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!!