Sending Hugs

Please say a prayer for this family. I found their blog through another blog I follow. I don't know either family. Someone suggested it to me one day, and from there I link to other blogs, etc., etc. Jeff thinks it is weird that I read about people I don't even know. For some reason though, I love learning about other people's lives. We really have more similarities than differences, and it is comforting to see that. However, this family has just suffered a major loss, and my heart aches for them. How do you reach out to someone you have never spoken to "in real life?" I'm sending hugs to them through prayers, though. Please do the same.

Fall is definitely here to stay. I am resisting the urge to run out and buy pumpkins and mums for our front porch. There is always something "more important" for our money to go toward. I know - that is no fun. I am pressuring Jeff to get some drywall and painting done in the basement, so we can move our old TV down there, so we can buy a new one for the family room upstairs. To him, these things take time - time to research televisions, read consumer reports, and visit every TV showroom in the tri-state area to find the best deal. To me, running to Wal-Mart and throwing one in the cart is sufficient. So, we have a difference of opinion here. Men really are from Mars sometimes.

Cassidy attended a mini cheer camp last week, and got to cheer pre-game at the home game on Friday night. It was pouring down rain. Not fun.

After she was done, we left the game and I took her to a friend's where she was spending the night. I got a call on Saturday morning that she was shivering and had a temperature. Hmmmm, maybe cheering in the freezing rain was not such a great idea? Mother-of-the-year award, here I come! She slept a lot yesterday, but her fever has broken and she seems to have perked up. She does have a nasty cough still. She has this week to get better because we are having her birthday party next weekend.

What can I say?

I think my blog is getting boring. This is why I stopped scrapbooking - every year started to look the same....back to school; Halloween; Christmas; sledding; last day of school; zoo trips; dance recital; birthdays. I don't feel like my life is that boring, but it is definitely challenging trying to make it sound interesting to anyone else! That is why I've been absent a lot - nothing new to say. So, here goes some more repetitive stuff.


Homecoming was last month. We had a parade/pep rally the Thursday before, which was the first time Van Wert has done it for years. It was a lot of fun, and I hope the tradition continues. Each class got to make a float. Here is the sophomore class float, which won! It would look more meaningful with kids on it, but Jeff took the pictures. He helped with some of the construction so to him, the actual float was more important.

Kaylee with her date (they are "just friends").

All of the girls and their gorgeous dresses.

Whitney has also had a couple of games.

Other than that, not much to blog about. It has definitely gotten cold too fast. We continue to do some home improvement projects. Jeff is building a shed (read: guest house). He has until the first snow to get it done because I insist on parking in the attached garage by then. I have NEVER gotten to park in an attached garage before...how sad is that? I'm trying my hand at dry wall patching - just because I want to get some stuff hung on the walls and don't want to wait until Jeff has time to do it. I figure it's just dry wall - I can't hurt it too bad. He may have a different opinion :).

Kids are doing well in school. We have had some of the typical high school drama to deal with, but I guess it comes with the territory.

Well, I have to get some housework done because Jeff and I are going bowling tonight. Have I ever mentioned that I hate bowling? How do I get talked in to these things?

Catch-Up

I'm getting so bad about posting what is going on, that I'm having to play catch-up. Of course, school started. It seems like we didn't even have a summer...although all of us getting ready in the mornings in a new house was different. Here are a couple of first-day pictures:

It was Kaylee's first day to drive to school, so I wanted to get a picture of her in the car. She wasn't cooperating...

Football also started. Guess who is on the 35-yard line during the pre-game (which just happens to be right in front of our seats)?

She was trying so hard NOT to look right at us!

We are also in the middle of the VW County fair. UGH! Why they start school before the fair is beyond me. School has already been canceled twice due to fog, so the kids are getting an extra-long fair break over Labor Day weekend. They love it.

Cassidy is adjusting to her new school. We moved her from St. Mary's this year. It was a hard decision, but we just felt it was in her best interest. She is in fourth, Whitney is in seventh, and Kaylee is a sophomore. Where does the time go?

I've been doing a little painting, and Jeff has been busy with some household repairs (washing machine leak....don't ask) and planning to build a shed. There is always some project taking our time (and money). Oh - and our van broke down at the mall last week, so that has only added to the adventure. Luckily, it was covered under our warranty, so that saved a few bucks.

I'm sure ther is more than that going on, but that is all my brain can process right now. Gotta go to bed. 'Night.

We're Here

Did I say we would be moving for the next two days? Make that two months. Or, as many people have told me - "don't expect to be completely settled in for at least a year." If I had only known....

Well, true to their word, we are in, but not 100% settled. We don't have much up on the walls yet, and there are still a few boxes around the house. (There are still A LOT of boxes in the garage, but that is Jeff's territory.) I've been busy doing some patching and painting. Remember that furniture shopping I wanted to do? We have furnished the family room, but not yet the living room. The TV is sitting on the floor in the family room. Eventually, it will go to the basement, but first we have to pick out a new one for upstairs. All in due time I guess.

The kids have been busy having friends over and enjoying the pool.

Whitney turned 13 in July! Oy - two teenagers in the house! Please keep us in your thoughts...

Oh, and Kaylee got her license yesterday. As I stated on Facebook - I think my life is about to get somewhat more simple, yet a lot more complicated. It is so great that she will be able to help out with some of the running - school, cheer practice, dance, etc. But....then again.....I guess it's a mom's job to worry.

Also - school starts next week. I can't believe how fast this summer went. Throw a move in to the summer, and there is absolutely no time for anything extra. We have done some school shopping, with more to come this week. I've had to squeeze it in at the last minute. Both Cassidy and Whitney want me to take pictures of their school shoes and post them - like I did last year. Apparently, that will be our tradition. No time for that tonight though. I have to prepare for the week ahead. I just wanted to get a quick update out here so my two readers wouldn't worry about us :).

Moving...

...for the next two days we will be moving to our new home. May be absent for awhile, until we settle in and get the computer hooked up again. Wish us luck!

Secret, secret...

...I've got a secret.

Okay, so it's not much of a secret anymore. Word is out, and it's true - we are MOVING!

Finally, after at least seven years (I'm not kidding) of looking, we have found a different house and are moving. None of us have really come to grips with it yet. We've been looking for so long, that it doesn't seem real. It is all going to sink in about two weeks from now, when we will be knee deep in boxes and trucks. (Not really looking forward to that part.)

We are totally PSYCHED! Finally, each kid gets their own room, and we will have a basement to "shove" the kids down to when they have friends over. I get to go furniture shopping, and TV shopping, and decor shopping! We are kind of in the process of packing, but that seems to be going slow. Could it be softball games every night? Hmmmmm.....

At the same time, we are a little (stress little) sad. There are a few things we will miss about our current home:

• My kitchen - Jeff and I designed our kitchen when we decided to completely remodel the dining/kitchen area. Jeff built the bar with glass blocks himself. Plus, I love my cabinets.


• Our porch - It is a really nice, old-fashioned porch for sitting and watching people.


• Neighbors - We actually felt a little guilty when we told our close neighbors about our upcoming move. I feel like we are abandoning them. :(


• Walking to the football games. Sure, now that I have double the games to go to, I have to wrestle with a parking spot.


• Walking to Rocky Top for ice cream, or the movie store for videos.


• Halloween - Our neighborhood totally rocks at Halloween. For some reason, people flock here. We may just have to come back for that occasion.

I won't get in to the things I won't miss about the house, but there are a few. Obviously, or we wouldn't have started looking. It has been a nice "starter home" and we have made a lot of upgrades to it over the years. It is the house we brought two of our babies home to - the only home they have known up to this point. That makes me a little melancholy. It will be fun to see them adapt to the new house. Whitney is my sentimental one, and I have a feeling she will spend quite a bit of time "missing" the old house. I keep telling everyone - we are taking the memories with us - we will never leave those behind. All of the kids have friends in the new neighborhood, so I think the transition will go smoothly overall.

I've promised softball photos, so here are a few. We've been a little preoccupied, so there aren't as many as there have been in the past.

Whitney plays for Convoy. Occasionally, she gets to pitch, which she really likes.

Cassidy plays for Ohio City. Don't ask how I managed to have two kids play for two different towns. Long story. She is trying her hand at catching this year. (She has also started to pitch.)

Oh, Whitney also got to ride a float in the Peony Parade, for Flip Tuck Gymnastics.

Our summer is shaping up to be quite an adventure!

Dance Recital 2009

It has taken me awhile to get these on here. Dance recital was a few weeks ago - just haven't had time to update. Here are some action pictures of the girls.

I can't believe Whitney got her 10-year trophy this year. She was pretty excited...it's almost as big as she is! (hehe)

As usual, they all got flowers after their performance. They were being a little silly while we were trying to get them to pose with their bouquets.

Whitney tried out for 7th grade cheerleading and made it. So, that means even MORE football games next year. Boy, those stadium chairs I bought last year are sure going to come in handy.

In other news....school is finally out! Whew! That is always a relief, although our summer is action-packed. Cassidy had an awards day the last day of school.

I'll try to get softball pictures on here soon. It has either been chilly at the games, or I have just plain old forgotten to bring the camera.

More exciting news to come, so stay tuned. Although most people already know by now (I'm starting to realize just how small of a town Van Wert is), I want to form my thoughts about how to post about our latest announcement......