Holiday Update

One last post for 2008, just to keep updated.

Christmas went well. I worked a half day Christmas Eve. My company has a "Christmas drawing" where they randomly pull a few names of people who win small prizes. I actually won this year. I got to choose my gift, so I picked a Gingerbread House Kit. I thought it would be something the kids could do that afternoon to keep them occupied. The house comes pre-assembled, so you just have to decorate it. Although the thought of eating something that has sat on a shelf for a month at Wal-Mart was a little intimidating, it was in the spirit of the season, so what the heck? The kids actually did pretty well with it, and have decided we should do one every year.

The final product:

I think it turned out pretty cute, considering that the icing was not very easy to work with. However, it wasn't exactly edible once it dried. We picked some of the candy off of it, but then threw the rest out...yuck!

As soon as we wrapped up that project, it was time to get ready for the children's Christmas Eve Mass. Whitney and Cassidy both had speaking parts, but like bad parents, we didn't take our camera. :( They both did a good job. Plus - Santa came to our house while we were gone! He has done this most years. When the kids were younger, it was great because then they could open their gifts and have time to play. We used to always have to get up on Christmas morning and drive to my family's for our Christmas, and it was hard to tear the kids away. Now, my family holds it a different day so the kids can enjoy their Christmas at home a little; but I've let Santa know that we're still fine with him coming to our house while we are at church. So Christmas day was pretty relaxing. Just us hanging out, and trying out Guitar Hero World Tour.

Here they are unwrapping:

(For some reason Whitney was cold so kept her coat on to open presents.)

So, here we sit on New Year's Eve. We tend to be home-bodies, so it's going to be pretty quiet for us. Kaylee is at a party (I wonder what it's like to have a social life?) and the rest of us are baking brownies and putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Jealous? We'll try to keep it under control...

Here is hoping that you and yours have a very happy and blessed 2009!!

Where Do I Begin?

I've been a bad blogger lately. December has been so busy. Kaylee has had a couple of dive meets. Here is a picture. We really have to figure out appropriate settings on the camera for the conditions:

Central had their Children's Christmas Party. My kids are probably getting too old to go; but I figured this might be the last year for Cassidy. Whitney insisted on going also, even though it meant missing gymnastics. Then, Kaylee didn't want to stay at home, so opted to come along, "to eat some cookies." Really, my 15 year-old at a kids party? The younger two played games, which earned them tickets that they could then turn in for prizes - much in the spirit of "Chuck E. Cheese." Kaylee kept trying to talk them in to one particular princess crown - made out of sparkly pipe cleaners. Whitney finally got tired of hearing her whine, so went and purchased it for her. I then insisted Kaylee wear it for the remainder of the party. She was only too happy to oblige:

I just thought this was kind of a cool shot, even though it's blurry:

I finally got Christmas cards out. We usually take a family photo, but we haven't been able to find the time. We opted for a quick picture session of just the girls in front of our little tree. This was a late decision, so some people received just cards, while others got the photo. Here are a few out-takes:

The final result:

On to more recent news. As all of the locals are well aware, we had a major ice storm last Thursday night/Friday morning. School was cancelled (for the second day), and Jeff left for work early. I got ready as usual, and just as I was finishing up, we lost power. I woke up Kaylee so she'd know that they may be without lights, etc. once they got up. She wanted to get up then and the other two ended up waking up amid the commotion. I had heard the sump pump running all morning, so decided on a whim to call Jeff at work and let him know the situation. (I never call him at work.)

As I'm on the phone, I hear Kaylee say the words, "I'm standing in water!" so I quickly hang up with Jeff. She was in the toy room, looking for the Nintendo DS. I go in with a flashlight (it was pitch-black) to find a growing puddle on the floor, coming from the window sill. Ice had dammed up the spouting and water was running down the window in a wide river, coming in and filling up the inside of the sill, and leaking through the molding. Jeff calls back, saying he is on his way and tells me to check the sump hole and if it is filling up, to start bailing.

I quickly deal with the mess in the toy room (the kids had tons of stuff on the floor, which was now soaking up the water). I then take a flashlight to check the sump hole - which is located UNDER our basement stairs, with an opening between the stairs and cinder block of about 18 inches to squeeze through. I shine my flashlight down and see a stream creeping toward the front of the stairs. I utter something inappropriate and yell at Kaylee to get a bucket. She holds the flashlight while I start to bail - hauling the water out the back door and to the yard about 10-12 times before Jeff pulls in the garage. Oh - it is still raining and large branches weighted down with ice are snapping and tumbling to earth.

Once Jeff arrives, he yells for larger buckets from the garage and he takes over bailing, filling the 5-gallon buckets to the top while Kaylee and I take turns hauling them to the yard - sometimes one at a time, and sometimes doubling up. They are kind of heavy for us, so we end up slopping a lot of the water over the top, which pours down our legs, into our shoes, and over the stairs to shower Jeff with stinky water. (We have additional septic line issues which are scheduled to be fixed next week, but result in a very foul odor that periodically escapes from our sump hole. It is not pleasant.)

I'm not sure how long we do this before Jeff's dad shows up with a battery operated pump from Ace. Only then did I really start to feel the cold. I'm sure we were at it an hour at least, and I'm guessing we hauled over 150 gallons of water. But, we managed to keep up and nothing was ruined...not that there is much in our basement that could be ruined. Whitney and Cassidy went with my father-in-law to his house since they had a generator and heat. Kaylee and I changed clothes and huddled on the couch to take a nap. We woke up hungry and made a run to McDonald's to get lunch for everyone. Big mistake when everyone else in town is also without power.

To make a long story short (I know - too late), the kids and I ended up staying at my in-laws Friday and Saturday nights. Jeff had to stay here and mind the pump. He had to turn it on to drain the hole, and then turn it off so the motor wouldn't burn up. He was up every 20 minutes the first night, and then it finally slowed down so he could sleep for 2-hour stretches the second night. He had no heat until Saturday afternoon when his dad insisted on bringing kerosene heaters in. It helped, but still was not my idea of comfortable.

As if this weren't enough, we had Christmas with my family on Saturday, in Russells Point. The kids and I went, but we all felt bad leaving Daddy at home. Christmas was fun, and my sister invited us to spend the night there, but I felt we should get back. Christmas with Jeff's family was on Sunday. We still had no power Sunday morning, so it was hard to get in the spirit. Jeff came to his parents to shower and get ready, and brought laundry since we were running out of clean clothes.

The kids opened presents, and it was almost time for Jeff to run home to drain the sump hole once again, when he got a call from a neighbor that our power was back on! We really felt like it was a Christmas miracle!! He ran home to turn everything on, return the pump, and make sure the furnace fired up. We ate dinner, visited awhile longer, and then started the process of loading the vehicles with all of our possessions - laundry, coolers of food that we had moved there, Christmas gifts, and the dog.

The clean up at home was no small task - and is still not complete - but it is good to be home! A big thanks to my in-laws for putting up with us for three days....again, no small task!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

I am Thankful...

I realize that I am a little late for a Thanksgiving post, but I just don't know where the time has gone. I can't believe I was only able to update twice in November; and that December is already here.

Thanksgiving was good, except that Jeff had to work. The kids and I went to my sister's in West Liberty and had a nice day with my family. I don't get home as often as I should. My Nephew, Cliff, made it home this year. He is in the Navy and hasn't been back for quite awhile. It was nice to see him again - he looks good! (Any single, young ladies reading?) My Niece, who is in Iraq, was supposed to call, but I left before we heard from her. Hope all is well with you, Ashley!

We then headed back to VW to have Thanksgiving #2 with the Meyers'. Jeff was off of work by then, so we met up there. Once again, it was relaxing. We surfed the internet for Christmas bargains and tried to get the kids to make their lists.

I have started some Christmas shopping. It's not much, but at least I'm ahead of where I was a week ago. I've done most of my shopping online this year, but will have to venture out eventually.

The kids are keeping busy. Whitney had a Christmas band concert this evening. Here is a somewhat poor picture. (You know how the lighting is at these events.)

Cassidy starts basketball this week, and Kaylee has her first dive meet on Thursday. We will try to get pictures of that. Neither Jeff nor I have ever seen her dive - this is the first time she has ever done anything like this. I'm just proud of her for trying something new!

January and February should be interesting. I believe there are several Saturdays where we will have dive meets, basketball games, and gymnastics meets that all overlap. One of us is going to have to clone ourselves!

The kids' uncle recently donated a foosball table to them. It was no sooner in the door than they started assembling it. Here is a shot:


So now I have a half-assembled foosball table in my entrance. I have no idea where we will eventually find a spot for it.

I actually have the perfect spot - in the basement of a house we looked at about a month ago! Oh, wait...the title of this post is about being thankful. And I AM thankful for my home. Many people don't even have that. I'm thankful for my family, my job, and our health. I'm thankful that the election is over and that the school levy passed! I'm thankful for the holiday season, spending time with family, Christmas lights, receiving cards from old friends, and for Jesus - the reason for the season! I'm trying to be more thankful every day, and recognize the many things that make my life complete as it is. I'm trying not to concentrate on the things I THINK I need and be happy with the abundance that I actually have. Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for?

Identity Crisis

Meet "Chris" and "Nick." They came to visit over the weekend. Apparently, they are my new sons. They first made an appearance on Friday night, while Kaylee was spending the night with a friend. They came back for most of the day on Saturday. They appear to be typical boys, and have a very "gangsta" style of dialect....saying things like "'sup" and "true-dat." They even spit and scratch themselves a lot. Just as I was getting concerned, I saw them dragging around and playing with several Build-A-Bears, so I think we'll recover from their visit just fine. Whew - I was starting to miss my girls!

Not much is new other than that. I can't believe November is half over. I usually have some Christmas shopping started by now; but I have to admit - I haven't even started. Not really sure where to begin this year. I did buy a new Christmas tree today! Jeff and I bought our first one the year before we got married - on clearance, of course. I think 18 years is pretty good for a Christmas tree. I wasn't able to get the big one I wanted due to space constraints in our house. Maybe someday...

Kaylee just finished the classroom portion of her Driver's Ed class. Now, she has to take her permit test, and we can schedule some driving time. Scary! I can't believe how fast the past 15 1/2 years have gone. Time is so funny - it seems like the days drag on forever, but when I reflect back, boy has it gone quickly! I suppose I 'm showing my age just a bit. I'm sure I'll have more to post on our driving adventures soon!

Trick Or Treat On My Street

Halloween at our house is always fun. For whatever reason, my street gets crazy-busy with trick-or-treaters. It has always amazed me. It's not like our neighborhood is a ritzy, up and coming kind of neighborhood. But, people tend to flock to our neck of the woods for beggars night. Here is a picture of the commotion from this year.

Actually, I think the crowd was down a bit. Cars usually line the street and it is a constant stream of kids. Maybe it's the economy. However, we did run out of candy.

For many years, we combined Halloween with Cassidy's birthday celebration, so Trick or Treat meant cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We would hit the neighbors up for candy, and then come back for presents and cake and ice cream. We have since separated Cassidy's birthday, so she has her own celebration, but I still like to have people over for Trick or Treat.

Here is a picture of my own beggars:

Cassidy was a pirate, Whitney was an Ohio State football player, and Kaylee stayed home and passed out the candy. I guess 15 is officially too old to dress up and go door to door. Whitney actually went to a friend's party that night, so Cassidy was my only beggar. Now I just have to keep the other two out of her candy!

In other news:

- Here is a picture of the flowers Jeff sent for our anniversary, and for Cassidy's birthday:

- Speaking of Jeff, we picked him up at their airport yesterday! Five weeks is really a long time. He had an opportunity to stay longer, but wisely turned that down. All three kids came with me, and we celebrated being back together as a family by going out to eat. We're glad to be back to "normal."

- However, the kids might have a different opinion. After five weeks of mom carrying most of the weight of household chores, dad cracked the whip and had the kids out doing yard work. Here are their less-than-thrilled reactions:

- And here is a picture of the man, himself:

He is off of work this week. Boy, do I have a "honey-do" list for him!

Welcome home, honey!!

Happy 18th Anniversary, Honey!

Yes, today is our 18th Anniversary, and we can't even be together to celebrate. I've put together the slide show below to commemorate our 18 years together. Forgive the quality of the pictures - I had to scan the majority of them in.

I struggled to find many pictures of us together after we were married. (Note to self: Take more pictures of all of us together.) So, I focused on pictures of Jeff. He'll be thrilled with that decision!

I just wanted him to know how much the past 18 years have meant to me. It hasn't always been easy - nothing worthwhile ever is. However, I wouldn't change any of it.

I even loaded the song we danced to at our wedding. He had to remind me of this a couple of months ago. I could have sworn it was "Groovy Kind of Love" by Phil Collins. Yes, we really were that dorky.

Happy Anniversay Sweetie! I love you and miss you.

My Baby is 9!

Today is Cassidy's 9th birthday. She has never really had a "friends" party before. She suffers from third-child syndrome in that way. Out of guilt from that, and the fact that Daddy is out of town and missing her big day, I booked a party for a few friends at Chuck E. Cheese's. She invited a total of four girls, but one could not make it. Whitney wanted to go along, and I pretty much coerced Kaylee into joining us, so altogether, there were only seven at the party. A perfect number - we all fit in my van! They really enjoyed it, and I have to say, it makes for a really EASY birthday party. Pizza, cake, and entertainment all courtesy of the Chuckster (with the help of my credit card).

A few photos of the event:

She added to her Webkin*z collection, and her big gift from us was a Storm Trooper helmet that transforms your voice. She's in a "Star Wars" phase right now. I've always said she is the closest thing Jeff will get to a boy.

Happy 9th Birthday Sweet Girl!

Random Thoughts/Updates

Well, Jeff has been gone for 2 1/2 weeks. Which means 2 1/2 to go. We are half way through with this adventure, and not too much worse for the wear. The first couple of weeks actually went quite smoothly. This week it seems to be catching up to me. Maybe the novelty is wearing off. Some updates:

* Whitney brought home a note from religion class a couple of weeks ago about their annual cake sale. Each child is supposed to bake and decorate a cake to bring in to be sold after mass. There was a reminder hanging in the hallway when I picked her up last week, and I thought "Oooh, can't forget that." So, we buy a cake mix, she bakes it, and decorates it with some sprinkles and icing. She was excited and it turned out pretty cute. We get up Sunday and leave early for church so I can get it turned in for the sale. We go back toward the gym and there is no table set up. I go in the gym, and there are no cakes to be found. Turns out - we had the wrong weekend! In my anxiety to make sure I get everything done and don't forget anything, I guess I got a little ahead of myself. It is supposed to be this weekend. We ate the cake. My only comfort is that there was another mother in the hall wandering around with her cake also. We went and checked the sign together and felt really stupid - together. My excuse is my fried single-mother brain. Not sure what her excuse is.

*Whitney wrapped up her running program last week. Her coach said she did really well and told her she should run cross-country next year. Kaylee is trying to talk her into cheering. Whit is still undecided. Oh, to have those options. I was not talented enough for ANY extra curriculars when I was in school.

*My niece, Ashley, called me earlier this week to let me know she was leaving for Iraq that day! She is in the Air Force, and this is her second trip over there. I knew she was going back, but it kind of snuck up on me. Be careful and take care of yourself, Ash! Love ya!

*We have all had a small cold. Just sniffles, sneezing, slight sore throat and cough. No big.

*How about this beautiful weather? (Told you these were random.)

*I'm off next week, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Cassidy is on "fall break" and I need to recharge my batteries. I've concluded that our kids are involved in way too many activities. Like I said, Whit's running is over, and football is wrapping up, but those have just been replaced. Kaylee is "maybe" going to be on the dive team, and Cassidy's basketball is about to start.

*The next two weekends look crazy. This weekend is football, Apple Festival, K & W have a mandatory "master's" dance class, and Cassidy's birthday is Sunday (stay tuned for party updates). Next weekend is trick or treat, Whitney is invited to a party, and Cassidy has basketball evaluation. Lord only knows what Kaylee's social calendar includes.

*Which brings me to my next conclusion - I believe all teenagers should be banned to live on an island somewhere until they are 20. I think that God created the teenage years so we wouldn't be so sad when our kids move out. Don't get me started...

*I'm definitely ready for a beer when Jeff gets back. I made sure there were none in the house when he left. Don't get me wrong - it's not like I'm an alcoholic. It's just that I recognize that I potentially could be, given the right circumstances. Let's call this single-parent stint the "Perfect Storm" of circumstances. No need to tempt fate.

*Jeff seems to be doing well. He sounds a little bored and lonely when I talk to him. Awwww.... we miss him too!

Sorry this is so long and all over the place. Kind of gives you a glimpse into how my brain is functioning at this point. I'm hanging in there.

For those still reading - check back early next week for another update!

On Our Own

The girls and I are "on our own" for the next five weeks. Jeff left for Massachusetts on Saturday for work. The lab out there needed extra help, so him and three other guys he works with volunteered to go. We debated about it for awhile, but in the end decided it was a good opportunity for him. Plus, there is some extra pay involved - always a bonus. We left for the Columbus airport Saturday at 3:00 a.m. for his 7:00 flight. I was back home and in bed by 7:30 a.m. (Yikes!)

He will be back November 1. I think he was a little hesitant to go because it means he will miss our anniversary and Cassidy's 9th birthday. I'm going to have to do something extra for her this year to try to make up for it.

Needless to say, we've never been apart this long. The girls are handling it well. I think they were a little concerned at first, but they talk to him every night. So far, so good.

So, if I'm absent for awhile it's because I'm a little busy. No news is good news - right?

Sorry, no photos. Not much has happened around here, and who has time to take pictures right now?

Until next time...

Homecoming '08

Whew - Homecoming is over! Who knew that it would consume an entire weekend for a Freshman to prepare for and participate in Homecoming activities?

I was off of work on Friday - for a variety of reasons. Cassidy didn't have school, so I needed to be home with her. She ended up going to a friend's house for a sleepover, so I had the majority of the day to myself. Sweet! Some light cleaning, laundry, grocery - that's about it, but I enjoyed my time alone!

Of course, Friday night was the game. We lost. Bummer. Kaylee got to cheer for the entire game this time - instead of just pre-game. She does not like to be photographed, so we had to sneak some pictures. And then we got busted...

The exact moment I got busted:

Kaylee's "date" is pretty shy, so I was afraid he wouldn't let me take their pictures on Saturday. I improvised by taking a couple shots of him Friday in his football uniform:

Kaylee came home from the game on Friday with a sore throat and sneezing. She was feeling a little rough on Saturday, and I was afraid she wouldn't make it through the night. Between hair, nails, make-up, and getting dressed, she didn't have much opportunity to nap. We hopped her up on Sudafed, and she seemed to get her second wind. One of Kaylee's friends had dinner at her house Saturday before the dance. There were 17 of them attending in all. All of the girls brought a covered dish. Here they are, being a little silly:

A shot with some friends:

As it turns out, he did let me get a picture!! Aren't they cute??

There was even an "after party" at another girl's house. I picked up a group at 1:00 a.m., and a few of the girls spent the night at our house. They hung out here for the majority of the day. I'm almost glad I'm going back to work tomorrow!! I need the time to relax!

Anxiety...

I've been dealing with a lot of anxiety this week. Could this have anything to do with it?

Monday
5:00: Kaylee JV football game
7-8:15: Whitney dance
8:15-9:15: Kaylee dance

Tuesday
3:30-5: Kaylee Cheer practice
5:30-7:30: Whitney gymnastics
6:45-7:15: Cassidy dance
7-9: High school open house

Wednesday
3:30-5:30: Whitney gymnastics
3:45: Kaylee haircut
6:45-9:15: Kaylee dance (there is a break in there somewhere)
6:45-8: Whitney religion

Thursday
3:30-5: Kaylee cheer practice (had to have two dozen cupcakes baked for the team dinner)
3:30-4:45: Whitney Roadrunners
4:30: Whitney and Cassidy dentist

Squeeze in homework, and at least seven tests this week between all three kids.

And of course, most of these activities come with a price tag attached to them. I took Kaylee Homecoming dress shopping last weekend ($$); class ring information came home on Monday, and orders had to be placed on Friday ($$); Whitney and Cassidy both had school fundraisers going on ($); school pictures were taken recently ($); dance shoes had to be purchased ($); not to mention dance tuition ($$$); and we found out at the dentist that it is time for Whitney to start the whole braces process ($$$).

Not that I'm complaining. Okay, maybe I am a little. It's just that it was a lot to deal with and Thursday night, between homework questions, making supper, helping Kaylee pick out her class ring, and making food for a carry-in at work on Friday, I had a moment where it all built up and I thought I was going to lose it. I was very happy to see Friday on my calendar! These things have a way of working themselves out.

It is finally the weekend, which is also a busy one, but less stressful than the week!

I'll leave with a couple of pictures from last week's "Tournaments for Ty" fundrasier. This was a large event to raise money for the family whose son was involved in a farm accident this summer. Kaylee and her friends were on a whiffleball team. It was a huge success. The fundraiser - not the whiffleball team. Their team motto was "We don't play to win, we play to entertain!" I can definitely say that they lived up to their motto!

Some of her teammates, cheering each other on.

Fair

The fair has ended for yet another year. Thank goodness! It is so hard to get into the full swing of school knowing that the fair starts right after school begins and the kids get all pumped up.

Cassidy asked to go to the fair with her cousin, Olivia, since this is the first year they are not in school together, and she was missing her. So I made arrangements with Michelle to meet them out there one day, and then have Olivia spend the night. Of course, none of the kids wanted to be left out, so we ended up with SEVEN kids at the fair on Sunday! Oh - and it was 90-plus degrees! UGH!

The day started out a little rough. No two kids could seem to agree on which rides to ride. Then, Olivia's glasses got broken and Carter threw up all over himself. I think all of this took place within the first two hours there. Michelle and I were starting to doubt our own sanity. Then, it all started to come together, and everyone ended up having a really good time.

A day at the fair together used to be an annual ritual with all of the cousins, so it was nice to see them all together again. Here are a couple of pictures. I didn't take very many - I think the heat was getting to me.

This is what happens when eight-year olds have older siblings:

And finally, just for old-times sake, I dug up one of the pictures from the 2001 VW Fair...

Weren't they cute? (What happened?)

Next week things really kick in to high gear. Dance starts and the fall gymnastics session starts. Plus, JV has games on the next eight Monday nights. I'll post a sample of my schedule soon - just to see what sympathy it evokes.

Cheers!

No, not these kind of cheers:

These kind of cheers:

Kaylee made Freshman cheerleader for football this year. However, they ended up combining the Freshman team with the Junior Varsity team, so she now gets to cheer at the JV games. Plus, she gets to cheer pre-game for the Varsity games. These are pictures from her first pre-game! She was nervous since she is on the 20-yard line, right in front of the student section (the "Cat Pack"). After pre-game, she got to escort our mascot "Claude" around the stands:

It has really been fun to watch her get involved. She smiles from ear to ear while she is on the field. We also really enjoy the games now that we recognize a lot more of the boys playing. It is a lot of fun, but makes us feel old at the same time!

Later this month is Homecoming! Before school even started, she threw me for a loop when she announced, "Oh, and we will need to go shopping for a Homecoming dress soon!" That was the first time I realized that she would be an official Freshman, and able to attend these events. I really am getting old! More on that later!

GO COUGARS!!