numerous other add-ons. I was completely shocked when they told me the total for the 2 girls----over $300.00! I was speechless. I had another heart palpitation when I registered Tanner and was informed of HIS fees......over $300.00 for HIM ALONE!! How can people afford to send their kids to PUBLIC school??? Don't our taxes go towards books and materials? I haven't even checked to see if they're charging my 2nd grader to attend school yet. All that doesn't include lunches, or year books, or activity passes.......sigh.........I just don't get it.

On to other news......Allison joined the marching band and has made a couple friends already. I'm happy for her, and anxious for Ashley to start school and meet people. It makes a new move so much better. I want their evenings filled with parties (with nice kids :) ), football games, bonfires, movies. After a quiet summer, I'm ready to start taxiing them around again. I love hearing the stories they come home with as they meet and get to know new people.
Both girls start this Friday. Say a little prayer for them.

For me, the start of the school year will bring a fresh start for me as well. My plan is to find a J.O.B.!!! This process is completely foreign to me...I don't know the first thing about writing a resume. AHHHH the anxiety!!! Chuck tries to give me pointers and advice and I just get annoyed. I know it's because I'm scared and nervous, and I don't have a lot of confidence in this area, and I don't mean to take it out on him. I know this will be really good for me, I'll probably love getting out in the world again, needless to say, help ease the stress on Chuck, too. It's just that dang comfort zone again. I have to face the fact that my kids are older and I have to start thinking about ME again. Something I haven't done in 17 yrs. Scary stuff. Who am I? What do I like to do? All questions I haven't asked in years.

On a different note:

This weekend I take off to Spokane for the wedding of my baby brother. I'm so excited for the both of them. And, also, very excited to be getting such a WONDERFUL sister-in-law. Maja, you are amazing....and the perfect woman for Adam. I can't wait to celebrate with you this weekend. You better have some good dancin' shoes. Us LeBon's are dancin' fools! :)

I'll post more later--with tons of pictures, I'm sure! I apologize for such a random post. I think I may have had too much coffee this morning. :)

One night in Vail

2008-08-06T09:31:00.008-05:00

Chuck's sister Lynn and hubby Gary came to visit us last weekend. It was so fun...and a little odd...to have someone from back home here in our little house in the mountains. They had rented a condo in Vail--which is about an hour and a half away from us. They came to see our town, have lunch, see the house, then head to Vail. We were meeting up with them on Saturday morning to do a little sight-seeing, and maybe a hike or two.

Once in Vail the boys wanted to swim. We have hardly swam this summer, and they were missing it TONS. So, we went swimming---until it rained.

After that, we got dressed and headed into Vail. Our goal was to take the gondola up the mountain (something I wasn't too excited about, being afraid of heights and all) and have dinner. Well, due to the rain and lightening strikes they shut down the gondola. I did a small cheer inside. :) So, we settled for a restaurant that wasn't at 10,000 feet.

Afterward, we headed back to the condo and found a fire pit by the creek. Yes, another creek. I think Chuck and I will be buried by a creek. ;) We found some wood and made a great fire. There are no bugs here, so we ate salsa and chips and had some drinks by the fire. The food did attract a furry visitor, though. When it got dark and we were talking, a big raccoon came crawling out of the bushes and brushed up against Chuck's legs. The raccoon was as startled as we were, I think, and all I could do was thank God it wasn't a skunk. :)

The creek was excruciatingly cold. Check out this picture....you couldn't stay in the water longer than 30 seconds.

This is the best picture!

Lynn and Mitch were the toughest--or had the toughest feet--and stayed in the longest.

Tanner's shocked face.

"Hurry up and take the picture, Mom!!"

Uncle Gary--the boyscout--making the fire.

It was a late night, and soooo much fun!

THE NEXT DAY.....

We decided to drive another hour west to Glenwood Springs to hike. We wanted to see 'Hanging Lake'. The brochures all said that it was an easy hike, so we knew the kids (and choice adults--myself included) could do it. We packed enough energy bars and water to feed an army...then headed out.

An easy trail so far....I hope it's a little more rugged than this!

The cement trail led us to this....beautiful. Mitchie....don't drink that water!

My guys with their 'camel backs' on.

"Mom, this trail is tough...let's rest..."

The trail followed this stream.....completely uphill.

Another rest. He is sitting on a rock ON the trail.

Breathtaking scenery.

But...some of us were NOT happy. :)

Even Lynnie needed a rest.

Oh my.....we're almost there!

After hiking for over an hour, we came to this. This is a lake at the top of a mountain--hence the name 'hanging lake'. I guess the earth at one point was level here, then a large portion of it sank, forming the lake. It was crystal clear.

If you look really close you can see the rainbow trout swimming below the water.

Just beautiful...

The Johnson hiking crew. Poor Allison had to work this day, so she wasn't able to come. :(

Here's Tanner at the top of the waterfall.

On our way back down...but still at the top. Oh this picture makes me nervous. I'm clinging to the mountain.

O.k. maybe I'll get a little closer for this shot.

Fine....I'll get in the picture. Notice the death grips I have on the boys? VERY VERY HIGH!!!

The trek down did not take us very long. Mitch practically RAN the whole way down. Where do they get their energy?? All in all, it was well worth the "EASY" hike up.

Thanks, Lynn and Gary, for a great weekend. It was so nice to see you.

My Birthday

2008-08-05T11:33:00.004-05:00

It's that time of year again....my birthday. Can you feel the excitement in my voice? As the years progress, birthdays take on a whole new meaning. I guess it's a time when I start thinking about my life and all that has happened in it. Not only am I getting older, my kids are, too, and I guess I can't help but feel a little sad...o.k. a lot sad. I always try and fill that day with the things I love to do. So, on my birthday I woke up to find a beautiful hanging basket from my Alli. She also bought me breakfast--our favorite rolls--and a very meaningful card. Did I raise such a thoughtful girl??

I took the kids out for lunch--Chinese, our favorite! Then we headed out to go paddle boating.

The naughty duck that bit my finger. I screamed so loud that everyone on shore was laughing at me. Must have thought I had food!

My fellow paddler. I don't think she did her share 'cause at the end I was sweating up a storm, but she was as cool as a cucumber. :)

That night a huge herd of elk decided to come to my birthday party! We counted 30+ elk...babies and all. It was sooooo cool! As we were watching them walk through our yard Allison walked outside with cupcakes with candles and sang 'Happy Birthday' to me. It was such a sweet ending to the day.

What we've been up to....

2008-08-05T10:48:00.008-05:00

It's been a while, I know. We've been quite busy. All last week I painted my heart away. I painted the wall that connects our living room and dining room, and I painted the kitchen. Do you remember the before shots:

This is when the previous owners lived here.

Here is after I painted. Take into account that I haven't put anything up on the walls yet. That's next:

Please ignore the mess. We are a little cozy in this house. :)

So, that took up my week. The boys and I went to the creek one evening and walked in the water. The water was ice cold, but it felt good on a hot day.

We ended the evening as soon as they started fighting and pushing each other in the water.....brothers....:)

One of the highlights of the week, for Mitchell, was a letter from his best buddy...and cousin...Jonnie. As you can tell from his face, he loved it! Now, just to get him to return a letter back to him.

Thanks, Jonnie. We miss you!

Our week in Minnneeeessooooota

2008-07-22T10:20:00.008-05:00

The kids and I packed our bags and headed to Minnesota last week. It was a VERY long 14 hr. trip in the car. The kids all do great--except for the 100 stops to go to the bathroom, I mean really, can't you wait 10 minutes until we are THERE?? I guess all the junk food I packed to get us through was taking it's toll on their stomachs....poor things.

Every day was crammed with stuff--running here and there to see everyone. We spent the majority of the nights with my sis-in-law Lynn and her husband. They have this big, empty house with enough beds for all of us. Needless to say, she waited on us hand and foot. The kids loved it, too.....this Mamma don't do that! One morning Lynn made Mitchell ice cream with Reese's cereal mixed in it for breakfast. He giggled through the whole meal. I didn't say a thing--Auntie's have to spoil their nieces/nephews from time to time. Like Lynn says, "There's so many more important things to worry about in this lifetime." That's going to be my motto from now on. :)

On Tues. we went to my Mom's to see Sharyn, Lorrie and all the kids. We had fun swimming and laughing and catching up with each other.

Jonnie and Mitch will always be best friends.

The girls--Alli, Cassidy, Alaina, Courtney, Ashley

That night we stayed with Lorrie. The kids played outside and slept on the floor of their family room. Lorrie and I giggled into the night in her bed. I think we kept Allison awake in the next room. :)

On Wednesday the kids hung out with our old neighbors. That evening we went to the opening night of Sonshine. They were offering a free concert to thank all the residents of Willmar. It was very nice because most of us can't afford to send the whole family to Sonshine, so the younger kids got a taste of what it is all about.

On Thursday Lorrie and I took the kids to the local pool. Mitchell loves swimming so much--I had to pull him out when it was time to go. He's a little fish, I tell ya.

Is he cute, or WHAT??!!

That evening I headed to Green Lake to hang out with my girlfriends. We sat on their patio and had dips and cocktails and watch the moon rise over the water. It was a perfect night with great friends.

Alli jet-skiing with her girlfriends before Sonshine.

The beautiful moon rise.

I found out on Friday that I have a new niece! I'm so excited, and little Rose is adorable. I can't wait to meet her. Congrats Julie and Greg...and her big sisters Analese and Mara. She will be greatly loved.

The rest of the week was filled with Sonshine runs, movie nights, lunch with Grandpa, Lego's with big cousin Chris, and mini-golf and a movie with Lorrie and kids....

"Where ball doe??"

The girls had a great time at Sonshine...seeing all their friends and meeting new ones. I love that music festival. There are so many unique personalities professing their faith. It's a great thing to see and experience.

On Sunday we headed home to Colorado. I have to say, once we got back here I found that I missed the mountains while we were away. I looked eagerly for the elk and deer that come down the mountain in the evening. Seeing Chuck after a week was really good, too. :)

This weekend is the jazz festival here in town. I can't wait to check out the bands. We are lucky to live in a town that appreciates the arts. There is something new to check out every weekend.

It does feel good to be home.....

What I love about my 17 yr. old!!

2008-07-07T11:27:00.007-05:00

Your smile and laugh. You light up a room with your smile. When you laugh, I can't help but want to share in your joy.

Do I have something in my teeth?

I love your strong morals. You know exactly what you believe and you stick to it. Nobody's going to talk you into anything you don't want to do. You impress me every day.

I love your empathy towards others. You love all life, and believe it should be honored. I love how you can be on the computer for hours looking for pets to adopt. You take after me in that sense. You're Dad doesn't know where that came from. :)

You are a great friend. You give out awesome advice, and are a great listener. Your friends are lucky to have you.

You love your family--even though we annoy you sometimes. Your favorite thing to do is stay home and stay in your jammies, watching movies. You love rainy days and having nothing on the schedule. I, also, love that you and I love the same movies. Moulin Rouge....Sense and Sensibility....The Holiday....Ace Ventura. We could watch them over and over and over.....

I love laughing at the same jokes, making fun of each other when we say the wrong things.

I love how independent you are. You are so much more confident than I was at your age. You have a good head on your shoulders, and I know that you are going to do what makes you happy. You're going to go out and make a difference in this world...you're so passionate about so many things.

You're turning into such a beautiful young woman...inside and out...and I'm so extremely proud to call you my daughter. I can't wait for our future trips to France and Italy...and maybe a trip to New York to see a Broadway musical. ;) Live it up, girl!

I love you so much. Happy 17th Birthday, my sweet.

Fourth of July

2008-07-07T11:07:00.004-05:00

We were invited to Idaho Springs (a small mountain town just west of us) for the 4th by the family that owns the pizza restaurant in town. They park their RV downtown (by their restaurant) and hang out there all day and into the night for the fireworks. We walked around this old western town, checking it out like all the other tourists did that day. What a CUTE town--I know how they hate when people say that! :) I mean, really, it was such a neat town. Anyone coming to visit us will definitely be given a tour of that town.

We grilled and ate fantastic food all day, and settled in for some great fireworks.

They have a little waterfall right in the middle of town. The fireworks were let off on top of this mountain.

I had to take some pictures of the fireworks!

This picture is of a string of fireworks they let off across the waterfall. The picture doesn't do it justice...it was very cool. After the fireworks, the firemen were out there putting out all the little fires that were caused. It was a little freaky, and a show in itself.

It was a great day and night.

Set building

2008-07-07T10:23:00.004-05:00

On Thursday the kids and I got up early--o.k. early meaning 9:00 a.m.--and headed to the local theater, where they are performing 'The Wizard of Oz' this weekend. I e-mailed the theater last week and asked them if they needed help with building the set. I told them that we were new to the area and wanted to connect with the community, and my kids are all about the theater. They jumped at the chance, and could definitely use our help.

I'll admit...stepping out of my comfort zone is very hard for me. I get these great ideas, then find a million and one reasons why I shouldn't do it. That happened to me on Thursday morning as well. Stupid things popped into my head...like, "I'm totally going to embarrass us; these people will think I'm a weirdo; what if they don't have anything for us to do and we just stand there looking goofy, etc....etc." Well, I shut that voice up and thought of the kids. All those thoughts run through their heads as well, and I had to show them that you never know...it could be the best thing we ever do.

Well...I was right, it was the best thing we ever did. Not the work, mind you, but getting the connections. If any of you know, I'm a devout knitter. It's just in my blood....LOVE IT, and one of the first things I saw when we stepped into the lobby were a group of women KNITTING!! I knew it was a sign from God, I was so pumped. Then, the manager of the theater came and introduced himself and gave us a tour. It's a great little theater. This manager (Gary) is also in the production, and we later found out that he teaches piano and voice (exactly what my girls want to do). Anyway, he told the girls that their next performance is "Anything Goes" (which Allison has already done) and they need a few more girls for the chorus. So, we are going to sign them up for that! I was so excited for them. Needless to say....Thank God I didn't listen to those negative words in my head.

Our jobs that day included painting the stage floor:
Don't you love Ashley's jumper?

And the boys made 'Wet Paint' signs, and helped me tack up the stage skirting. After we were done, the woman in the picture with Ashley, and her son, took us out for lunch. She had a ton of info for me about theater opportunities. It was a great day!

Settling in...

2008-07-01T10:08:00.003-05:00

O.k. so we've settled in. Our cable was hooked up late last week, and the kids have resumed their positions. I was missing the fact that we could order a movie whenever we wanted, and couldn't wait to get cable hooked up. Now, I'm regretting it. The kids don't want to do a thing anymore. They are completely content (most of the time) watching a show or two, and not going outside. I think it's time I put a time limit on again.

This past weekend we stayed home, cleaned out the garage (well....Chuck and Tanner did). We feel a little bit more organized now. It was extremely hard to stuff our other 4-stall garage into one stall, but Chuck made it work. We can't fit our van in there, but I'm happy for the extra storage space. :)

On Saturday night Chuck and I went to check out the nightlife here in Evergreen. We had a lot of fun, listened to a couple of really good bands, and met some really nice people. All night all I could think of was, "Man, our friends would love this place!"

On Sunday we all went out for lunch, then bought some bird feeders. I know---BIG DEAL---but, the more things I get to make it home, the better. Here is my bird feeder out my kitchen window:

I have yet to have one bird eat out of it yet. It may be a little too close to my kitchen window. :)

And here is my hummingbird feeder out front:

We saw our first hummingbird last night. :)

Yesterday, the kids and I tried to eat at a really cool resteraunt for lunch, then tried to see a local museum, but BOTH are closed on Mondays. Who knew?? We may try that again today.

Tomorrow we have another concert by the lake! I'm really excited for this one, 'cause we met the lead singer of the band that will be performing. She is such a neat person. We didn't know she was a local celebrity till the end of the night. :) We had so much fun. She has a Dixie Chick/bluegrass/celtic sound which is really interesting. The kids and I are planning on getting there really early to set up chairs, then renting paddle boats and hanging by the lake for the afternoon. I'm sure pictures will follow.

Denver Zoo, 'Outlaw' game, Gay pride festival????

2008-06-24T11:23:00.003-05:00

That sums up our Saturday, pretty much....except the Gay pride Festival.

To start out, on Saturday we took off to the Zoo. It was a perfect day...low 80's and sunny....and the zoo was pretty busy. The great thing about this zoo is, it may be really busy, but it doesn't FEEL busy. We never had to wait in line, or in the back row to see an animal. I love this zoo. The animals are up so close to the people. My favorite?? The gorillas, of course. Mitch's favorite? The penguins....which ended up being the ONLY animal that wasn't available to view. That was a bummer. :(

After a few hours at the zoo (my kids are wimps when it comes to hot weather) we headed downtown to check out Denver. We noticed a huge festival going on, and we looked and looked for a parking space, which we couldn't find. We were wondering what the festival was, and Chuck wanted to go really bad. The kids were tired out from the zoo and put up a fuss about walking around in the heat again. So, as we were driving, we noticed a group of people walking to the festival.....dressed head to toe in purple--crazy hair and all--and one of them turned around and their cheeks were hanging out. The cheeks you don't want to see. Then, it dawned on me that it was the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transexual festival. I was laughing so hard. I could just imagine us walking downtown and not knowing what was going on. It would have been a real eye-opener for the kids! :)
That evening we went to the 'Outlaws' game at Invesco Field. Invesco is where the Bronco's play. The 'Outlaws' are Colorado's professional lacrosse team. Tanner is really interested in lacrosse right now, and was entranced at the game. It is a lot like hockey (without the ice), and it was a very exciting game. Tanner loved it---and Mitch loved the food!
That was a very fun day!
On Sunday we stayed home and Chuck worked on the deck. We are now able to walk on it without fear of it collapsing. :) The girls and I painted their rooms. I can't wait to show these colors. My girls like color!
Today is a beautiful day! I'm thinking SWIMMING!!!
Hope everyone is having a good week so far!

Shopping, concert by the lake, seeing friends from home, swimming in a resevoir

2008-06-20T11:53:00.005-05:00

I guess when I write it all down, we are keeping ourselves busy. We've had beautiful weather all week. A few clouds that looked like rain, but we never seem to see or feel a drop. No wonder it's so dry here. The nights are very cool. The last two nights our furnace kicked in...unbelievable with how warm it is during the day. Ceiling fans work wonders here, and Chuck bought some for each of the kids' rooms last night.

On Wed. we pretty much sat at home. Nobody was in the mood to do a thing. It was o.k., Alli and I sat and read our books, I looked over recipes, and the kids played computer and guitar hero. It was kind of nice. By evening, though, we were stir-crazy. Every other Wednesday they have free concerts at the lake house here, so we headed that way to see what it was all about. Man, was I amazed and impressed! There were hundreds of people there! Families galore! The bands that played were awesome, and tons of kids were up there dancing. It looked like a big wedding reception--all these little girls dancing together in sun dresses. The parents were spread all over the lawn in chairs and blankets having picnics. There was wine and cheese and full course meals. Needless to say we were NOT prepared. I guess this is such a big deal that you have to get there a couple hours ahead of time to get a seat on the lawn. In the back there were numerous games of soccer and lacrosse, plus football and baseball games that the boys were playing. It was so fun! Here is a picture of the lake house as we walked home that evening:

The nicest part? NO MOSQUITOES!!!!! Not one bug was in sight--I could have stayed there all night. We were forewarned that the next concert will be a doozy. I guess a very popular band in the area is playing, so we were urged to get there EARLY. I can't wait.

So, yesterday (Thursday) I packed the car and headed into Denver to have lunch with Chuck. We then went to find khaki pants and a navy shirt for Allison to wear to work. I had spied a beach while I was driving one day, so the kids and I went to check it out. Remember the creek I told you about that runs through our town? Well, at the bottom of the mountain they made a reservoir from all the creek water. They had a nice beach area, too. The kids there were catching crayfish, but the boys were a little leery about that this time.

Afterward, I took the kids home, and Allison and I got ready to meet with a couple of her friends that were here on vacation with one of their families. It was so nice to see them, even though it's only been a week since we last saw them in Minnesota. We giggled the whole time. I think it was the highlight of Allison's week.

Alli, Shelly, Jeremiah (Shelly's cousin), Shea

This weekend we are thinking about checking out a Strawberry Festival in Glenwood Springs (thank you for the idea Shelly!). Check back for pictures!

We have arrived....

2008-06-17T16:39:00.003-05:00

We are officially Coloradans!! Let's just say that the last week is something that I never want to experience again in this lifetime. Not only was it physically exhausting, but so overwhemlingly draining emotionally. I can handle the physical stuff, that passes, but the emotional pain just lingers on and on and on....Even though I feel like I should go get my heart examined due to all the strain of the physical labor.
This place we call home now is beautiful. Definetely God's country (although isn't it ALL God's country??). My favorite part are the sunsets over the rockies. It's just breathtaking--sometimes causing me to slow waaaaayyyyy down on the interstate. We have also had the EXTREME pleasure of watching the evening herd of elk that occupy our backyard to bed down for the night. Chuck woke yesterday morning to see 12 or so sleeping not 10 feet from our back door. There were 5 or so babies with them. People say that we will get immune to them, that we won't even notice them after a while; but I can't imagine. They are so amazing to watch--and their calls are so unique. We all thought it was birds, then we realized it's the elk! Along with the elk we have seen fox and deer, and also a very strange bird that looks more purple than blue. It wasn't a blue-jay, either. I'll have to investigate that.
After we unloaded our u-haul trucks (yes, I said TRUCKS) by ourselves, we then had to go to Chuck's apartment and pack him up and move him also. That was on Friday. Saturday came along and I told Chuck that I just couldn't imagine unpacking one more box, so we headed downtown for a parade. It was our town's Rodeo Days--everything focused on the rodeo. It was fun, but, like the kids said, it will be a lot more fun next year when we have friends.
So, the next day, on Father's Day we packed a lunch and headed to a park where we ate and went on a 4-5 mile hike along Bear Creek. It was beautiful. No offense to my kids, but my favorite part was when I drifted behind them and was able to really take in the beauty and peacefullness of the mountains, and to watch them explore everything on the path.
When Monday rolled around I think everyone was a little sad, including myself. I think reality is sinking in, that we're not just here on vacation. Chuck headed back to work and the kids and I are left to explore this new state, and all it has to offer, on our own. Not that I haven't done that before, and I find myself getting more brave by the day. We got info. on all the sports camps today and will be deciding what sports to start this summer.
Allison got a job yesterday at Walmart. I'm so excited and proud of her. She is making some awesome change for a first job. I'm hoping this will help her meet some friends, too. All she can talk about is getting that first paycheck and buying a plane ticket back home. She had to take a drug test, too, yesterday. That was very interesting.
We went and picked up paint samples yesterday, too. Ashley, again, has a dramatic paint color in mind.....extremely dark purple. Her vision sounds beautiful, but I'm afraid that her room is too small for all that she wants to do. I'm going to try my darndest to make it something that she loves. Allison picked a blue again, which I love. The boys want a snow-boarding mural on their wall, so I'm painting their room tan. I have been looking at colors for my kitchen/eating area. I think I've found two colors I really like, and I've decided I'm going to paint my kitchen cabinets too. They are in horrible shape, but I think a coat or two of paint will really help them out--and my eyes as well. I can't decide between white or a cream color (which I would put a chocolate glaze over). Our appliances are white, so I'm not sure if cream would look right. Any suggestions anyone??
Otherwise, the house will take some getting used to. It is a fixer-upper, that is for sure. We don't quite fit, and are having some storage issues at the moment. I open up a box and have no idea where to put the stuff inside. I need to get my creative juices flowing. I wish we had an Ikea close by.
Every day that passes will make this feel more like home. I have excitement over all this beauty around me, and the great shopping close by, and all the fantastic resteraunts just calling my name. But I also long for the familiarity of home, the bbq's with friends, the boating on the lake, the hugs from my family.

I do have to say....I haven't been bitten by one mosquito!

Hey Y'all!!

2008-05-30T08:49:00.002-05:00

I know....it's been FOREVER!!! I haven't updated for a long time...I think before Mother's Day. I'm not sure how long this post will be, I have a jam-packed day today.

Right now Ashley is getting her braces off!!! YAY! YAY! I think she was up at the crack of dawn. I'll post a picture sometime this weekend. She still needs to wear a retainer with a fake tooth attached until she's about 18 when she be able to get a permanent tooth put in. Does that sound familiar, Lorrie?!---Allison still has a way to go until she gets hers off. They said she'll get them off in time for senior pictures. Poor girl. Alli still struggles with a slight lisp that she's had since childhood, and the ortho. tells us it's because of her teeth. He assured her that as soon as her teeth are fixed, she'll be able to say her words a lot better.

Today is the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!! I usually love this day, but today we're struggling a bit. The kids are having a difficult time saying goodbye, as expected. Allison wrote cards out to each of her favorite teachers last night. I told her that it's the best present a teacher could receive.

My girlfriends and I are heading out of town tonight for one last HURRAH!! We will be dancing up a storm tonight. :) The boys are going to a 'Rendevois' with the neighbors, and the girls have 'end of the year' parties. It's the perfect night to go.

Chuck will be busy painting our new home this weekend. I wish I was there to help him. I'll post pics when I see them!

Otherwise, lots of packing and giving things away has been our daily schedule.

Yesterday was my final day with Sawyer. I can't post much about that, 'cause as Sawyer would say, "Didty trying??" (Chrissie crying?) "Why, Didty, why??" Sigh..... I have a special post on the way for my Sukey boy.

Have to go see my beautiful Ashley's new smile! Have a great weekend everyone! Sorry so quick!

What I love about my 11 yr. old

2008-05-20T11:57:00.004-05:00

It's 2 days late, but here it goes:

You act so tough, but deep down I know that you are so caring and sensitive. Your feelings get hurt, but you try so hard not to show it.

You stick by your family through thick and thin. Yes, you may fight and disagree, at times, with all of us, but you are loyal to the end. Nobody says anything bad about our family in your presence! And that includes all your cousins. :)

You are so thankful whenever you recieve gifts. You make the person feel as if they've given you the best gift in the whole world.

You are a rule-follower. You know what's right and what's wrong. You like to play fair, and will fight for justice. Some call you 'cautious', but I call you RESPONSIBLE. I can count on you to keep an eye on your brother or cousins, and trust that when you've had enough you will let me know.

You think positive most of the time--even though I know that it's hard sometimes.

I love your activity level. Your love of sports inspires me to try new things. Sorry--I know I'm terrible at football....that ball seems to always jam my fingers, I don't know what I do wrong. I can't wait to see you flying down the ski slopes! You are so brave in that way.

Trying escargot for the first time......

I couldn't love you any more than I do. I hope you have a fantastic 11th year....full of wonderful surprises, exciting adventures, and breathtaking moments.

Happy Birthday.

Whew.....it's been a while!

2008-05-18T09:43:00.005-05:00

Time is flying by so fast. I waste my days away wishing time would slow down, and at the end of each day I'm angry at myself for not DOING something that day. Whether it be packing a single box--which I haven't done yet--to just being outside savoring the day with the kids, or going to the park, or having coffee with a friend, you name it....I haven't done it. I sit here in my house THINKING about moving, looking at pictures of our future home, being sad whenever a sad song plays on the radio, reading my book so that I don't think of things that are too painful. I find myself pulling away--from friends, our church, the kids' schools. I, wrongly, think it'll make it easier in the end to leave. It couldn't be further from the truth. I think there's also a little depression sinking in there somewhere, too.

A couple weeks ago, my girlfriends started planning an overnighter for all of us to take. It happened to fall on the same day as the kids got out of school. I, immedietly thought NO WAY...I can't be gone on their last day of school! Chuck won't be home that weekend, and I need to be here to taxi everyone around. Well, emails started flooding my inbox from my friends. They were all tear-jerkers. You know, the ones that say how much I mean to them, that it's just hitting them that I'm actually leaving. They all said that we NEEDED this night....one last hurrah for a while. I put everyone on hold until I could figure this out. My wonderful neighbor Gail (and closest friend) suggested that her husband Chad(Chuck's closest friend) take the boys camping with him that night at Gail's parents house. It's their Rendezvous weekend (I don't know if you remember that from last year--they shoot bow, tomahawk throw, etc.) and he wanted to take the boys with him that night anyway. Soooo...I thought, the girls will be doing something with their friends that night, guaranteed, so I commited to go with my girlfriends. They all continued to e-mail with such uplifting messages, letting me know that however far away we are from each other, we will always be close. We have a friend that moved away 2 years ago, and she sent me some wonderful advice and kind words of encouragement. It struck me then....Why am I pulling away from all of these great women when I need them THE MOST!! Like they reminded me, that's why we choose the friends we do. We want to be supported, encouraged, reassured that everything will be alright. I felt so much better, even though I shed more tears that week than I have in months.

So...this week I'm going to have a new attitude! I'm GOING to start boxing things up, I'm GOING to spend time with friends and get outside, I'm GOING to start making arrangements.....I'm GOING to be O.K.!! Like all these great women said.....this will be a fantastic adventure......

Here's to you, ladies.....

Some pictures of our future home.

2008-05-07T08:48:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pictures of our new house. Keep in mind that the furniture is not ours, and the colors will be different. I'll post these now, then I'll post more as we move in and make it our own.

A lovely shade of green. We will be painting it a cedar color.

The upstairs living room and eating area. I'm thinking of a warm tan or caramel color to accent the fireplace stone. Kaylyn--any suggestions?

The cozy basement fireplace. Should I change this color or keep it light? I love terra cotta (sp?) color. Should I warm it up?

They used the basement as their master bedroom. We would have to use it as our family room.

I didn't add any pictures of the kitchen. Just imagine dark cabinets with that lovely shade of green that is on the exterior, on the walls of the kitchen. Until we are able to remodel, I'll be putting on new kitchen hardware, new faucet, lights and paint. O.k. fine....here's a picture of the kitchen:

A little smaller than I'm used to....but it'll do for now.

Does the fridge look miniature to you? Chuck says it's not, but I beg to differ. That may need an upgrade...I don't know if it can hold all the food this family eats!

So, what do you think?

PROM!!!!

2008-05-04T14:38:00.006-05:00

Allison had a fabulous time at prom on Friday. The weather was terrible...rain, wind and very cold. Here are the pictures:

Getting her hair done. Kayden and Allison right after getting dressed.

The aprons they made for dinner. A toast! Hopefully for the great food. :)

My favorite picture.

Attaching the corsage.

Showing off the garders they made. Phil helping Alli with her shoe.

Heading out to the car wash. :)

Proud Momma and Papa. Sawyer and Chuck at Grand March (with Sawyer's

"Dododo")).

She was so beautiful, I couldn't stand it. Yes, I got teary the entire day. My little princess......

We got the house!

2008-05-01T11:03:00.001-05:00

The house is ours! Whew! We now have a future home...thank GOD! I was a little worried that we would be livin' off the land with the elk, fightin' them for a small amount of green grass that's available.....I have a feeling they would win.
We are able to move in on the 1st of June. Chuck is going to paint the exterior before we arrive....I don't think I'd be able to pull up to a sea-foam green house and be excited about it. :) It has cedar ciding, so we will paint it a lovely cedar color.
The next step is to register the kids for summer activities, and get paperwork for registering them for school next year. Tanner really wants to try lacrosse. That is one sport I know nothing about. They say it's like hockey but you are running and have to catch the ball with your stick-thingy. (What is that called anyway?) So, I'm looking into that. It's so nice to have the internet, you can register the kids online, and we don't even have to be there. Mitchell wants to do soccer, of course. I think he would try ANYTHING. He's so excited about every sport. I love that about him. :)
Ashley isn't sure what she wants to do, if anything. Allison is going to be looking for a job.

We decided to sell our camper and Chuck's big diesel truck and camp the real mountain way....in a tent! We had to bribe the boys a little, telling them we will be able to buy a really cool tent, along with some really sweet camping supplies. We also told them that we're all going to get new mountain bikes, too. (I accidentely called them dirt bikes, and Mitch thought we were all getting the motorized kind. He was a little disappointed to find out that I have no idea what I'm talking about.)

Nothing new to report on the selling of this house, unfortunetly.

Send up prayers today for Chuck's Dad who is in surgery at this moment to replace a valve. He will be 'under the knife' for 6 to 8 hours. A little tough on an 81 yr. old body. He's absolutely a positive thinker, and it's helped him get through many surgeries. Praying that he will have the same outcome as the others.

Due to the surgery, we will be hosting the prom dinner at our house tomorrow afternoon! They are having chicken kiev and rice pilaf, salad, corn, fruit kabobs, strawberry lemonade and cheesecake.
Allison and I went to an antique dealer yesterday and rented some FABULOUS jewelry. It was so fun--it really makes her look like a princess. Can't wait to show you all! It doesn't sound like it'll be a very nice day, weather-wise, tomorrow, so no outdoor pictures will be taken unless it clears up later in the afternoon.
I'll try and post pictures tomorrow night, as we will be at the hospital all day Saturday. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

A great, productive hubby/wife weekend.

2008-04-28T11:33:00.002-05:00

I am home from Colorado. It feels great to be home. The flights were o.k. The trip there was fine until we were descending into Denver and we could see the dust storm across the flatlands. It made me a little nervous, especially when the pilot reported that we would have a bumpy landing. The poor lady next to me was throwing up in her little puke bag. I was glad that I wasn't at that point. Poor thing. When the plane landed, safely thank GOD, Chuck texted me to see how I was. He was watching the wind pick up and knew I would be having a hard time. I replied that he better figure out where the nearest liquor store was! :) After I calmed down--it took quite a while--we cozied in after supper and watched a movie. Chuck was so cute, he said that I was his first visitor in his apartment since the kids and I left 6 weeks ago. He was making me food, bringing me coffee in the morning, worried that I was cold/hot. I felt like we were dating again, when he used to dote on me all the time. I hated leaving him.

It was a productive weekend, too. We saw our fair share of houses. Some were o.k., others were, "Oh my....I can't believe you brought me to see THIS!!!" Chuck can obviously see the house's 'future' potential. I look at it and see that we have to live in the existing condition UNTIL we are able to remodel. There are many that just won't do.....sorry Chuck. :)

While I was away, we had a very promising showing here at this house. Please say a prayer everyone!! AND we made an offer on a house in Colorado. It is the one I had mentioned before--the one by the high school....the fixer-upper. So, this week will be a big news week--hopefully. Our two choices were this house and one that was way up in the mountains. We wanted to buy the beautiful log home on top of a gorgeous mountain, surrounded by breathtaking beauty. The owners were the nicest people, too. They just made you want to buy from them. BUT, the house was pretty remote, and was on a gravel road that was very steep. The older kids would have to ride the bus for at least an hour each way to school. Sometimes in the spring, when the snow was melting, you literally slid down the hill--not to mention how you would get back up once you were down. Then, we hung out at the house by the school just to get a feel of the area. While we were there, the fields were full of families playing soccer, lacrosse, baseball, you name it. It just made you want to get out there and play, too. It was so US! Lots of young families, but also some high schoolers, too. Right next to the high school is a community center with an outdoor playground and skate park that the boys could use every day if they wanted. So, as you can tell, the decision was made. I can see us being happy there. So, we'll see if they accept our offer. (fingers crossed)
We tried the local fare, also. Some really great little restaurants (the yummiest crispy chicken salad I've ever had), rib joints (I think you need a Harley to feel at home here), and wine bars ("No reservation?? Sorry"--we went back there for lunch the next day) Everyone was extremely friendly and promised we would love it there.

This week promises to be a busy one. Chuck's Dad is having heart surgery :( sometime this week. We're not sure what day exactly, but it is a risky one, so send up prayers.
Allison's prom is on Friday and I'm making them dinner. We haven't come up with the menu yet--that's on my list today. We pick up her dress today, hopefully they took the hem up enough. I'm afraid she will always have the dilemma. :) She gets her nails done tomorrow! Oh, this is soooo fun!
Chuck's renting a convertible for them to drive; hopefully she doesn't have to wear her winter coat with her prom dress. ha!ha!
Tanner has his final band concert tomorrow night, so I'll have to tape that for Daddy.

I'm hoping to keep everyone up to date on the news this week, but may have to post about everything this weekend. Who am I kidding--I'll post as soon as I hear anything.

I'm outa here!!

2008-04-24T08:32:00.002-05:00

For the weekend, that is. I'm flying to Colorado today to visit Chuck for the weekend. We have a list of houses to look at, a fly-fishing date on Saturday morning (if the weather cooperates), and some choice resteraunts to try out. I'm really looking forward to spending time with him. He's so excited, too, I think....I hope. :)
My only trepidation is the kids. They are scattered in every direction. They will be fine, I know, but there is always so much prep work. Allison is trying to plan out her prom dinner--which I'm cooking--and getting decorations for this weekend. I'm sad that I'm not here to help her. Ashley's shopping with a friend--her favorite thing to do, Tanner is staying at the neighbor's and is in charge of the dog--Yikes!--and Mitch is heading home with Lorrie to play with his bestest friend. Thank you all for helping out! I woke up this morning and was scanning through Tanner's school news and found out that he has a choir concert tonight...that I never heard anything about! I asked him about it, and he says, "Oh yeah." UGH! I keep telling him that I feel sorry for his future wife--she'll have no idea what's going on, he forgets EVERYTHING! :) So, I have to find a ride for him...and I'm very bummed that I'll be missing it. Mom's live for this stuff, right? Just one more added stress.
And if everyone knows how much of a nervous flier I am, you know how churny (is that a word?) my stomach is today. O.k. I don't want to talk about that subject any more.

But--I am excited to go! I'm actually excited to GET THERE. The leaving part is difficult. I'll be sure to take pictures (hopefully of some houses) and post the good ones here. I may even need to take a vote. :)
Have to get off this computer! I'm known for my procrastination--especially when I'm on a time crunch. Have a great weekend everyone. LOVE YOU!

Baby heaven

2008-04-21T12:38:00.004-05:00

I had my baby fill this weekend--can you believe I said that? I can NEVER get my 'fill' of babies. They are just soooo delicious, I just can't get enough. Sometimes when I hold a sweet-smelling babe I actually get tears in my eyes. I can't explain it. Allison has been known to say, more than once, "Gosh, when I have a baby, I'll never get to hold it when Mom's around." How did she know? :) I've told my kids that they better plan on living near me when they have Grandkids. Otherwise, we will have homes all over the country to be near them.

If there's a baby around, this is where you'll find them...usually.

Can you say "Cabbage Patch doll?" This is Rheya, our nieghbor's niece.

Little Noah, our nieghbor's foster baby.

The latest, greatest invention ever to hit the grocery store...(in this small town, anyway)

2008-04-21T12:25:00.002-05:00

I went to Cub Foods the other day, and found this GREAT thing they are finally promoting..............

THE REUSABLE SHOPPING BAG!!!!

This is really exciting for me as I think our town is so far behind in the eco-friendly lifestyle. They were selling these for $1.00 each...which I thought was a bargain since I was eyeing some on-line for $35.00 for 5. I've been taking them everywhere and feel so good about it. They can hold quite a bit, too. They're pretty deep. This morning I lugged all my bags with me to Walmart, and as I was leaving--my bags brimming--a woman at the door handed me a free, recycled, reusable bag from Walmart. I think something's FINALLY catching on here! :)

Update on the house situation...

2008-04-15T08:58:00.001-05:00

We may have found our house. No, it is not the house I previously posted about, but a different one. The owners accepted our offer, and I'll be traveling there next weekend to see it. I will admit to you, I'm struggling a bit with this one. Haven't been able to sleep much in the last two nights. This house is under our budget, which is great, but it is definitely a fixer-upper/add-on-er. A few things need to be done right away...like put in an egress (sp?) window in one of the lower level bedrooms, fix the deck, PAINT THE EXTERIOR!!!!, and shingles. But, overall, I think it's what we need to buy right now. It has great potential--very easy to add onto, and it's right across the street from the high school the kids will be attending. Mitch, Alli and Ashley can all walk to school. Ashley is not happy that it's right across the street. She says that she doesn't want to look out her window and see the school---constant reminder, I guess. :) But, the football field/lacrosse field are right across the street, and the boys love that idea. So...what am I struggling with, you ask?? It's the size, I'll admit. I can't imagine us all living in this little house. I know, I know...I've been very spoiled these last few years. But, reality time is setting in, I guess. This will be very good for me...I just need to suck it up!! It is just taking me a few days to really let it sink in to my brain. My mind wanders to the future addition, and what I want it to look like. We are so lucky that Chuck is so handy and will be able to do all of the work himself. I'm anxious to get to the landscaping and planting.
One of the things I'm really excited about (or should I say two) are the fireplaces. They have one upstairs and downstairs. Those snowy, windy winter nights will be cozy by the fireplace. I'm trying really hard to let go of all the "wants" in my life and to focus more on the "needs." (Thank you, Kaylyn!) This is such a learning experience, and a good one at that, for all of us. Chuck and I are commited to living simpler lives from here on in, taking time to enjoy the outdoors and get our butts moving. He's already talking about purchasing mountain bikes for all of us. Look out, Shawn, here we come!! So, lots of changes going on here.

Do you think my reoccurring, very annoying eyelid muscle twitch has anything to do with all of this 'change'?

Gus...in his glory.

2008-04-15T08:35:00.004-05:00

Allison and Phil spent their Saturday afternoon building a new cage for the hampster Gus. There were quite a few giggles, but a little irritation in the air, too. It was fun to hear them work together and figure it out--from finding the tools, figuring out how to use the tools, brainstorming ideas, to finally showing off their finishing product. I was just glad there were no injuries. Did I mention how accident-prone they BOTH are? :) I think Gus was happy, too. Have you ever seen a hampster do a flip? That's what he kept doing once he was in his new home. Funny stuff!

On Monday night, the boys and I attended their hockey awards night. They both recieved medals. Tanner recieved a medal for outstanding academics (WOO HOO!!) along with a puck and certificate. Mitch was a little upset that he didn't get one for academics, but he's not quite old enough for that medal yet.

In line for his medal.

I'm soooo behind...

2008-04-08T08:48:00.005-05:00

In the posting department, that is! I still haven't had a chance to post Easter pics yet. I just never seem to have time on the computer lately. Here are a few updates on what we've been up to:

We had Chuckie home for the weekend--and had so much fun. On Thursday the kids and I decorated the house with baloons and streamers, and signs to welcome him home. He wasn't getting home until 1:00 a.m. that night and the kids wanted to surprise him. Here is the sign that Mitch made for Chuck. We thought it was so precious!

We thought the "We loved you" part was the cutest thing.

On Friday, Chuck and I went out for coffee in the morning, and spent the rest of the day running errands together. Something we haven't done 'together' in years. After the kids got home, we went out to our favorite resteraunt, ran to the grocery store (we haven't been in the grocery store together in years, either.) It was actually a blast...running down the isles with our carts...the girls getting into it, too. We loaded up on junk food--yes, Dad couldn't say 'no' to any on them--grabbed some movies, and headed home to watch them all. We were up so late, but nobody wanted the day to end.

On Saturday we went to Chuck's hometown for a memorial for his aunt. There was a lot of family there that he hasn't seen in years, so that was nice to catch up with them. One of Allison's and my favorite things to do is to sit and listen to Chuck's Dad talk about stories of when he was younger. His Dad is reaching the ripe age of 81 this year, and we've heard a lot of these stories before, but we never get enough of them. Some of our favorites are the stories of his teenage years...of his friends named 'Buckeyed' Sampson (?), 'Cornfed' Hanson (don't ask), and the infamous 'One Dollar Necktie' Schmidt (it seems he bought a necktie for a dollar when they were selling for $.50, and the name stuck). Alli and I get tears from laughing so hard. A new one we heard this weekend was about the time he almost burned down the barn and he got so scared that he ran away and hid in the woodchip pile. While he was hiding, he fell asleep and everyone was looking for him everywhere. When they found him, everyone was so happy that they forgot to give him woopin' (his words) for almost burning the barn down. :)

Saturday night was spent with the neighbors eating taco in a bag. We've really missed being together, and the kids really miss the Family Fun days. Now that spring is here, we have to get in a few before we move.

On Sunday we celebrated Mitchell's birthday with his friends at the YMCA. He had a blast playing basketball and swimming.

We came home afterward to get Chuck packed up to head to the airport. It was really hard letting him go this time. We kept saying, to ourselves, "It's only 11 more days until we see each other again."

I think this has been the hardest on Tanner. He misses him so much, and I think he would pack up everything and move tomorrow if he could. Last night he asked me if I could help him think of ways to make money. After a little prying, he said it was so that he can help pay for a house. He's such a sweet boy. I've seen a little slip in his school work, too, so I'm conversing with his teachers about that. He says, every night, "Mom, I keep thinking about all the kids that don't have their Dads 'cause they're fighting in the war, and I think 'This isn't so bad.'" He has a lot he's dealing with right now. :(

Everyone say a little prayer for us. Chuck found a house that would be perfect. We're waiting to hear back from the owners. If everything goes well, I'll be traveling there in the next couple weeks, and then I'll be able to post pictures. :) I'm not getting my hopes up....I'm not getting my hopes up....

Last night Allison, Phil (Alli's boyfriend) and I went to order his tux and pick out shoes for Alli. They had altered her dress already, so she tried it on. When she came out of the dressing room, Phil says, "You look amazing." He couldn't stop staring at her. It was so sweet, and I think I got a little tear in my eye. :) BUT...part of me wanted to say, "Stop looking at my baby that way!" Those two are going to look amazing together. Can't wait to take pictures of them to show you! Prom is May 2nd, so be ready for pictures on May 3rd!

This morning Sawyer and I started a new dancing/excercising dvd. I feel a little soreness in my abdomen (exactly what I wanted) already, and can't wait to do it again tomorrow! He just sat there and giggled at me. I felt a little self conscious.....

My first week as a single Mom....

2008-03-30T10:06:00.003-05:00

O.k. everyone. I made it through my first week as a single Mom. I don't recommend this to anyone; and the ones that do this day in and day out I have a newfound respect for. I can't imagine throwing work on top of it all. I thank God every day that I'm able to still stay home.

Due to Sawyer being sick for most of the week, I've been quite bored during the school day. With no hubby coming home at the end of the day, I've found every excuse not to clean the house, or do laundry, make a meal, or do dishes.....I've been a lump, I'll admit. On Friday I snapped out of my coma, and am ready to take on this new challenge. I mean, really, Chuck is the one that has the crappy end of this deal--starting a brand new, intense job, living in a strange city, going home to a one-bedroom, very quiet apartment at the end of the day. No kisses or hugs from the people that love him most in the world. I think being apart has been hard on us two, also. Yeah, we talk 2 to 3 times a day, but phone calls just don't cut it. I'll forget to tell him something important and try to get in touch with him during the day, and it's almost impossible--and I feel guilty calling him at work. Then at the end of the day when I'm exhausted, he'll call to show me a house on the internet that he found, and when I have a hard time getting it on my screen, or finding the right website he gets a little frustrated with me, and I get annoyed that he's talking to me in a 'not so nice' way.

This is definetely adjustment time. I'm positive it'll all be o.k. in the end, and we'll be much stronger for it. My biggest fear is that this arrangement will become too comfortable. I miss him already.

In Colorado, he has reverted to his pre-Chris self: cleaning everything the moment it's dirty--dishes, bathroom, laundry, etc. He irons his outfits the night before, and lays them out nicely for the following morning. His fridge is full of salads (why doesn't he eat those with me?), fish, shrimp cocktail (???) and single serve meals. He's really making me look bad. :)

In other news.....this week has also been a busy week for the kids. Allison is now the official track manager. Her boyfriend is a running maniac, and talked her into being the track manager so that she can come to all the track meets. I'm excited for her. This will get her outside in the springtime air. (She is a jammy-wearing, romantic movie watching kinda girl--gotta love it!) Her first track meet was on Tues., and since there is still quite a bit of snow on the ground, they had it in an indoor track---3 1/2 hours away, on a school night! She didn't get home til 1:00 a.m. that night. Yeah, that means I had to stay up, too, and pick her up. :( On Wed. our varsity boys basketball team went to the state tournaments, and Allison played in the pep band. All the games were in the cities (2 hrs. away) so that meant another late night. My girlfriend and I took a van load of kids down to the game. It was a blast! We won that night! We didn't get home until 12:00 a.m. I let the kids sleep in the following morning and they were happy--me, too. On Thursday night Allison had to play, again, in the pep band in the cities. Our team lost this game, unfortunetly...but played on Saturday for 3rd place. So, again, Thursday was another late night. Friday night rolled around, and Alli and I were in our jammies by 6:30! I made chicken fajitas, and we settled in for movie night.

On Saturday, we got going early and headed with another van load to the cities for the final game. It was a blast--and we won the 3rd place title by 1 point. We recieved so many compliments on the pep band--I mean...these kids can PLAY!!! We just blew everyone out of the water (the band, that is). It was so fun.

Alli is the shortest one in the center.

Today (Sunday) is a free day! Nothing on our schedule today. Hmmmm....what movies should we watch today?

Here are a few that we've watched this weekend:

Atonement----very good love story. Alli said it was depressing. Not for kids, though.

I Am Legend----I liked this movie. I enjoy movies that have a "what if" theme. I sometimes wonder what I would do if I was the last person on earth. I, also, like Will Smith. :) Do not, I repeat, Do not let the kids watch this one! They will be sleeping with you for days afterward. Allison and Phil both were freaked out after watching this. Tanner--the lovely younger brother that he is---followed them in a room after they watched this movie and turned out the lights on them. I had the lovely experience of hearing Phil scream like a school girl. Way too funny!

Dan in Real Life----Ashley saw this one. I'll probably watch it today. It's not your typical Steve Carell movie. Kind of serious, I think.

Because I said So----I like Diane Keaton movies, and I thought this one was cute. Don't worry, I didn't let the kids see this one. Definitely adult humor.

Nancy Drew----This one is a must see! It was perfect for the kids, too. May be a little scary in parts for younger viewers, though, but my kids loved it. I, also, thought it had a great lesson.

I realized I never posted pictures of Easter. I have some good ones for everyone to see. ;) I'll try and post later....maybe between movies. ;) You will want to check back for these.

Our Trip to Colorado....

2008-03-25T09:50:00.013-05:00

Yes, we made it there and back safely. We are very glad to be home, but a little sad that Chuck isn't here with us. It's going to be a long 2 weeks until we see him again. Our busy packing day (Thursday) was especially jam-packed as we decided to trade in our gas-guzzling Excursion for a mini-van. We had to trek to the cities and used up 6 hours of precious packing time for the exchange. During our trip down there we recieved a phone call from a realtor saying they would like to show our house while we were gone. AHHHH was my reaction. So, we booked it home, packed the kids and ourselves, loaded the trailer with all Chuck's possessions and frantically cleaned the house. Sigh....it makes me tired just thinking about that night. Here's a picture of our new van:

A little dirty. I took it at a truck stop in Nebraska.
Friday:
We loaded the kids in the van and truck--Chuck, of course, drove seperately from me, and were out of here by 6:00 a.m. We had great weather, and it was very nice for the kids to switch vehicles halfway. A little change of scenery. I was the lucky one to have the boys the second half, and heard (every two minutes, I swear) "Where are the mountains? Where are the mountains?" and the cherished phrase, "How many more minutes?" We still had 3 hours at that point. We arrived while there was still a little bit of daylight, so that was a relief. To actually SEE the mountains, finally!

The view I saw the entire way--that would be Chuck's trailer.

Here we are burning some steam at a truck stop.

Could those be MOUNTAINS in the distance?? When we arrived, we all unpacked Chuck's trailor, ordered pizza and crashed for the night. We didn't hear any complaints about sleeping on the floor (including myself) as we were exhausted. I don't think the kids slept one wink all the way down there. They were so excited.
Saturday:
Our friends arrived that afternoon and we immediatly drove to the town we are eyeing as a possible homestead. (Evergreen) It's a very beautiful town.

All the kids by the little stream that runs through town.

Feeding the ducks by the ice cream shop.

The artificial turf lacrosse field at the high school in town. (Maybe a football field, also?)

A partial picture of the high school the girls picked out.

Sunday:
We did a lot of the same stuff today--drove around, checking out different areas. Our plan was to go to Vail today, but the mountains were getting a huge snow storm and the interstate was closed, so we decided to do that another day. We ended up driving to Boulder and shopped and walked down Pearl Street. There were some great musicians playing that day--and a lot of green-wearing for St. Patty's Day.

Watching the storm in the mountains.

Ya think it's snowing up there? :)

Monday:

We woke to 6 inches of fresh, wet snow today. So much for heading in the mountains today.

Our view this morning.

So, we decided to do the Coor's Brewery tour today! It was a lot of fun--mostly for Chad (our friend), who was in heaven, I think. I'm not a big beer drinker, but I tried a few different kinds. Let's just say I won't be buying any cases while Chuck's away. :) The kids were bored out of their minds, I believe.

Doesn't Chuck look like a tourist? :)

Chuck and Gail

Chad and I. He's always so proud when I have a beer with him. I think this was the 2nd time in all the years we've known each other.

"Can we go now??"

I would have had a few more beers, I think, if I would have known what was to come next.

Chuck decided to take us up to Lookout Mountain, but, on one of the back roads. Sorry, I didn't get many pictures on the way up as I was pleading for my life. I think I even shed a few tears.

This is a view from the top.

One of the tame roads.

Keep your eyes on the road, Chuck, we're coming to a curve.

The view of Golden.

Tuesday:

Our final day with Chad, Gail, Eli and Adi as they were heading home on Wednesday. It was also our final full day with Chuck. He started work on Wed. also of that week. So, today we went to Vail. It was a beautiful drive. A little nerve-wracking, but at least it was interstate the whole way.

The view on the way there was spetacular!

Such a cute, little town. I felt a little out of place without some ski boots on my feet.
If you look really hard, you can see skiiers on the hill (or should I say MOUNTAIN).

Tanner said it was torture watching all the skiiers and not be able to ski, too. We told him not too worry, he'll get plenty of skiing in--in due time.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday:
We said our farewells to our friends, and sent Chuck to his first day of work. It was like sending him off on his first day of school. I was nervous for him. And a little nervous for myself as now I had to do all the driving around the city. The kids and I went to an awesome mall full of outlet stores, and spent a little money on some clothes.
Thursday we drove back to Evergreen and had ice cream by the stream again. We checked out some neighborhoods and they all agreed that THAT is where they want to live. We saw elk feasting right next to a very busy road. (Scared me half to death) They say that's a daily occurence.
That night we ate out with Chuck at Red Lobster. It was delicious, and had to walk around afterward because we were all so uncomfortable from over-eating. :) It was a good feeling.....
Oh, I forgot, that was the day we met everyone at Chuck's office. Everyone is so extremely friendly and nice. What a great group to be working with everyday.
Friday we packed up, and the kids and I headed for home. It was a little hard for me to leave Chuck. The closer I got to home, the more sad I became. It'll take a lot of adjusting, I think, for all of us.
I drove straight to Omaha, then stopped overnight at a hotel with a pool. It was great to sleep in a bed after a week of sleeping on an air mattress (sorry, Chuck). On Saturday we made it home by 4:30, so that was nice.
So.....that was our trip. I'll illaberate more on what I think of Colorado in another post. This one has about wore me out! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

What I love about my 7 yr. old...

2008-03-12T16:58:00.003-05:00

The excitement you have when it is your special day---your songfest, your hockey game, your Grandparents Day, your movie night at school, your birthday. I think that being the 4th child, you attend so many things for your siblings that you just love when we attend something just for you. Your excitement is contagious, and watching you beam when you see us in the crowd makes my heart soar.

You have the funniest sense of humor. Everyone says how quiet you are, but I know the truth. :) You know just how to make us all laugh, and you are very quick witted. You remind me a lot of your Auntie Lorrie in that way.

You love to learn and to read. You're like a sponge and suck up so much knowledge. Your reading skills are incredible, and I love to listen to all the new words you learn.

You are very organized and I love that about you--probably because I'm not. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'M the Mom because you are always one step ahead of me. :) You do your homework before I tell you, have your planner out for me to sign even before I remember you have a planner :), you know what day is library day and always have your books in your backpack ready to go, your room is as neat as a pin and if I mention anything about making beds you are in there before I get it out of my mouth. The great thing about you is that you never stress over it, you just do it because you like to. :)

I love that your favorite thing to do is to get cozy with Mom and Dad (mostly Mom) on the couch. You still love to be curled up on my lap. I think if you had your way, you would crawl back in the womb. :)

You love your family and being home with all of us. If you had a choice between going somewhere or staying home, you always pick staying home, and we LOVE having you home.

I love how active you are in sports. You would attempt to play all sports, given the chance. There isn't a sport you don't like and you always give your all.

There are so many things I love about you, and this is just a sampling. You are an incredible kid, and the 7 yrs. we've had with you have been amazing. You have such a special place in our family, and life wouldn't be the same without you.

Happy Birthday, little man! We love you to bits!

Playing in the gym, a hockey win, saying goodbye...

2008-03-12T09:33:00.006-05:00

Thursday was a morning of fun for Sawyer and I. I took him to a local gym that I used to take my kids to, to let him run and play with other kids. It brought back so many memories of my days with toddlers and preschoolers. He was a little leary at first, but joined the big kids in a short time.

He wasn't too sure about these girls tying him up. :

After that, him and I went out for lunch. I love having him to myself! Spending a day with a toddler--especially one I love so much--is such a joy to me. I so miss those days with my own...yes, they do grow too fast.

After school on Friday, Chuck and I took our brood to the cities for a hockey tournament. We stayed with his sister, who has a condo there, to save a little money. Believe me, we filled that two-bedroom condo to the rim! It was definitely a slumber party...with sleeping bags, air mattresses and couch sleepers. We had a lot of fun, even though we ALL had head colds. We got movies and junk food and curled up with blankets and our warm knitted slippers. Exactly what we needed...

Tanner's team lost the first two games, but came back and won the last. It was great to finish the year with a win. It was a little sad afterward in the locker room, as this was the end of our hockey days with the Cardinals.

After our final win...

A happy group in the locker room.

We chased home soon after to make it to Allison's award banquet for her hockey season. We were all pretty surprised when her coach announced that we were leaving, and had Alli go up and make a speach. I think it was to cover up the fact that HE got choked up. Alli did great....and her Mom was a blubbering idiot.

Some of her teammates.

Receiving her award and stats...

Giving her 'goodbye' speach...

Finally...pictures of ooooOOOOOklahoma!

2008-03-06T08:28:00.004-06:00

Yes, I'm finally getting pictures of the musical in my computer! I have hardly sat down at the computer this week.

Ashley did WONDERFULLY in the musical--it was very cute and well done. I received many compliments on how much she looked like my sis Lorrie up there on stage. All I could see was myself. I am amazed at how much I recall my own adolescence while watching my teenage daughters. I see the same insecurities as I felt (my 14th year was the suckiest), but also the same joy and drama and close friendships. It's so weird thinking that I'm not the center of their world anymore, but so proud of the strong young women they are becoming.

Ashley and her friend Carlee

Ashley with Alaina and Jonnie

Ashley (5th on the left) at the cast party-yes, Mom, you're embarrassing!

The rest of the week was filled with cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. We showed the house to the realtors, met with the moving company to get a quote, attended Allison's band concert--which always blows me away--and Lenten services and confirmation at church. Yes, and it's only Thursday! This weekend we are off to the cities for Tanner's last hockey tournament. Chuck has a ton of stuff to do and is a little overwhelmed at the moment--on top of that, I think he's getting sick. We knew it would be hectic these last 2 weeks before he leaves, but ya throw in sickness and it makes it a ton worse. BUT....I refuse to post about sickness!

Oh yeah, one more thing--Tanner is fine. We took him to the doctor to check his stomach and they put him on Zantac for a few months to see if it helps at all. No appendicitis!! YAY!

We're getting geared up for our road trip next weekend--and Mitchell's 7th Birthday! I can't forget THAT!! He is so pumped. We are going to have a party with his friends when we return. My baby...........7 yrs. old.......sniff sniff.

Getting down to the wire...

2008-02-29T08:53:00.003-06:00

Updates on this week:

Ashley's been busy with dress rehearsals and first performances this week. They had their first performance last night of....ooooooOOOOOOklahoma......and it was soooo good! I'll have to post pictures this weekend, as I forgot my camera last night. We were running late due to Tanner having the stomach flu, but REALLY wanting to go. :( Poor boy, he couldn't even sit up, but he didn't want to miss Ashley's first performance. Ashley sang beautifully, and looked soooo much like myself up there. I had comments afterwards about how much she looks like Lorrie. She's just beautiful!

Like I said...Tanner has the stomach flu and is home again today with it. He's feeling pretty rotten. On Wednesday night I had a fear that it was his appendix...he was complaining about a pain in his right side and around his naval, but the worst pain was in his back. He even said no to his friends when they called to ask him to go skating 'cause it hurt so bad. Craziness...... That night I told my worries to Chuck and even said, "If he starts vomiting, then we should worry." Of course, I jinxed myself, as that night he came running in our room saying his throat felt funny. I asked if he was going to throw up, and he said "YES!" Needless to say, he made it in the bathroom, but NOT in the toilet. :( I actually couldn't stop laughing while I was cleaning it up....Chuck was standing behind me, trying to be helpful, and had a towel wrapped around his face while he was dry-heaving. What would he do without me? :)

I asked Tanner right away if his side and back still hurt and he said no. He was sick on the couch all day yesterday, and is there again today. He is finally eating and drinking today, but still isn't well enough for school. What do you think? Should I have brought him in? You would think if it was appendix, he's still be sick and in pain, right? Lookin' for wisdom here....

I have been busy getting the house in order. We have a couple showings this weekend and early next week. I'm so sick of scrubbing bathrooms. Sawyer's been 'helping' me by playing in the toilet every time I turn my back. Such fun! Pretty soon it was a game, since I had 5 toilets to clean. YUCK!

In my spare time...yeah right...I was able to knit a pair of slippers that Mitch has been waiting, not so patiently, for. They need to be felted one more time for good measure. Here is a quick picture:

I found a pattern for kids felted clog slippers. I have an adult pair, and I wouldn't have made it through the winter without them. They are fabulous! Let me know if you're interested in some. I can whip them out pretty fast.

Tomorrow we are trying to get our friends to come over for one last hurrah with Chuck before he leaves. We are down to two weeks, and next weekend we have Tanner's final hockey tournament. He says he is getting really excited. I don't know if he's excited about being single for 2 1/2 months, or getting there and starting his new job. I'm hoping for the latter. :) I'm just excited to go there and look around. Not excited about the single parenting, though......patience.....patience.

Please say a prayer that our house sells quickly. That is foremost on our minds right now.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! TGIF!!!

A vacation already planned...

2008-02-23T09:16:00.002-06:00

I finally was able to tell all my friends this past week. Last night we had a girls night out and I was able to tell the remaining few about the move. A few tears were shed and vacations already planned. I think it's so funny that as soon as we tell people they say, "Hey, we were thinking of going to Colorado this summer...or next winter..or whenever." I'm very excited about hosting many vacationers there. You all know how I love house guests. :)
My sister-in-law was here yesterday booking her vacation rental in Vail for the first week in August. Isn't that funny?! It seems just eerie, and not reality at all. But, I have to say, I'm starting to get a little excited about just getting there and checking everything out. Our good friends decided to take the trip with us, so we will be road trippin' over spring break. Many a picture will follow.
As far as the kids go...the boys have been the same. Mitchell has been saying more lately that he'll be sad to move and leave his friends. Tanner's been a little more crabby this week. I don't know if it's the move or just that he's a 10 yr. old boy wanting more independence. Ashley is having a harder time this week than she did in the beginning. We've been dealing with depression and trying to work through her feelings. Allison is just plain pissed still. :) We just let her feel what she's feeling, and don't try to change her feelings about it. She has been on the web, talking with a few kids from the school that we are going to check out for them. That's a good sign, don't ya think? I would love for her to meet someone she can relate to there.
So, that's a little update. Ashley and I are doing a little shopping today. Chuck wants me to return Allison's hamster....but, honestly, I just can't do it. After reading her blog, I can't do it. Chuck's going to have to be the mean one. :) I honestly think we'll let her keep it---oops, I forgot she reads this. I didn't say that, Allison! ;)
Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm off to a hockey game...........again.

My oldest's first moment of rebellion

2008-02-20T13:12:00.003-06:00

On Monday the kids had off school--yay!!! a free day!

Allison invited 3 of her best friends to stay overnight and to break the news to them that we are moving. It was a sad night, with many tears. One of them wouldn't even look at us, she was very mad at the two people that were taking away her friend. :(

The next day they decided to go shopping! We gave her some money because she "NEEDED" new jeans. Money is very hard to come by lately, but we thought this would cheer her up, shopping with friends, buying new clothes. All was good!

I was excited when she got home to see her new clothes and hear about her day, but my excitement quickly changed to fury when she walked in the door with a HAMPSTER CAGE....complete with a HAMPSTER inside!! I quickly learned that her and her friends had lied to the parent that brought them shopping by telling her that they had cleared it with me (they didn't) and that it was o.k. (it wasn't)! Yes, she had used our money to buy this. I was so mad--mostly frustrated that she used our money on something she WANTED and not what she NEEDED, and we don't have a lot of money coming in right now. UGH!! Needless to say, us mean parents are making her return the hamster, unless she can find someone to buy it from her. She thinks that she can pay us back, and pay for the bedding and food it'll need--but, she doesn't have a job! Last night Chuck and I found her applying for jobs on-line.

So...here are the culprits....

And here is the rat....um, I mean, hamster...........

I'm afraid of what's to come in the next few months. She's not happy with this move, and I have a feeling that she's going to make us pay. :)

I told her that she needs to make a decision--either she can make the last few months wonderful and fun, with many happy memories to last; or she can make bad decisions and be grounded for the remainder of her time. She didn't like to hear that.

The Nightmare before Christmas image...

2008-02-20T13:03:00.004-06:00

O.k. I already have the giggles and I haven't even posted the picture yet. This is the scene prior to getting on the ski course. Unfortunetly, we didn't get any of us actually skiing--we were too busy laughing and holding in our urine. :)

Look at how unsuspecting they are......

Notice Lorrie's big furry hood?

Here are a couple pictures of the weekend...

Grandma and Nvea Lorrie, Allison and Danielle--triplets??

The Big News....

2008-02-18T15:22:00.002-06:00

Yes, I think I'm ready to announce the news. Maybe I'm not 'ready', but I think it needs to be told. It has been a really hard week for me, many tears and sick stomaches, and I hate to say that those probably won't go away for a while.
Chuck and I have made the decision to accept a job offer that was offered to him. It will require us to move 2 states away......to..........Colorado. I think we both knew that this was the decision we needed to make, but the tears and sick stomaches come from announcing this to our family and friends. We haven't been able to tell ALL our friends yet, as we think this news needs to be told in person, and I pray that none of them read this blog without my knowing it! :)
I think everyone understands what home builders/contractors are going through at this time in the economic world, and Chuck is just one of many, many people that are affected by it. When I saw the downward spiral that seemed to be happening before our eyes, I urged Chuck to scope out different job options, honestly not thinking that it would move us away. He came to me, out of the blue, to tell me that he had been applying on-line to a bunch of different jobs. Out of those, one company called him. It is very eerie how everything just fell into place, and he just felt like he knew everyone at this company. We prayed that God would give us some sign as to what to do....and boy, did He deliver. It was like a slap in the face. Everywhere we went, something was mentioned about Colorado...and even one time (which was the final sign, we think) we were driving in the car talking together secretly about what we should do, the song "Rocky Mountain High" from John Denver came on the radio. We laughed until we cried 'cause we knew.
Yes, it has been hard to tell the kids. Allison refused to talk about it for a couple weeks, and now has seemed to accept it, and has even looked on-line at high schools in the area. Ashley, at first, was excited. But I think lately it has really hit home, and she's really having a tough time. She tries to be so strong for us, and has said that it will probably be the hardest thing she ever has to do in her life, but she knows that it's best for the family and will go without a fight. Is that the sweetest thing, or what? Tanner just wants to get there and start snow-boarding, but I don't think it has hit him that it's not just a vacation. Mitch is sad, he says, and he's a little nervous about the mountain lions in Colorado. :)
Slowly, but surely, I think we'll get excited....I hope. This is a great oportunity for Chuck, and more security for our family. I'm very excited to have a steady income that we didn't have while Chuck owned his own businesses over the years. Just to be able to budget!
So, the low-down is:
We are traveling to Colorado over spring break to get Chuck settled in an apartment. The kids and I will be returning on our own to finish out the school year and, hopefully, sell this house. I'll try not to post depressing or stressed out messages in the near future, but I will be both, probably. :)
I'll post more on the subject later, gotta go run kids around!

Valentine's Day...

2008-02-15T08:35:00.002-06:00

Hope everyone had a great....and romantic....Valentine's Day yesterday! What did you do? Anyone have a really great story, or surprise? I love romantic, and sweet stories about how two people show their love for one another. I always try to make our Valentine's special--and for the last few years we have all celebrated together as a family. Yeah, I know, real romantic...but our kids are the loves of our lives, too, and I always want them to know how much I love them. Usually I make a big meal, taking me hours to make; like last year I made scallops in white wine sauce with pasta, and they each received their own gourmet chocolate box from me. This year my goal was to make a chinese feast. It's our family's favorite meal. I didn't think we could afford to go out to our favorite chinese resteraunt so I decided to make it at home. Taking a family of 6 (with 2 teenagers and one preteen boy) is VERY expensive. To eat at a sit-down resteraunt it usually costs us between $80-$100! Insane!
So, yesterday, I woke up early and made my valentine's heart-shaped french toast for breakfast. I did make carmel rolls, but I think the dough was freezer burnt and they didn't rise overnight--so they did NOT turn out. :( That afternoon I made out my list for our feast, which actually wore me out. Just the planning made me tired. I knew that I would have to start cooking the minute I got home from picking up the kids from school. Most days I don't mind, but I had quite an emotional day yesterday. Lorrie, then, came to pick up Sawyer, and she said that she was picking up a heart shaped pizza from a local pizza place...cause it was her valentines day, too, and didn't feel like cooking all afternoon. O.k....she was a little contagious. I started thinking that that was a wonderful idea!! Why didn't I think of that?? The kids all had hockey that night anyway...and supper would have to be really quick. Soooo, Lorrie and I decided to make pizzas and homemade brownies with ice cream for dessert for our families. She relieved my stress...what are sisters for??!! I could have kissed her.
So, I ran around town picking up pizza, picking out a card for Chuck (which I bawled over in the store--did I say I was having an emotional day?), and picking out everyone's favorite candy; I then picked up the kids from school. After picking up Allison and her boyfriend--and trying to get her dozen red roses from him into the warm car quickly before the frigid cold could get to the soft petals--and dropping those two off at a local coffee shop, I headed home to make the brownies. Apon returning home--and giggling on the phone with Lorrie 'cause her brownie frosting was NOT turning out--Chuck came home and asked me what I thought about ordering take-out chinese for everyone that night for supper? Ummmmm......yeah....duh! He also decided that the boys coughs were too bad for them to be on the ice last night (wink...wink), so he called their coaches and told them they weren't going to be there. YAY!!! A FREE NIGHT! Soooooo....to make a long story short, we ended up having our Chinese feast last night--but, the best part was...I didn't have to make it! Sigh...that story took a lot out of me. We had a great conversation at the dinner table, too, and everyone lingered there for a good 45 minutes. It was great.
We quickly cleaned up supper, and snuggled on the couch in front of the fire to watch 'LOST'. I love that show...but, man, my brain hurt after last night's episodes. Way too much info. to follow. Can't wait to see how it all turns out.
I did end our night with another cry fest, though. For Allison's health class she had to write a letter to us as if she had made a bad choice and drove drunk and was killed in a car accident. It was supposed to be a goodbye letter to us, to make them really think about what they would say to us if they made a bad decision like that in their life. It was excruciating to read....mostly through my tears. I told her 'thanks a lot...now I will have terrible dreams'. She is a talented writer, that is for sure. That did not end the night on the romantic side like I had planned. It took a little bit to shake those images out of my head.
So...that was our day yesterday. My next post, I'll write about the most romantic thing Chuck has ever done for me. I wasn't intending this post to be so long, and I must take a break. :) I'd love to hear your stories of love (but keep it clean, people).

Allison's hockey season finale!

2008-02-13T09:35:00.002-06:00

Well, Allison is finished for the year. They lost the playoff game last night--which, honestly, wasn't a huge surprise. They played a really tough team, with one of their players playing for Duluth University next year on a full scholarship. Allison played a tough game...having over 40 some shots on goal. There were a few college coaches there, and many of them commented on Allison's great insticts. :)
What is a parent to do? We know that Allison isn't a die-hard hockey player; she would so much rather be drawing or even playing the piano over hockey. Yet, she knows that she has huge talent in this area, therefore she hasn't given it up. She talks about working hard so that she can get a scholarship to play in college, BUT does she really want to play? We have told her that we don't want her to play in college if her heart's not in it, and college is for exploring things that she enjoys. I think that she's worried that if she doesn't recieve a scholarship, then she won't be able to attend college. Yeah, it would be nice for US if she received a full ride, but we are definitely NOT pushing her on that route. We keep telling her that she can do student loans....like all the rest of us. :) She worries so much about her future and college. We tell her to mellow out, and enjoy these final years in high school. Her boyfriend will be a senior next year, so college is on his mind a lot, and I think it makes her anxious about her future as well. She's always been a worrier...poor girl.

In other news....yes, we have a sick one again this week. It's TANNER!! Ugh...when will spring be here? It's the same stuff--sinus headache, cough, sore throat, just feeling tired. We've been doing nasal washes with Mitch, and that seems to help for a short while. I just don't want to put them on antibiotics if I don't absolutely HAVE to. They've been on so many meds through the years, that I want to try anything naturally possible to get rid of this junk. Ashley had a choir concert last night, and they were missing over 20 kids due to illness. With the musical coming up, Ashley can't afford to get sick.

Please say a little (or a large) prayer for us. We have been going through some major turmoil that I will be posting about really soon. We just need as many prayers that can come our way. We've had to do some major decision making over the last few months, and we need prayer to encourage us to make the right ones for our family. Don't worry, I'll fill everyone in really soon. Some things are just really hard to say...

The Puck Stops Here!

2008-02-08T08:49:00.000-06:00

Allison won her first playoff game last night. The score was 6-2. She played very well, even with 2 penalties on us which made it 3 on 5. She was very tough in the net. On to Gustavus College on Tues. of next week.

No shots here... Lookin' a little bored...

Good game everyone...

Mitchell is back at school today. He was very excited as they are celebrating the 100th day of school today. I think they get to have a party, also. I just hope I don't get a call from the nurse....he said his throat kinda hurt this morning. We'll see how it goes.

Ashley had a big field trip yesterday. They went to the Schience Museum, Omni Theater, and to the Ordway for an interpretive dance demonstration. She had a lot of fun...except when the dancers came onstage wearing VERY see through costumes. She said that she was embarrassed for the men. :) A little too much for a 14 yr. old girl to take in, I think.

I am off today to help clean out a town house that Chuck built. It's my favorite thing to do.......(yes, I'm being sarcastic). It's the least I can do, having nothing to do all day today. :)

Gotta go...he's home to get me, and I'm not even showered yet! YIKES!!

On to playoffs....

2008-02-07T08:44:00.000-06:00

Allison is on to the playoffs tonight. On Tuesday they won their game, and if they win the first playoff game tonight they go on to play at Gustavus college next Tues. night. I think that she's in the net tonight, so everyone say a little prayer for her that she is quick on her feet tonight. :) We had a spaghetti dinner last night to get them full of energy producing carbs. Pasta is my thing, and I could have eaten the whole crock-pot!

Today, I'm home with Mitch who is sick with a really bad head cold. He woke up this morning with crusty eyes and such a full head. Poor boy. I dosed him up with meds. (cold med., eye drops, and motrin for some growing pains in one of his legs) and now he's curled up on the couch, but sniffing and clearing his throat every 2 seconds. :( We won't have Sawyer today, either, as Jonnie has strep, and Alaina threw up during the night. I'm sure Lorrie will post about that later. :)
So, I'm going to sew some hockey banners today to get ready to decorate the rink tonight for Tanner's home tournament. Most of us hockey Mom's are not crafty people, and don't have tons of extra time to make glorious decorations....BUT, at one of the practices this week I walked in on a small group of women felting, ironing, glueing their little hearts out. They were making a huge tunnel made out of pvc piping for their boys to run through on their way to the ice. Man, did I feel inferior. They asked me what our team was doing (meaning US Moms) and I whimpishly said..."cardboard pucks and banners". I felt like they were fluffing their feathers a bit...and they should, that's a lot of hard work...but, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for them; in a year or two those boys are not going to want to run through a felt tunnel that their Mom's made for them. If they only knew.......I didn't have the heart to tell them....

The week...

2008-02-03T08:45:00.000-06:00

Man, I'm going to try and get on here more often. I know how much I love reading new posts from my sisters, parents and cousin, so I'll try and post more often.

Here are some highlights of the week:

Last Saturday we took our family portrait for our church directory. That was a thrown together mess! I think the pictures looked like it, too. They do it all digitally now, and, as soon as they took the picture it was sent to this huge computer screen. I got the giggles the minute the first one was up. I hate saying this 'cause I DO think my husband is quite handsome....but the poor man is NOT photogenic! He tries way too hard, I think. He's so worried that he's going to blink that on the first picture his eyes look like they are bulging out of his head. I mistakingly burst out laughing. Poor guy. The next 2 were even worse, but opposite...his eyes were half shut in both. I'm sorry, but half blinking eyes are much funnier than completely blinking eyes. Sigh...the poor guy...I'm sure I dwindled his ego slightly that day. We did end up with one that was o.k. Needless to say, I didn't purchase any packages.

On Sunday Tanner celebrated his first communion. I feel a little slighted having grown up in a Catholic church where your 1st Communion is a BIG deal--complete with a smaller version of a wedding dress to wear; whereas in a Lutheran Church it is a much more quieter affair. Lutherans celebrate Confirmation like Catholics would their 1st Communion. So, there wasn't a big party that day. My parents and Chuck's sister and her husband were there to watch.

After church, Chuck and I went our seperate ways...I, to an away game with Tanner, and he to the cities to hop on a plane to Denver, CO. Het met with a very large contracting company in Golden, CO. Yes, things have been quiet in the building business. It has been for everyone in every aspect of construction--from building, remodeling, selling, buying, even mortgage companies have been slow and hurting. The only thing that is on the rise, it seems, is commercial. So, Chuck's trying to generate some work. It went very well for him. He was there til Tuesday night.

He came home to FREEZING weather. Or should I say 'TUNDRA' weather. Things were canceled that night and following morning due to the frigid cold and wind. It was dangerous out there. I think we ran our fire place constantly for 3 days. We just couldn't warm up. These knitted slippers I made have been doing the trick lately. I'm trying so hard to get more pairs made for our family, and extended family.

The rest of the week was filled with Sawyer, hockey, confirmation and cold. On Friday--my day without Sawyer--was spent ironing costumes for the musical Ashley is in....OOOOOOOOklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the planes......, then out for lunch with Chuck at our favorite chinese resteraunt. No, we didn't get through the week without a sick child at home. Allison was home with a sore throat on Friday. Poor girl, she had to miss her semi-formal dance at school. She didn't seem too upset, and we told her if she felt better she could still go, but she must not have felt o.k. 'cause she opted to stay home. It's been a movie marathon for her these last 2 days. It's her favorite thing to do....

Yesterday, Saturday, we spent in cold hockey rinks. Mitch's team kicked butt in the morning, and he SCORED A GOAL!!! He was soooo pumped. No, they don't technically keep score, but the kids know who won. After his game we hopped on a bus to Tanner's game. His team played the best game of their season to one of the toughest city teams around. They did lose, but it was only by 1 point--and they played their little hearts out. The other team was a full head taller than them, too. Boy, are we proud of them! After we got home, we headed to a hockey family's house for BBQ's, knee hockey in the basement, and the Minnesota Gopher's hockey on the t.v. Yes, I've had my fill. Looking forward to watching FOOTBALL on t.v. tonight! :)

So, today, we have a FREE day! Nowhere to be....nothing to do! It's awesome....

We woke up to the most beautiful frost blanketing the world outside.

We are venturing out later for the game. We are walking 100 ft. to the neighbors for a superbowl party. Otherwise, it's a cozy day at home. Enjoy, everyone!

Sickness gone...conferences...cooking...hockey...scheduling...no school

2008-01-25T09:40:00.000-06:00

That sums up my week this past week. Whew...I'm glad it's almost over. Today the kids have a day off, except Allison. The younger ones have conferences, so they get a free day! Yahoo to sleeping in!! We are planning on going sledding later after Ashley's conference. We are finally out of our tundra cold spell, with temps. rising to the 20's today! We haven't been outside for some fresh air for weeks. -30 degree temps. are NO FUN!!! So, hopefully I'll get some great sledding pics. today!

I think we are finally done with illness in our house. This past week I had Allison home one day and Tanner home for 2 days. Mitch and I are in the clear, I hope! Chuck caved in and got some antibiotics for his 0bvious sinus infection. So, hopefully we are done hearing him blow his schnozz every two minutes! That could, literally, wake the dead!

Chuck and I attended the boys' conferences with their teachers yesterday. Don't mean to toot my own horn, but we have some great kids! Mitch is reading almost at a 3rd grade level and is such a responsible, kind hearted little guy. His teacher's love him. (How could they not, right?)

Tanner is scoring above average in all his major subjects. He is, however, having a hard time completing his artwork in art class. We really think he believes if he misses a day or two of school, he doesn't have to do the work. He's learning some hard lessons about responsibility and not blaming others for his wrongdoings. Fifth grade is such a transition year, and Tanner is having a little difficulty transitioning--he still wants to be the little boy that is taken care of--don't we all? He has had quite a bit of stomach ailments in school, and his teacher is a little concerned. She said that he would go to the nurses office every day if she let him. She's worried that he may be nervous about not doing perfect work, and comparing himself to others too much. My poor guy. Any ideas on how to help him at home would be greatly appreciated!

I've been cooking like a maniac this week. We've had something yummy to eat for supper every night. I highly recommend the lasagna from Deceptively Delicious. It is just plain yummy. I didn't change a thing--which a lot of the time I do--and we all thought it was fabulous! Also, I made the Burgers 1 in that cookbook, and they were also a big hit with the family. For me, getting used to a turkey burger vs. a beef hamburger will take a little time, I think. Nobody else seemed to mind, except Mitchell--who is not a big meat/burger eater anyway. Tanner actually had 2! And for Chuck I made a mushroom sauce to pour over top of his burger, and he loved it. I really think all the garlic that it called for in the recipe was worth it (if you like garlic). It made the burgers taste great.

We've had just as much hockey as ever this last week. A group of us women and men from Tanner's team are getting set up for our home tournament in a few weeks and have been busy making felt banners. We have so much fun together. This group is a blast, and we end up laughing our butts off most of the time.

O.k. I don't know about any of you, but I feel like I've been a hopeless mother these last few weeks. I've been completely forgetful (I think our piano teacher is ready to give up on the Johnson family due to my forgetfullness of their lesson changes). I don't know if it's the new year or the extreme cold that makes me want to curl up by the fire and forget about life. Man, that sounds so depressing...which I'm NOT, but I just want to stay home, knit, maybe watch a good movie or t.v. show. Chuck is the same. He says that we're turning into complete homebodies. I hope it's not because we're getting old! :) But, I do feel that my mind is somewhere else. On one particular night this week, I completely forgot a piano lesson of Ashley's, then panicked when I realized I almost forgot Allison's as well. We flew like the wind to her practice where she heard a few choice words from her teacher. Yes, it was all my fault. I told Chuck that I think it was because I haven't nailed my big calendar in a place that is easily viewed. He just gave me this look. You all know the look...a bit of disappointment, a bit of irritation. Soooo, when I returned home there was my calendar...hanging in a VERY noticeable location; as if to say, "There's no excuses now!" So, that night I spent about an hour typing out our next months schedule, printing it, and posting it by this months calendar. I'm hoping that I'll be more on top of it next month. I usually forget a lot of things that first week of a new month, due to the fact that I haven't posted our schedules. So, here's a peek at what our Feb. looks like so far:

Soooo...today I had Ashley's conference in the morning (she's doing great! Straight A's, baby!!), then went to get her fitted for her musical costume, and I took her out to lunch at her favorite resteraunt. I enjoy our together time so much. We never have a dull conversation. :)

Allison is at a game 2 hours north of here tonight, and I'm feeling very guilty that I'm not there to watch her play. We have a very busy weekend with a lot of driving--meaning a lot of money in gas--and decided we should stay home tonight and save quite a bit of money. I hate making those kind of decisions. Even though she says she understands and isn't mad, I know she would love us there. :(

The boys couldn't wait to get on the sledding hill today. As soon as I got home with Ashley, they had their snow stuff on in like 30 seconds! We spent the next 2 hrs. sledding, and had a blast. We were the only ones on the hill, and hearing the boys giggle was so great. We just finished our hot chocolate and cookies, and we're contemplating which movie we are watching tonight. Did I mention how much I love Fridays???

One down....5 to go???

2008-01-18T08:25:00.001-06:00

Ashley is FINALLY back at school today...(Friday)....but not feeling 100 % yet. Her throat was the worst of her ailments. Her cough is pretty bad, too. We'll be watching that one.

We are on to Chucky, now. :( He started feeling sick yesterday, and is home from work today. You know he's sick when he misses work. He's lying on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, with Vicks rubbed on his feet and the remote in his hand. He just finished his breakfast of eggs and hashbrowns, and is quietly sipping his coffee. I want to know..."WHEN IS IT MY TURN??" I never seem to get a full blown illness, mine are just headaches, or stomache-aches...nothing that can keep me on the couch and being waited on.....no fair....:( I know, I'm insane for wanting to get sick. All I'm asking for is a day, just a day, of nothingness. By the looks of it, I may not be in the clear yet.

Has Influenza hit the Johnson house??

2008-01-15T11:16:00.000-06:00

We're home, for the second day, with a very sick little girl. Our Ashley has been running a high temp. for 2 days now. She woke up this morning with a temp. of 104 degrees. Least to say, I've been pretty worried about her. Her heart was just racing. She has a little sore throat, cough, aches, chills and fever. Sound like influenza to you? I was going to bring her in today to see if it's strep, but I have a feeling it's the flu. :(

I'll keep you updated, and pray I don't get it!

My cooking frenzy

2008-01-11T12:34:00.000-06:00

O.k. I'm officially exhausted, and my house is a complete disaster! I have had a blast cooking up new recipes all week, from breakfast, after school snacks, and supper, but MAN it is tiring! I spend all my time mixing things up, cooking them, feeding the kids, then cleaning up....then starting the next meal! WHEW! But, I don't think my kids have eaten this well in a long time. They LOVE everything that I've put in front of them. Tanner, who's 10, is terrible about getting up in the morning, usually, but this past week as soon as I enter his room in the morning, he asks, "Are you making breakfast?" and I say "YES" and he flies out of bed to see what it is! This morning I made homemade oatmeal--which I NEVER have made--from 'the' cookbook, and before Tanner tasted it he was so disappointed 'cause he HATES oatmeal. But after the first taste he loved it, and even had a second bowl. It's so filling and it was delicious. It made me feel so good to see his smile.

This morning I whipped up a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies which has banana puree and squash puree in them. I taste-tested them...and they are yummy! Here's a picture:

But...I have to say...my house is a disaster! Half of my Christmas decorations are still up, and laundry, dust, and crumbs on the floor from all this baking, are piling up! Sigh....I'm definetly not 'fly lady' or Martha! I can only handle one thing at a time....

but, at least my belly is full, right? :)

Update on Deceptively Delicious....

2008-01-09T10:25:00.000-06:00

O.k. this book has raised some controversy. Ever since I bought it, I've read reviews, people's opinions about not teaching kids to love their veggies, and the latest plagerism accusations of Jessica Sienfeld. Ugh... you find something that finally works and you feel a little guilty about it! Geez!
I guess, all I have to say is....Don't believe all the reviews you read. Everyone has different tastes..you just have to experiment with them to fit yours....or your kids. Sometimes pleasing the adult is harder than pleasing the child! As far as not teaching your child to love veggies...I have 16, 14, 10 and 6 year olds....when are they going to learn to love them?? I've tried for years! If I can be sneaky, heck, I'll do it for their health. I'm not going to pump them full of vitamin supplements when I can sneak the nutrients in their food. I never was a veggie lover as a child...and NEVER ate them, but now, as an adult, my palate has changed and I love them. So, there is still hope for them as adults. :) Yes, I still serve veggies on the side, but if I can't force them to eat THEM, then at least I know they're getting some in the main meal. Here are the recipes I've tried already....and, I must say, they are ALL hits with my kids!

Yesterday, for an after-school snack, I made doughnuts--made in a min-muffin pan. They had pureed sweet potatoes in them, as well as pureed pumpkin. I sprinkled them with powered sugar after they cooled. Honestly, I couldn't keep them in the house. Allison thought they would be really good cold, too. It tasted a little like a spice cake--YUMMY!!

For supper that night--just for the girls and I--I made the grilled cheese sandwiches with canned tomato soup. (I also added cauliflower puree to the soup) I wasn't sure about the sandwiches as it called for shredded cheddar cheese mixed with cauliflower, a little butter and salt; and instead of buttering the bread, you spray each side with olive oil. The girls LOVED it! Ashley asked if it was 'healthy' cheese, and said it was gooeyer than the normal. She ate 2 sandwiches and a whole bowl of soup. Allison just scarfed the whole thing down--both things. I, of course, missed my buttery bread, but it was very delicious--and knowing how healthy it was really made me like it better.

This morning I made pancakes with sweet potato puree. Tanner wolfed down 3. He also had a doughnut and strawberries on the side. They were yummy! Using pureed veggies makes everything more moist--so the consistency is different, but it cooks up great and tastes really good.

For an after school snack today I'm making the banana bread! I'll give you a review after I make it!

For supper I'm making the spaghetti pie with rolls and salad!

The only thing I'm worried about is running out of recipes! :)

Happy cooking!

My New Obsession...

2008-01-07T10:09:00.001-06:00

Yes, I know, I fly through obsessions rather quickly. But, my new one, thank you, Kaylyn, is this book:

I picked it up yesterday, and can't seem to put it down. It'll take a lot of work to incorporate this in my daily cooking, but I'm going to DO IT!! The recipes seem fairly simple, and stuff my kids will love to eat. I have to admit, that pureeing all those veggies and fruits are going to be quite the undertaking. My first goal is to get a food processor. I've been REALLY wanting one for a few years, but I never want to spend the money. I'm jealous that Kaylyn found one for $5.00! I think it'll be a great investment, though. I totally have the time, too, since the kids are in school all day. I can't wait to get started! I'll let you know how my first meal goes over. I'm going to make french toast tomorrow morning. It calls for your choice of pureed banana or pineapple, sweet potato or carrot or butternut squash. Sounds interesting. French toast is our favorite breakfast here and I can't wait to try this. Wish me luck!!

Birthday Surprises!

2008-01-07T09:49:00.000-06:00

Ashley celebrated her 14th Birthday on Sunday! I can't believe she is 14 already! How time flies.

Her friends decided to surprise her on Saturday night and all came over. Ashley was in her sweats, and hadn't really gotten off the couch the entire day, and I think she was quite nervous that there was going to be boys showing up. Thankfully, all the boys were busy that night. :) Here are some pics of the surprise:

On Sunday, her actual birthday, we gave her our gift to her....a new digital camera. She LOVED it!

We even got HUGS!! Love you, my sweet..

We had Family Fun at our house that night. We played a game of poker--Ashley's new card game that she loves playing--I have to say...she is NOT the best bluffer out there. :)

We ended the night with Dairy Queen ice cream cake, her favorite.

Happy Birthday, sweetheart! We love you to bits!

Happy New Year Everyone!!

2008-01-03T09:14:00.000-06:00

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. It's been quite the Holiday season! I've never been one to make resolutions, but this year I have a few:

1. THINK POSITIVE!!! There is always something positive that comes from every situation--even though it doesn't seem like it at the time. Sometimes things happen that you don't want to happen, but in the long run it is what's best. I have to keep remembering that.

2. BUDGET!! Yes, we are on a strict budget. We've never really been on one as it's hard to know what hubby will bring in every month. Owning your own business makes your income fluctuate month by month, but we are going to be better about keeping track of everything we spend...and not spend frivolously. We have a child entering college in a few years, for goodness sake! Yikes!

3. EXERCISE EVERY DAY!! I vow to, at least, do something---anything---every day! I have gained 12 pounds in the last year, which, to some might not be a lot, but to me it is. And it's all in my belly! So, I'm getting off my butt and sweatin' a little. I'm going to try new things, also. I'm going to get back into yoga, buy some cross country skiis and GET OUT THERE!!

4. EAT HEALTHY!! I'm very tired of the processed food route. I have to retrain my hubby, though, too. He's so proud of himself when he finds a "deal" on 'Hamburger/Tuna/Chicken Helper' and comes home with 5 boxes or so for a dollar. I told him, kindly, "just because it's cheap, doesn't mean it's good for you." I'm going to be a little clever in disguising vegetables in our meals, too. My little one thinks he's going to die if he eats a broccoli 'tree' (as he puts it).

So, that's basically it! I predict that this year will bring many changes to our family. God has a lot in store for us, I think.

Happy New Year everyone! Love you all!

Christmas morning...

2007-12-27T10:50:00.000-06:00

Rise and Shine....:)

Tanner was the first one awake this morning. We actually had to wake Mitchell and the girls...no surprise there. Look what Santa brought!!!

Presents galore... Mitch trying out his nerf gun.

Tanner's the only one that wants his picture taken.

I think Alli went back to bed after she opened her gifts. This was the only picture I was able to take of her that morning.

This is a picture of a bunch of Mitchell's favorite gifts. He recieved this t-shirt from Allison--his first Abercrombie, he says--, this is also a new sweat shirt. I don't think he's taken it off yet, and this is his new model pirate ship he put together. I think he'll take after his Grandpa Earl in the ship making. He LOVED it!

I hope that everyone's Christmas was as wonderful as ours. We are so truly blessed. Thank you, God, for Your infinite love and gifts.

Christmas Eve and COUSIN TIME

2007-12-27T10:19:00.000-06:00

We went to Chuck's sister, Lynn's, house at noon on Xmas Eve. We decided to have appetizers instead of a big meal, which everyone loves. That way, it gave the Grandparents time to drive home while it was still light outside. Driving over an hour in the dark in the winter is not such a good idea for Grandma and Grandpa.

Grandpa Merril and Grandma Shirley with Mitch. Don't you just love his tie? He picked it out himself. :)

I love seeing the cousins having fun together. Especially when the college graduate cousins come home and still have fun playing with the younger ones. Something about Christmas brings out the kid in all of us, doesn't it?

Mitch playing a game of pool

Colin and Christopher building with the legos.

Good food, gift giving and picture taking followed...everyone's favorite part.

Tanner, Colin and Mitch Tanner, Colin, Shirley , Merril, and Chuck

Calie, Ashley, Kirsten Kirsten and Ashley

Allison, Ashley and Britta Mitch, Tanner,and Adam

Blizzard, fonduing, Wizard of Oz, cookie decorating...

2007-12-27T09:48:00.000-06:00

Yes, that was done all on one day...whew! We were (kind of) snowed in on Sunday, and we were completely done with our Christmas shopping--yay! yay!--so we decided to make some memories. One of our favorite meals is fondu. It doesn't matter what we're making, we all LOVE it! Chuck and I love it because it allows us to sit and visit with the kids while our food is cooking. I'm telling you...our lunch lasted for an hour and a half! It was HEAVEN!! We laughed and talked about Christmas's past, and our favorite memories. We made plans for the future and talked about our dreams. It was priceless. It's amazing what a few chunks of meat, oil and different sauces to dip them into can lead to. They are now asking when can we do it again....

Our beautiful fondu pot. The best lunch ever!

After we ate and cleaned up, the kids and I rolled out some Christmas cookies and decorated them. I made some frosting that you had to use a paint brush to apply, and the kids all got into it. They turned out so cute!

THEN....We're off to see the Wizard...Ashley, Mitch and I cozied up to watch the Wizard of Oz and I knitted my life away...

Hope everyone was able to have at least one day of relaxation and fun with their families.

Allison made a blog!!!!

2007-12-21T23:01:00.000-06:00

Allison has joined the ranks with all of us! Here is her new blog....
one-more-step.blogspot.com

Make sure you comment...she loves that!

It's official...

2007-12-21T22:49:00.001-06:00

Ashley got the part of Ellen. Have no idea who it is, but she is happy! We'll see when she gets the play book. So excited for her! WAY TO GO ASHLEY!!!!!

Update on Ashley and the play...

2007-12-21T12:40:00.000-06:00

Well, yesterday, she came dancing out of school to our car! I could tell right then that it was a good day for her. She said that she and a few other girls got called down to the office (at which point I thought, "Where is the good news here?") for a CALLBACK!! They each had to reread parts, and some had to sing again. She is up for one of the main parts. The character is Greta, or Gert or something like that...forgive me Ashley. I guess the character is very annoying, with a very obnoxious laugh, and she gets in numerous fights in the play. One of the fights calls for actually rolling around the stage. She is sooooo ecstatic, I can't even tell you! The best part, she says, is that she doesn't have to sing a solo! Way less pressure, I guess.

It's not confirmed yet, but it looks very promising. The performance isn't until March, so I'm sure you'll hear a lot about it in the coming weeks....or months.

I'm so proud of her, I could burst!

My week...in a chestnut shell

2007-12-19T08:39:00.000-06:00

Is everyone getting excited???? For Christmas, that is! I'm trying to muster up some excitement--but, mostly, I'm just STRESSED!!! Why can't Christmas be like when we were younger? No worries about being "fair" in the gift giving, getting the perfect gift, making lasting memories that the kids will cherish, TEACHING them the true meaning of Christmas through all of the toy ads and commercialism. I get so overwhelmed this time of year at my huge responsibility to these four young lives. I constantly pray that I don't screw it up. The joy that they all have at this time is contagious, though. Seeing the pure pleasure on their faces as they dip pretzels in almond bark and decorate them with sprinkles, is priceless. And to see them sneak presents that they so carefully made themselves, under the tree for Mom and Dad is so heartwarming I could burst. Yes, the joy and excitement is still there...just in a different, more meaningful way.

This is the image I woke up to this morning. Just breathtaking. Is God trying to tell me something? :)

In the past week, we attended two beautiful Christmas concerts, Ashley's choir and Allison's band concerts. Both were very good, filled with many Christmas songs. I couldn't help but sing along. Grandpa Earl couldn't help but sing along, too, until I elbowed him to be quiet. :) We didn't want to ruin the song! hee hee! We also attended 5 hockey games, numerous practices, a spaghetti dinner, a piano Christmas party AND went Christmas shopping!! YIKES!!! It makes me tired reading it!

I was laid up yesterday, sick with a headache and aches all over. I couldn't stand lying on the couch and seeing all the Christmas commercials when I know how much more shopping needs to be done. Sawyer and I are off to hit the stores this morning!

Everyone say a little prayer for Ashley today. She's trying out for the school musical......OKLAHOMA! Doesn't it just make you sing that song? She wants a lead part sooooo bad. I'm really hoping she gets a part, that girl needs to get involved with something to get her through this long winter! :) I'll keep you posted!

Everyone have a great week ahead!

Our hockey-filled week

2007-12-10T09:59:00.000-06:00

We had a very busy hockey week last week; hence the no-posting. In total, we had 5 games, not to mention practices, last week. It was a lot of fun, with some wins and losses. But, all in all, it was a good week. We got our fill of concession stand nachos--or should I say 'I' got my fill, Mitch can eat them at every meal, I think. No, I have not gotten ANY Christmas shopping done yet. I'm getting a little anxious. I hate it when I do this. I vow every year to be better, but, I never am! Go figure....

Tanner went to a friends house overnight on Saturday night to stay over, since we didn't have Sunday school the next day. And when he came home on Sunday afternoon, he told me that he didn't sleep AT ALL the whole night. Within minutes of getting home he was asleep on the couch.

Unfortunatly, we had to wake him after an hour to attend his advent worship at chuch. You would have thought we were sending him off to war with the way he was acting. Poor boy.....I finally got him dressed and to church, where he almost fell asleep during the program....no kidding! Afterward, we came home and he put his p.j.'s on and was, once again, asleep within minutes on the couch. That was at 6:30 p.m.! He is actually still sleeping as I type this--10:15 a.m. the following day. I tried my darndest to get him up this morning, but even with all my muscles, I just couldn't carry him to school. :) I'm thinking he may be sick. I don't think a 10 yr. old needs THAT much sleep, do you? My poor baby....I'll keep you posted....

BUT, with all this sleeping that Tanner's been doing, Mitch has been awfully lonely. :( So, it gave us an opportunity to play some games with him. After a riveting game of Battleship, Chuck and I played a game of Yahtzee with him. Yes, he even beat me!

He was in his glory!

Needless to say...we missed the sledding that occured for Family Fun Day. :(

But, here are some pictures of what I've been doing with my spare time....

Here is my first purse I have finished completely. It is dark green with brown straps. It's a little hard to tell in this picture. I have about 5 others that are done, but I either have to add buttons or finish felting them. I'll put pictures on when they are complete.

Mitchell's pick on Family Fun Day

2007-12-05T08:53:00.000-06:00

Our family was the host of family fun day this past weekend. We had a snow storm on Saturday afternoon, so no more playing football or soccer outside for the winter, I'm afraid. So....Mitchell picked BOWLING!! We had a lot of fun--or should I say 'most' of us had a good time. The teenagers (the boys) thought that bowling shouldn't be considered a sport and thought it was lame. :( Oh well, the idea is to get us doing things we normally wouldn't do, so this fit the bill perfectly for them. We showed them that you don't have to be perfect at the game to have fun--it was just as fun watching balls be thrown down lanes that weren't even ours!

Here, some of us are getting shoes on.....

Here's half the clan. Sorry it's so blurry, I must have been excited.

Afterward we came back to our house for chicken lasagna, and regular lasagna. Absolutely no leftovers--so everyone must have gotten a workout! :)

Our Christmas Tree

2007-12-02T10:20:00.000-06:00

This year we opted for a real tree to decorate our new home. We haven't ever had a real tree due to Chuck's, Allison's, and Mitchell's allergies and asthma. This year, and almost every year, Chuck begged for one, and so we decided to get a real one. Not just any real one....one from our own land. You see, underneath our beautiful 10 acres lies a pipeline. A very large, high speed gas pipeline. It's a little freaky thinking about it, but, like everyone says...the whole town has gas pipeline's running through it. Anyway, it runs diagonal from one corner to the next, and we can't build anything 50 feet on either side of it. That's o.k. with us, we love the wildness of it. Anyway--we received a visitor from the pipeline company during the week of Thanksgiving informing us that they were coming to tear down all the trees 25 feet on each side of the pipeline on our land. We were disgusted. They said that they have to be able to visualize the pipeline from the air for maintenance purposes. I've been so sad about it--and plan on NOT being here on the day they do it. All of our trees that block us from the road will be gone...sniff sniff. So, needless to say, Chuck and Tanner walked through the path that they will be cutting to see what tree would be perfect for Christmas. This is what they came home with.......

And this is what it looked like after a days worth of decorating! It was very fun...it even had pine cones still attached!

Here's some other decorations that we did yesterday....

This was just the beginning of the snow storm.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

2007-11-26T08:17:00.000-06:00

We had the joy of hosting 2 Thanksgiving's this year--one for Chuck's side on Thanksgiving Day, and one for my side on Saturday after Thanksgiving. There was a lot of prep work, but was VERY nice having everyone here! Here are some pictures:

Some of the Johnson cousins on Thanksgiving Day.....

Then, on Saturday....

Lorrie andDanielle

After Sharyn, Raquel, Courtney, and Cassidy arrived

The 'kids table'--see Grandpa sitting with them? He fits right in! :)

Dishing up...

Sawyer in his p.j.'s after a busy day...

Sharyn, Cassidy and Lorrie...

Courtney and Raquel...

Silly boys right before bed...Don't they look tired? :)

We had an awesome weekend...too bad Neve was too sick to join us. :(

Hope that everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving with family and friends.

My first doll

2007-11-20T09:32:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of my very first attempt at doll making. I really wanted to start making toys and dolls that I can feel good about giving--without worry of lead poisoning. :)

She doesn't have a name yet, but the girls think I should name her Alaina, since she has her hair. :)

2007-11-19T09:17:00.000-06:00

Mitchell and I decided to paint some Christmas ornaments on Sunday since Dad and Tanner were away for a hockey scrimmage and he wanted to do something fun. He was so excited and giggled through the first few ornaments. The girls--after just waking up--saw what was happening in the kitchen and decided to do a few also. They were really happy when I took this picture. I had to hurry and post this before they erased it. :) They turned out great. Mitchell's favorite is the cardinal--his favorite animal.

Later that afternoon, after the Vikings WIN, we played kickball in the rain for Family Fun. Granted, I was NOT happy about playing in the freezing rain (we did have snow along with the freezing rain), but it was our neighbors choice and that is what they chose. Of course, it ended up being really fun, with lots of falls and slips. I couldn't take pictures outside because of the rain, but here are a few inside. We came back to the neighbors for chili and carmel apples. Yummy!

7 Random Things about ME

2007-11-17T16:49:00.000-06:00

1. Like my sisters, I love all things nature. The other day I sat and watched a bird recover from flying itself into one of our windows. It took 45 minutes, and I cried while I watched it breathing heavy, in fear that it would stop right before my eyes.

This is actually the bird, after it got itself to standing position. :)

2. I pray every night. Mainly for my health and the health of my family. I thank Him for all that He's given me, and, honestly, I don't feel worthy of it all. I, also, pray for financial freedom....:) (don't we all?)

3. I LOVE to dance. I dance whenever I can, wherever there's music. I can't help it. I would have loved the opportunity to dance for a career, even though I'm the most unflexible person I know.

4. I have hermit crab tendencies. Some days I have to force myself to leave the house. I love the safety and comfort of home. To be surrounded by all that I love is the best feeling in the world to me.

5. I love exploring different cultures and learning about the lives of non-Americans. Our neighbors have 2 foreign exchange students, and we have great conversations on the differences of each of our countries......USA, Slovakia, and Turkey....interesting combo.

6. I hate exercising! I find a million and one reasons to NOT do it! I love to eat, however, and I'm afraid it's all catching up to me. I love to cook for large crowds and seeing everyone love what I've prepared. Cleaning up is another story. My hubby's good for that, though. :)

7. I'm a nightowl and NOT a morning person. I hate being forced to wake up via an alarm clock. If I have to, I literally don't open my eyes until after my shower. Yes, I shower with my eyes closed. Chuck laughs at me every morning, as he's a morning person. I'll find any reason to stay up later....mostly to watch t.v. I think it's because the days go by too fast, and I dread saying goodbye to yet another day.

And there you go! I think all the bloggers I know have been tagged already.

Our Family Fun Days

2007-11-14T08:40:00.000-06:00

People have asked what we do on our family fun days, so I thought I'd put it on a post. It is, by far, one of the best ideas we've come up with. We share 10 acres of land with 3 families, which we've all become best friends. We started it out by just playing football on Sunday afternoons this fall. One night as we all sat down for dinner together, we thought we should make this a weekly thing. So, FAMILY FUN DAY was born. Each family takes turns in being the host. The host family chooses what we do on that day--whether it is soccer, football, kickball, bowling or just a movie. Then, after our fun activity we go back to the host family's house for a big meal together. It's so fun! We all get excercise and just laugh our butts off! The kids LOVE it, and it's so fun to hear what they want to play. On our next host day, Mitch has voted to play hide-n-go seek tag. Can you imagine, I think I'd need a defibrillator! :) We have a few very competitive people and it's taught them to calm down and just enjoy the game. Some of our winter ideas are sledding (if we have snow), having a gingerbread making contest, snowman family contest, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and heading to one family's cabin and clearing off a spot of ice to ice skate and have a fire (not on the ice, of course). We try to make it a no-cost event, also. We've also invited another family to join us, so it's not just limited to our families. The more, the merrier!
I encourage anyone and everyone to do this with their families and friends. It's so great making memories, and watching the kids laugh at the 'old people'. They laugh at us Mom's running the bases, or trying to catch a football...which I seem to always drop...or the Dad's tackling each other or having a face-off on one of the bases during kickball.
I have to admit, there were some days I just wanted to stay in and watch the football game, but it is mandatory for everyone :) and I am ALWAYS glad I went. The fresh air is medicine for the soul.

Updates....

2007-11-12T17:32:00.000-06:00

Not much has been happening around here. We had a fun weekend. It really started on Thursday night when the girls and I went to see the high school performance of Les Miserables. Allison's new boyfriend was one of the leads....and I have to say....it was FANTASTIC!!!!!! I've never been more proud of those high school kids. I was awestruck, as was the whole audience. It was a great night....with many tears, mostly because it was so amazing! Every time Phil ended a song, Allison would say, "I have a boyfriend that can sing!!!" She was so proud of him, too. :)
Friday night Chuck and I attended a friends 40th Birthday party. It was fun...it's been a long time since Chuck and I have been out on the town. I ended up being the photographer that night, and it was really fun. They haven't called to say anything too bad about the pictures, so hopefully they have a few good ones. (Minus the ones where my husband was break-dancing on the dance floor)
Saturday Chuck took Tanner pheasant hunting (and I secretly did a prayer that they wouldn't catch anything), but my prayers fell short, I guess. Tanner was so proud when they brought home dinner for the family. (No, I didn't try it...sorry, Chuck) I was in charge of bringing Mitch to hockey--which is always fun to watch. We, then, went to lunch with Lorrie and the kids, and did a little camera shopping afterwards. When we started out in the car, we were so excited to have all the kids together for lunch. Then, in the resteraunt, we thought, "What are we doing??" They had a ball, just giggling at each other. So cute....
Sunday was family fun day. We did a couple games of kick ball--which were tied--so we grabbed some potatoe sacks and did a few relay races (yeah, did you know that after 4 kids, hopping in a potatoe sack and laughing hysterically may 'cause you to need new underwear?) to break the tie. Didn't work--we were still tied, so we decided to do a pull-up contest! (You may all congratulate me on doing TWO!) So, we ended in a tie. :) We came back to our house for fetticcini alfredo, a yummy salad, ciabatta bread, and dessert! (Can you tell that's my favorite part??) It was a GREAT day! All of us (grownups) are a little sore today--but a good sore. :) I didn't have my camera, so sorry, no pictures. I'll be sure to bring it next week.
Today, Monday, was back to work and school (reluctantly). Nobody wanted to go, and I didn't want them to either. But, alas...it looks like sickness may be on the way in again. So, who knows how many kids I'll end up having home this week.
Poor Alaina is sick, and Tanner's friend got sick in school and needed a ride home today, so I was the lucky one to transport her. Poor girl. Allison is home tonight from hockey due to aches and a sore throat--thank you, Phil. :)......My day, tomorrow, looks like rubber gloves and disinfectant......:(