1st day

This was technically the first day of our "very different" lives.
I woke earlier than usual to get the boys up and running for school. Everything went smoothly and we were out the door and taking pictures of their first day back to school.
Instantly the picture taking was much harder than I imagined. I remembered how Thayer was with us last year at that very moment.
It breaks my heart that today was one of the "firsts" without him. I know that this is just the first of many milestone moments that will ache with emptiness.

This was a very frazzling day for me.
I went to work from 9-12:30. (That was fine). I went by Thayer's work to take some papers (that too was okay but I got weepy when I saw his desk and sat in his chair). I was so relieved to see Thayer's friend Dan... he is great and thayer really loved him. So.... I'm glad that I stopped by the workplace. :-)

Just those two activities zapped me for the day. I was exhausted by 4pm.
The boys made it home eventually after a bus delay ( I waited at the bus stop for almost an hour!!)
A wonderful gal from church delivered dinner and we finished our night with baths, homework, devotions, reading, prayers and bed.
I want to make bedtimes a very important part of our day since Thayer was primarily the one who layed and prayed with the boys each night. I know I can't take his place but I want the boys to know that bedtimes can still be special. I think that is the time of day when they are most willing to talk about how they feel. I love snuggling and kissing on them :-)

(on a side note: I am trying to take one moment at a time but my "t0-do" list is getting longer by the day. Papers I need to find, forms I need to fill out, appointments I need to make, etc. etc. I never realized how much "business" is required after a death. Please pray that I can tackle one thing at a time and not get overly stressed about the details. )

"I have come undone but I have just begun"

(Those are lyrics to one of my new favorite songs by Francesca Battistelli.
God placed her CD in my hand the same day that I was out to buy Thayer's 38th birthday gift. At first listen I thought the songs sounded cool but now I realize that God intended this CD for me at this time in my life.)

As many of you know, we were unable to celebrate Thayer's birthday because he was killed in a motorcycle accident one week ago.

Last Saturday evening the doorbell rang accompanied by the presence of two State Troopers. I knew instantly that Thayer was gone.
At that moment I had to let "go of the life I planned for me... and my dreams". (once again- Lyrics from Francesca)
I was instantly reminded that God is so "Unpredictable" (Francesca)

Even in the midst of this complete devastation and shock, I am reminded of God's unending love. He has shown me unbelievably amazing things just during the first week. I have been surrounded by family and friends and I have felt the intense blanket of prayer that covers our little family. I have been able to wake each day and get out of bed.... I believe that it is only by God's Grace that I am functioning and facing each day. He has given me songs throughout the day that keep me up and moving.
I just can't say enough about the support and love that we are receiving!! I just checked a few other sites and blogs and I realize that even the internet is full of people who are praying for us! That is so powerful and we FEEL it!!
Thank you ALL!!!

Thayer's brother and his family just left today. Please pray that we can adjust to our new reality.
I have no idea what God has in store for us but Jeremiah 29:11 has given me great hope... For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I plan to share more details about our experience soon.....

thanks again for all the prayers, love and support!

Wrapping it up

It seems that summer is coming to an end. Atleast the "school" version of summer. The kids and I both start back on August 25th. I'm not sure why we start so early in this town... especially since school is in session until the middle of June!!!

Anywho.
We've had a great run this summer but I put off lots of things that should have been done. I've recenltly scheduled all of the "lunch dates" that I've been meaning to schedule all summer. The next few days will be full of catching up with old friends.

D is in Sports Camp this week at a local church. That should be fun. L is too young to attend so I've got to be creative with ways to keep him occupied in the mornings.

on a totally exciting side note:
I have recently started walking/running with my good neighbor friend. We go to the track several nights each week. We've been running the straights and walking the curves of the track. I never, ever, thought I would enjoy running..... and it has been really energizing. Exhausting, yes, but I feel great after the fact. I'm hoping that I can run off a few pounds in the process.

To accent my new exercise plan I've been on a nutrition kick. Actually the exercise plan has been accenting my new nutrition goals. I am making big changes when I go grocery shopping!!
To catch you up on things:
I attended a brief nutrition class that was offered at church. The instructor recommended some books. I just finished reading The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood and I am really convinced about what the book suggests. I am avoiding high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, fake sugars (aspartame, splenda, etc. etc.), nitrates and nitrites. I am also only looking for carbs that are accompanied by fiber and protein.
This has actually become a fun mission. I read labels carefully at the store and I simply don't purchase things with the junk ingredients. It basically leaves me shopping the perimeters of the store.... which are the fresh foods, dairy, etc. I also stop by the cereal aisle and look for cereals that have atleast 3g of figer, 5g of protein and less than 7g of sugar. (Kashi is a great brand that has the good stuff. My guys love the 'cinnamon harvest' )

I am aiming to become an "80/20" family or ultimately a "90/10" family. If I only have good foods available at home, we can eat well atleast 80 or 90 percent of the time. And we can enjoy some junk food while we are out or with friends. Don't get me wrong, it will be nice to splurge on a soda at mcdonalds once in a while! :-)

gotta run and make a smoothie for L. (smoothies are a great way to pack in the nutrients!!)
;)

really, truly, no cable.

well.
After the great victory with disconnecting the cable line from the tv, our genious kids figured out how to reconnet the wires. And they got back into the cartoon network.
I finally took matters into my own very capable hands and completely removed the cable cords. The line is currently in my pajama drawer, somewhere, hidden.

Note to self (and others): Kids are very smart, very resourceful, and very good with mechanical stuff. Find good hiding places.

pooling

I thought I would do more blogging but we continue to be pretty busy.

We've been frequenting the local public pool and we love it!!
D has learned to swim and tread water. He really likes the big water slide and the diving board. I'm really proud of him.
L still has a way to go. But he'll swim out to me, in the middle of the pool, and then back to the side. We do alot of practicing with that and I think the treading water will catch on in time. L is just working on the confidence part.
And I need to remember that he is two years younger.... so no pressure this year.

Getting ready for my cousins wedding this weekend. And really looking forward to seeing our friends in C-ville.
good times...

no more cable woes

so... as some of you know, We have been paying for the "basic" cable but have been receiving more channels because there is not an official "blocker" out on the street line.
So my kids have been super thrilled to have the cartoon network, etc. etc.
I personally hate the cartoon network and I unprogrammed it from our tv (so it doesn't show up if you flip through the channels.). Unfortunately, the kids figured out that channel 53 was missing and they entered the numbers into the remote. And unfortunately I'm not too good at hiding the remote... so they end up watching WAY too much mindless junk early in the morning and sometimes in the late afternoon.

T and I haven't watched tv since early May... and I decided that the cable should be "broken" during these summer months.
As of yesterday... someone in our house.....disconnected the cable.
hehehehehehe
It's the tiny victories that seem to make my day.
The kids were puzzled at first -but they're still alive.
I think we'll all be much happier.

check it out

I have added a few blogs to my reading list. Check them out.
The Turner couple just had a new baby... so that's exciting. Fun little video blogs to watch over there.

enjoy:-)
j

blah blah blog

so... I haven't posted since April....hmmm. I thought I would do better...

We have had a blast this summer.
We had an awesome trip out west, in June, to see family and friends. Two weeks of fun and sun.
We have been going non-stop since our return home.

The kids are taking swimming lessons this week and next... and they are LOVING it!!
They are also going to VBS in the evenings this week with our neighbor friends. Loving that too. Tonight is family night. Can't wait to see my lil' cowboys in action. (It's a western theme... and I hear that there will be a bull buckin' machine there tonight. yee-haw!)

T and I have been listening to the final Harry Potter book... on CD. Yep- we both sit in the living room and listen... no way that I would ever read that stuff. But listening to it is probably better than a movie. very entertaining.

On another note, I have initiated a mandatory quiet time for the kids. TWO hours in their rooms each afternoon. I realized that I was keeping them WAY too busy and they were both loosing control. We had been doing "quiet times" each day but not separately. Sometimes we watched a quiet movie or played quietly together. BUT I have realized that nothing compares to that "room time" that I used to love when they were toddlers. I am pretty satisfied that I can still pull it off with school aged kids. It has been SO peaceful :-)
I highly recommend it!

hmmm. not much else comes to mind right now. I think I'm heading off to start a new book-
j

ladies night

oh yes, it's ladies night... ohhh what a night.
:-)
Getting ready to go to sis's house for ladies night. I look forward to hanging out with the gals each month. It has been great getting to know girls from all walks of life. Married, single, kids, babies, careers, dating, etc, etc.
The theme tonight is "salad night". From what I understand we are mostly having pasta salads and a ton of dessert salads. I'm taking my favorite "strawberry salad"... the one with the pretzels on the bottom. YUM!!

AND to top off this weekend... tomorrow night is my CM night. I go to a monthly crop at Bethany's house. She is so great!! We have a ton of fun.
It's a girl's weekend. I am excited!

The kids have been home sick since Wednesday. They think that they are on vacation.
Now, it's my turn:-)

ttfn-

house news

Finally... we have had a bite on our other house.
A couple has put a contract on it, hoping to close at the end of May.
I haven't felt extreme joy about it yet. I know that lots of things could happen and I really don't have my hopes up until we sign the closing papers.

I have been praying specifically that God would just take this house off of our hands. And if everything goes through, that will be the answer. No money to gain- but free of the extra mortgage payment. whew... that will be a relief in itself.
We have lost a ton of money along the way but I know that it has all been part of the Big Plan.

Even through our 10 months of waiting I am still confident that God is GOOD!! And I am anxious to see what he has in store for us. I think that life is just a series of lessons... wonder what's next?

Please join with me in praying that this current deal will go through and that we can move along.
Thanks.
I'll keep ya posted-
J

pray...

My friend, Regina came upon this blog.

Please check out this wonderful family and pray for them in the days ahead...

(get your tissues ready!)

it over.

Oh no!
I am starting to face the idea that Spring Break is OVER!!!
It's back to the grind tomorrow morning. I'll actually have to roll out of bed before 9am...this may be tough.

We had a super, long, fun week at home. The kids and I got along pretty well and I hope that it was just a taste for what our summer may involve.

We had a trip to the movies, went shoe shopping, hung out with cousins, went to the library, had treats at McDs, went to a Dr. Suess party at the library, enjoyed and won trophies and the Awana Grand Prix, drove half way to pick up a friend from C-ville, had a sleepover with Bryan, Played, played played, rode bikes, played at the creek, played with the neighbors, took Bryan half way back to C-ville.
And that's just what the kids did!

I organized the kids closets and drawers. Resorted the kid's clothes to decide who fits in what, etc, etc.
I went to Ladies Night with friends on Friday and I went to an all day scrapbooking thing on Saturday.
AND I mananged to read a 419 page book in TWO DAYS! (And I never knew that I was a reader... go figure.)

So with all of that documented... we are back to our routine tomorrow.
toodles

date night

T and I had a nice evening on the town tonight.
We went to our favorite mexican place... La Carreta :-)
Then we redeemed some Fandago bucks and hit the dollar movie. We watched Mad Money which turned out to be pretty cute. Sure wish I had big bucks like the lucky criminal gals in the film.

We came home to pay some bills and now T seems to be engrossed in a "Lifetime" movie starring Ashley Judd.
I know, I know, she's hot... that's probably why the movie seems so good! hehe:-)

So glad that it's friday. I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.
The kids are at my sis's house having a sleepover with the cousins. It's nice to be back in town so the kids can grow up together.

I've been missing my C-ville friends. We went up this past weekend and spent some time with our old small group. They are good people :-)

Spring? already?

Last night and today we have been serenated by the millions of Spring Peepers that live in our back woods.
I love to listen to those little guys in chorus.
I suppose that spring is upon us.
:-)

Blessed

I’m home with a sick kid today so I thought I’d take a few minutes and reflect upon how blessed we are. As a family and a society.

I was reading in Deuteronomy the other day and ran across a passage where Moses is calling the people to remember God’s miraculous care throughout their desert experience.
He then proceeds to tell them:
(note my observations in red)

“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land- a land with streams and pools of water (right in my backyard!), with springs flowing in the valleys and hills (again, in my backyard!), a land with wheat and barley,( we never lack for those carbs!) vines and fig trees (we are blessed with tons of fruit at our fingertips!), pomegranates (I honestly have pomegranate juice in my fridge!!), olive oil and honey; (EVOO in the cabinet!) a land where bread will not be scarce (tons of bread too!) and the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills (the boys are always digging treasures out of our yard!)"
Deut. 8:7-9

So, after observing that we already have what Moses described…. We are extrememly blessed!
Ponder your own blessings today!

I'm BACK!!!

Okay, I know that I swore this blog thing off when our computer died.
And I must say that I have really enjoyed being free of the computer addiction!!

But, it turns out that I have limited computer access and a dear friend has requested that I post a bit to keep people informed.

So... check in every week or so to see if I've made it online for random updates.

Here's the latest in a nutshell:
We moved back to the hometown, as of last August.
(Our OLD house is STILL FOR SALE!!! So please pray for a buyer to come along this spring... or sooner!)

We have a new house.
I love the house, location and setting.

I have a new job.
I like the new job.

T has a new job.
He likes the new job.

The kids are both in school.
They both like school.

We are back at our old church.
It's growing on us.

We've been enjoying fun family weekends and weekly trips to the city library.
The kids are both involved in the Awana program.
D plays the violin.
We've been keeping busy with family, work, school and various "stuff".
I'm loving this time in our lives. We are pretty happy these days.


More to come...

done...

I have a second interview with the preschool board on tuesday evening.
It looks promising :-) Atleast I hope so.

We close on our new house next monday! :-)

I have been without internet and computer capabilities for several weeks now and I am proud to say that my email and blog addictions have been defeated. I have seen first hand how much time I wasted online (especially since our service was so slow!). It has been freeing to have extra time for more important things, like my kids :-)
I have decided that I will not be in a hurry to have a computer up and running at the new house.

I also realize that quitting email will seriously damage some of my friendships that have solely been email related over the past few years. And I am sorry for that.
BUT... I'm hoping that if I don't have the computer access... I can work being a better friend in the physical world, and not just in the written world :-)
We'll see how it goes.

So, I suppose this is officially my signing "off".

I plan to mail out our change of address and phone number in the next few weeks.
I'm hoping that we can stay in touch that way!
Toodles!
J

Vacation!!

Back at my parent's house to drop off the boys and head out with my buddies in the morning. Can't wait for a vacation from everything that's normal. It's kind of neat going on a "friend" vacation because I'll be on vacation from it ALL... nice :-) Hopefully it'll be a time to refresh before our move.

D lost his first tooth yesterday!!!
He was putting the tooth under his pillow and asked, "Is the tooth fairy real?"
I replied, " What do you think?"
He thought for a minute and said " I don't know.... I bet that you do it, don't you? You put the money under there?"
I looked a little concerned and simply said, "what if you just said that and then the tooth fairy comes tonight?"
And he just thought and replied with a smile, "I don't know."

What a smart guy ;-)

With all of that said, the tooth fairy almost forgot to come last night. Until her husband remembered and found a silver dollar for the big pay-off. Mr. Toothfairy came to the rescue and D was thrilled this morning with his new coin :-)

Oh!! I've got a job interview on Monday morning at a preschool here in town. It would be a perfect job since both kids will be in school this year and I'll be free to work in the mornings. It's 20 hours per week... very convenient, etc.
Say a quick prayer that the job will come through for me!

that's it.
Still no computer at my house...so don't email.
I'll try to keep ya posted-

alrighty. I'm at my parent's house this weekend and I feel the need to blog an update.

We have found a house in L'burg and the contract is in motion. If you want to know more about it... give me a call. ;)
We will be closing at the end of July and moving during the first few weeks of August.
Kids will need to be registered and settled for school, etc. etc.

Still no buyer for our current house. There will be an open house tomorrow so I'm praying that someone may be interested.
I'm confident that things will fall into place....at some point in time.

We've had a week full of fun, late nights:

On tuesday night, we went to the East Side Speedway in Waynesboro. (I didn't know that they had a speedway). It was dirt track racing at it's best. :)
We had a blast. I've never seen cars race.... they really go fast!! I was super impressed.
Afterward, both kids went home with our friends for a sleepover. It wasn't much of a "sleepover"... since they got home around 11pm, and everyone just went to bed. Either way... a super cool night for the kids.

On Wednesday (the 4th), we met up with our kids and went to a parade in Stanardsville. It was a small town parade at it's best :-)
We watched the firetrucks, the browie troop, local church groups, candidates running for Sheriff, horses, tractors, and 4-wheelers parade down main street. It was cute. And the kids gathered up a ton of candy that the parade people were tossing out.

That evening we went to T's friend's house at Lake Monticello. The kids swam, played on the playground, watched Charlotte's Web, ate a ton of pizza, set off fire works in the yard and then watched grand 'ol fireworks down by the lake.
Once again, we arrived home after 11pm and everyone crashed.

Last night, we went to small group at a friend's house. The adults had the Bible study while the kids (I should say... all of the boys) ran around the yard swatting fireflies with badminton rackets. They also enjoyed a bit of Nintendo and a brief time of sliding a ferret across the bedroom floor like a bowling ball.
(I heard about most of these activities on the ride home) :-)
We arrived home after 10pm and hit the sack.

I am really enjoying our summer activities and late nights but I think we'll try to get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight. L is starting to come down with a cold or something. I'm thinking it's because his system is out of whack.

I'm heading on vacation later this week with two of my buddies. The kids will stay with my parents a few days while T is working.
I'm really looking forward to a girl's vacation!! We'll be gone for 4 days!! Can't wait!

I guess that's all the news for now.
I'll try to get computer access again soon so I don't loose my loyal readers.... keep checking in on me!
ttfn
j

no computer!!

Our home computer is absolutely broken. I can't even turn the thing on without getting a blue screen that indicates trouble.
Hubby has been too busy to fix it and I have been without email and blogging, for what seems like a decade!!
(I snuck to T's office today just to check my email!)

So... until furthur notice... I'm offline :(

We have our house on the market but things aren't moving at all.
Please pray that someone will atleast come by to LOOK at it!!

For those of you who will miss my online appearances... please call me!!
Don't email because I fear a full inbox once things are up and running again.

I miss you guys!

no bites

no calls about the house yet. I think a dramatic cut in price will do us some good. Just waiting to see how things go for the first week or so.

The kids are having a great time at VBS and I am managing to keep the house museum-like since they are gone all morning long. It's been an easy week so far.

Tuesdays will be our official library days this summer.
The summer reading program is offering 'performances' by various groups on tuesday afternoons.
Today a gal from The Wildlife Center of Virginia came to teach the kids about the Appalachian Trail. She brought along a snake, an opposum, and a hawk. They were neat animals to see up close... except for that slithery snake.
The way that the scales slide around and coil is just icky.
interesting but icky. It kind of gave me the same feeling as wooden popsicle sticks, corn dog sticks, etc. (does anyone else have that irritation?!)

yep, I'm weird.

Not much else to report. sure wish I had something witty to blog about these days. Summer has just begun so I'm sure to have some interesting stories once we get going.

we're in business

The house is finally on the market, officially.
If you're interested in seeing it online... email me and I'll give you the info of where to find it.

(It wouldn't be safe for me to advertise my whereabouts on my blog.... right Dad?)

Interestingly enough, I keep finding out about random people who frequent my blog...
I have learned about three people who read my blog on a regular basis, and I didn't even know it.
That's rather flattering. Thanks :-)

I would be interested in who's out there...so if you are a regular, drop me a comment once in a while! Tell me about why I'm so interesting ;)
hee hee

On another happy note- the kids have VBS this week! I'm looking forward to some "mommy" time... alone!!
Happy week-

better day

Today was MUCH better for the kids and I.
We went with our lovely friends to the Children's Museum of Richmond. The kids really enjoyed scurrying around. We stayed for several hours and ate lunch together on the premises. My kids said that they liked "all of it". They want to go back again but I think we've had our full.
Afterwards, we hung out at R's house and all of the kids played in the backyard.
good times.
It's so nice to visit with old friends. Thanks for a good day, R! :0)

My smart sis also reminded me via email today that I need to continue structure with my kids throughout the summer. They will do much better with a predictable routine, etc.
I usually do well with an activity each day, a quiet time in the afternoon and free time afterward.
But... she gave me a great idea about putting activities in a hat and picking them out on Sundays. And then the kids can know what to expect over the next few days.
some ideas she gave were: library day, picnic with Dad, cooking activity, bike ride, special project, playdates.
Like most of you... we already do these things but it will be especially nice if the kids have a part in planning the week. I'm usually the bossy mom who wakes up and says... "today we are going to the library...no matter what!"
So... this hat (bowl, box, jar,etc) idea will let the kids feel apart of their own plans. That'll be fun.
thanks for the idea sis ;-)
I'll start on sunday!
if anybody else has fun ideas for the summer... let me know!

Those people that I live with...

Wednesday night.
It's hard to believe that school hasn't even been out for a week and I am already daydreaming about school starting for the fall.
We went to L'burg on sunday and came back on tuesday. I think the visit was okay but it seems that the kids have been hell on wheels most of this week. The sound of their voices often makes me want to scream. They fight constantly and they know how to make each other whine. It is so annoying! And they are so annoying.
Am I supposed to be enjoying this motherhood gig?

I'm thinking that my temperment may be a little "off" with the slowly increasing family stress. I didn't realize that moving was stressful to me but I think every day I feel a bit more of the time crunch and it's hard not knowing what's next. Not having a master plan usually shatters me. God is constantly trying to teach me...
I have given up "control" of the situation to that man that I married. But it irritates me to no end that he is a known procrastinator.
To my lovely surprise, I came home today to see a "for sale" sign in the yard. He apparently had a meeting with a realtor at lunch today. We signed some papers tonight that he will fax tomorrow and the official process will begin. Atleast that's the story of the day.
sigh. I thank God for small miracles ;)

The offspring and I are headed to see some friends tomorrow and to visit a children's museum. Watch out R, here we come!! ;)
Tomorrow is a new day and I hope to be a new mommy in the morning.
off to bed...

last day!

It's D's last day of school!
They get out at noon.
L and I plan to pick him up and head to the bike trail in c-ville.
We'll check out some movies at the library on the way to the school so that the kids have some vegging time this afternoon.
Later this afternoon, I plan to cut the grass and get ready for our small group meeting tonight.
Fun, full day!
I'm a sucker for activity.

bday surprises

I had a nice birthday.
*I was surprised with calls from my Dad, my sister and two of my best buddies. :-)
*Another friend dropped off mint brownies and a gift :-)
*L surprised me with a new tube of lipstick. He picked out the color....
*D surprised me with a picture frame (including a picture of himself as a toddler), little Twix bars and a beautiful bracelet (from a bubble gum machine).
*T came home with a cake and he grilled delicious burgers for us last night.
*I also should mention that T and I went out to Applebees on Wednesday night AND we bought a new digital camera!!
*And I should mention that I bought a new shirt and shorts for myself at JCPenny (with the $10 coupon that came in the mail for father's day) :-)
All in all, I was showered with nice things for my birthday.
It's nice to have a special day :-)
thanks everybody!

I guess it's official

So.
It's my big 3-0 birthday today.
I am a little concerned that this most likely means I'm an official adult now.

Sure, we are technically adults at 21... but really... how "grown-up" are 21 year olds??
But, when a person hits 30, we are supposed to be grown-ups. It still doesn't feel right.

Sure, I have two kids, but I often feel just as childish as I did in high school. And I often wonder why God entrusted me with these little guys. I know that HE knows what's best for these boys and I just pray that they'll turn out somewhat okay in the end. Good thing that God is in charge :-)

anywho.
30.
It seems like such a milestone. I suppose I should be enjoying it because in 10 years, it will be the big 4-0. Now... that's a real milestone!

happy day!

Baby B

Baby Robin B arrived today between 11:30 and 1:30.
I've told myself that I'm not going to check on them too often... but they are just irresistable :0)

I've never been this close to newborn baby anythings (besides my own kids). It's amazing to watch. It's so neat to know that these little wrinkled, shriveled, bean heads, with scraggly little tufts of stringy feathers will become sturdy, beautiful robins.

Ha! Kind of like how little wrinkled, scraggly bean head babies grow up to become adults :-)
I'm pretty convinced that I am going to buy myself a camera for my birthday. So maybe I'll have pictures to share soon.

baby A ;)

Upon inspecting this morning, I noticed a small hole in one of the robin eggs. I sent D out to catch a look and that little one had already come out of the shell!! Just within a matter of minutes!
I've never seen a brand new baby bird... It is teeny tiny! It barely resembles a bird. I'd say it's kind of like a little naked rat body with a chicken-like head.
If the scientists are right... the other babies will be appearing tomorrow and Friday. (This first one came right on it's due date!)
Watching this bird family reminds me of the wonderful God that we have! What an amazing thing that He has allowed me to witness this little famly of birds and to remind me of His words:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is life not more important than food and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life.Matthew 6:25-27 NIV

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

heavy haulin'

We have recently purchased and installed a tow hitch for our minivan.
Yes, that sounds crazy but it's the greatest thing! Just think of our towing possibilities!! haha!

Our original plan for the tow hitch includes our new bike rack that holds FOUR bikes.
I am super excited about this new purchase. We tried out the new set-up on Saturday night and it was fabulous.
In the past, if we wanted to ride bikes, T would have to drive separately with the bikes in his truck. Now that we have this new rack, we can all go out together. And even take the bikes with us on trips and future vacations!
I am stoked.
I'm really looking forward to taking the boys out riding this summer and it'll be super easy to attach the rack and get rolling.
YAY!

yummy snack mix

the kids picked out all of the good stuff and left the peanuts for the moms.
but this is a good one! try and enjoy:

Honeycomb Treat Toss

4 cups Honeycomb cereal
2 cups chocolate Teddy Grahams
1.5 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup cocktail peanuts

Water party!

L planned a wonderful water-play party for today. He invited all of his preschool buddies. We sent out invites during the last week of preschool and everyone was anxiously awaiting their play date.
After MUCH rain yesterday, I was praying that things would brighten up for the party. It was rather cloudy here all morning but I kept with the plan of starting the party at 11am.
God was very gracious to send full sun into our backyard around 10:30. Things warmed up quickly and the party went off without any problems.
We had a whopping number of wet little bodies running around our backyard. 13 kids and 8 adults.
(no... the adults were not wet... or running) ;) A few of the moms couldn't handle the heat and resorted to holding umbrellas!! haha!
I enjoyed working on my tan.

It was great to see the kids enjoying the day. They used the trampoline, the swingset, the pool, the water slide and the sprinkler.
I'm figuring that it will take several days before our yard dries out. If the kids would have stayed any longer this afternoon, I was going to start selling tickets for mud wrestling. Those kids were slipping and sliding all over the place. It was great.
They took periodic brakes to fuel up on snack food and drinks.
Everyone was here until about 2pm. L took himself inside around 1:30 and put on a video, which I thought odd....but he was exhausted!
On last look- L was sleeping in the basement floor... between the dehumidifier and the wall. what a funny little guy:-)

D had a big water day today as well. I'm anxious to hear how it went. A firetruck was coming to school today for "squirt day"! And he was riding the bus home with a friend this afternoon to go swimming.
L and I will be picking him up later this afternoon.

shopping

what is the thing about Walmart??

I was planning a simple trip today to purchase cheap party supplies for the kids. L is having a water party for his school buddies and D's class is having a big birthday bash.

My shopping list started off easy. And in just a matter of hours, the list includes:
soap, brita filters, a kiddie pool, stickers, bday cards, a ball, gifts for my book buddies, ziplock bags, a backpack for my grown husband (to use on the motorcycle I suppose) and gum!

My plan to buy plates and napkins for a few bucks has grown into a shopping extravaganza!!
Walmart always seems to do this to me. I make a trip into town every few weeks and the list of items makes it's way into the 80-$100 range.
I know that many of you hate walmart but I gotta tell you... It's cheaper than Target... and they have more generic stuff than target.

true... if walmart doesn't have a cool kiddie pool, I will stop by target to get a better one.

Both stores have their pros and cons. But I tend to frequent Walmart for those 'everyday' supplies. (maybe all the working at target has tainted me....???)

Enough bloggin about this shopping thing. I need to actually go and get it done!!
and the other plus about shopping is that we usually meet T for lunch while we are out!!
happy thursday!

American Robins

My bro-in-law sent me a good article about American Robins.
I am starting to wonder if my kids give the momma bird enough time to sit on the eggs. And I haven't really seen a Dad around... so maybe the eggs aren't even fertilized??
I'll be curious to see.
With or without babies, this has been a neat thing to observe.

Bird's eye view

I have really come to appreciate mother birds over the past few days.

A robin family has constructed a nest under our deck, on top of one of the posts. You can see the nest (which is right above my head) from the ground, and you can look directly through the deck slats and see the eggs (probably about 6-8 inches below). It has been very neat to observe.

Upon first observing the nest... which generously contained two eggs... one of my horrid little boys managed to crush an egg. (that was AFTER we had discussed the miracle of life, how to make sure the eggs stay safe, etc. etc.) Ugh!!!
Boy, I was angry and my kids knew it. We had another "talk".... this time with deathly consequences if anyone even thought of breathing on that nest.
I felt so sorry for the mother bird. What a loss!

To my surprise, the next day, there were two eggs!! I didn't know how often Robins would produce eggs. I thought that perhaps she missed her little one and decided to replace it with another. Was that really possible?

And today, there are THREE eggs! :-)
Truly cool!

I have observed the mother today.
She swoops out from under the deck when people approach. She stays gone for a few minutes and then returns to sit on a fence post about 10 feet away. She sits for quite a long time and just watches. She kept a close eye on me as I sat on the deck this afternoon. She would just sit and stare in my direction. I assume that she repeats this routine all day long... since my kids are like wild animals roaming the back yard. She probably gets a good chunk of time to spend with the eggs at night and in the morning.

I am so curious to see how things progress over the next few weeks. I don't know the incubation time for Robin eggs (I assume that I could 'google it').
It would be really cool if we can see baby birds at that close range. Talk about an upclose view. We can literally look straight down into the nest. I think this will be a good learning opportunity for us all...
I'll keep you posted.

eek!

L spotted an Eastern five-lined skink in our basement today!!

It hid briefly under our couch and then I left the basement door open so he could escape. As of now, there is no sign of him. I really hope he found the open door. I'd sure hate to think he's living in our couch. that's just creepy!!
I know that it is harmless but it's just weird to have a lizard in the house!!! How in the world did it get in??

hopelessly LOST

There are a ton of things that I should be doing this afternoon but I have decided that it will be more important for me to take a nap for the next hour and a half.


The last episode of LOST, for this season, comes on tonight at 9!! I need to gain my strength and be prepared to stay up late.
I didn't even start watching this show until this current season. I am amazed how the plot just sucks a person in and won't let go. The writers on this show leave so many unknowns that we just HAVE to watch every week.
I am proud of myself for "calling" last weeks ending. I knew WAY ahead of time that Charlie was going to swim into that place and that people would be there.

I can't wait to see what twists and turns happen tonight. Obviously, we'll all be a little dumber after watching tonight... since they never really conclude anything and never really answer any of the obvious questions.

This show is just so great because it keeps you wondering. And if they keep writing like they do... they could carry this show on for an infinate number of years. Pretty much like a soap opera.
Wouldn't it be a shame if this show is still on the air when my kids are adults?!

Well. first things first. Off to nap :0)

the hike

We had a fabulous family hiking day on Sunday.
We went to Skyline Drive, mile 56.4, Bearfence Mountain:

Bearfence Mountain summit provides a 360-degree view. The round-trip from the parking lot is only 0.8 mile, but part of it is a rock scramble and can be difficult, especially if wet. Wear sturdy shoes. This hike is for the sure-footed and those not afraid of heights.

T picked this particular hike because it was short and seemed like fun. I jokingly said that we were taking our boys on hike for "sure-footed" people.... we'd probably loose a kid down the mountain or something ;)

BOY!! I had no idea that the park service would open a trail like that to normal people!! It was a TON of fun but it seriously had a "rock scramble". Several in fact. Not really scrambles either... I'm talking climbing up boulders!!! Several parts you had to find good footing and pull yourself up through large cracks, etc. The kids absolutely LOVED it!! They were serious rock climbers.
I, on the other hand, got to the last large climb and completely wimped out. There wasn't really anywhere for my feet and I couldn't find a good hand support. We were kind of on the edge of the mountain and the height got to me. I felt pretty wimpy.
T and the kids went to the summit. They returned quickly because T said it was super windy and that they were literally on the side of a cliff at the top.

I must say that I should retract everything I said about being tied down with babies. There was a family in front of us on the trail. There were several adults and probably 3 kids under 7. AND, the mom had a baby strapped to her chest!!! That lady climbed ALL of the rocks with no fear. It was amazing. She just had to be careful of the baby's feet that hung down while she was climbing. She was like a powerhouse!! It was impressive.

All in all, a super afternoon. Surely a "do-again" activity.

eating oreos

As I sit here eating oreos (that I solely bought for the soccer kids... these are the extras....)
I am pondering the fact that I have officially gained 16 pounds since last year at this time. I am starting to feel the roll of fat drool over my lower cut jeans. This is most likely becoming a problem!! yuk.

I seriously think that going to the gym for a year helped me loose some weight and keep it off. Since my gym membership ran out last April, I haven't really been eating differently, I'm just less active.
I really miss the exercise addiction that comes along with gym membership. I can remember needing to go to the gym just to make it through the day! Ahh... those were the days. Now I just hang around like a sloth. It's interesting how things change in a matter of months.

Luckily, we did end up getting a bike trailer for the van. I am super excited that I'll be able to take the kids out this summer and ride.
I should probably get my fat bum out of this chair and stop blogging as well ;)

And, my mind wanders to the fact that both kids will be in school next fall! yay! If I can manage NOT to get a job... perhaps I can join a gym!! It would be fabulous if I could volunteer at the school a few days each week and then head to the gym!!! Oh the possibilities!
If we can manage to get a really cheap house with a cheap mortgage, I'll be able to have extra "fun money" for the gym... I can call it "skinny money". :-)
We'll see how things go.

opinions

I was telling T about my last post and how I often think I'm rather blunt in my opinions about kids.

T has come to the conclusion that "God must have left some things out" when He made me. "Like motherly intuition".

interesting. :-)

I always knew I was special. hehe.

oops... looks like a soap box...

L and I enjoyed a nice mother's day weekend in L'burg. We celebrated my nephew's birthday on Saturday. And my sisters and I took our mom out for dinner on sunday night...without the kids!! The men kept the kids at home. What a nice mother's day treat! :-)

T and D stayed home for a "man weekend". I don't really know what they did but I think that they had fun hanging out, bike riding, etc. It was a good opportunity for D to spend time with his daddy.

L and I went bike riding yesterday. I am determined to buy a bike rack for the van really soon. It was a pain to smoosh two bikes in the back of the van.
I'm really looking forward to riding with both kids this summer so I need to plan ahead and get the rack.

(this part unintentionally turned into a soapbox) :
I really can't say enough about how I love having these "older" kids who can walk, ride bikes and do big kid stuff. I know that I have blogged about it before, but it is just SO cool!!! Sometimes I wonder why in the world people (ones with older kids) would mess up such a perfect arrangement by having more kids. I have absolutely no desire to be tied down with babies again. I am really glad that I did the baby stage all within a few years. I look at some mothers who continue to have kids with vast age differences and I think to myself, "what a sucker".

I often think it's just not fair to the older kids who may miss out on activities because their mom's are attached and tied down to babies all of the time. I also think that moms miss out on alot of stuff if they have to attend to a baby while the big kids continue venturing out.
I am REALLY looking forward to camping, etc this summer. I certainly wouldn't want to be dragging a baby around to our "big kid" activities. Or worse, I'd hate to stay home with a baby while the dad takes the older kids out. ouch.
I love "family" activities!!

I know that I'm probably not being fair with some of these statements. And I realize that some of you really like your baby, after baby, after baby, after baby. :-) (hehe)
BUT! I'm just voicing an opinion.
I hope not to offend... but if you are offended... start a blog and tell me about it! ;)

I think I'll stop now.

Off to awana and date night.
soccer was canceled due to rain.
later
j

whole lot of nothing

I suppose that I'm just bloggin' for the heck of it today.
I have a whole lot of nothing to report.

We are finishing up in our laundry room. It's looking bright and cheery now.

We had a real estate guy come and check out the house yesterday. He's getting back to us today or tomorrow.
I'm hoping to have the house listed by the end of the week.

I rented a storage space for all of my holiday boxes, etc. and hopefully T will tote some of his junk away too.

D has 21 days left of school. yippee!!
L has 7 days left... that's even cooler :-)

I'm just biding my time till date night tonight. We are going for mexican.

I hope that everyone else is having an eventful week!

video your kids!

I pulled out the camcorder yesterday.
It occured to me that we haven't taken any videos of the kids in quite a while. I ran across one of our most recent tapes.... of L when he was almost 2!!! yikes.
( I do have one more recent... from our current house... don't worry!)

I am so amazed that I don't remember anything from when my kids were smaller. I watch those tapes with complete awe! They were so precious. I am fortunate that I caught lots of the little tricks on camera that made each child unique.
I know that these tapes will be very valuable to me over the years. I'm even looking forward to watching many of them soon and recording them on DVDs.
And I'm certain that I'll watch them when my kids are grown... I should probably be stocking up on tissues!
It is just so neat to see how those kids have changed in just a few short years. Their appearances and personalities.
We are truly a lucky generation... one that literally has the ability to record a lifetime of memories. (With video and still cameras).
I'm hoping to do a better job!

happy friday!

"that time of month"

Yes, "that time of month" rolls around every month, at the same time. A woman should realize that it's inevitable and perhaps prepare for the moodiness that is sure to come.
Sure, I tell myself that I'm just more sensitive at "that time of month". And that I should be more patient, etc.
But nothing that I mentally tell myself seems to work.

Today was a perfect example of why I should lock myself in my room this week.
L and I went to Target to buy 2 birthday gifts, laundry detergent and pull-ups.
About 90 minutes later and $80 poorer we emerged from the store with those items, two pairs of fashionable flip flops, 2 super soakers, and toilet paper. We had argued and whined with each other for the last 90 minutes... we were both exhausted. So... we proceeded to Burger King where I pigged down a whopper and fries.

This is one of those days when every word, breath or utterance from my child's mouth is completely and totally irritating. I have begged him to play in the basement while I "clean" upstairs. I just want one quiet second before my other kid, and the circus animals from next door, get off of the bus!!
I know it'll be a long afternoon.
I'm hoping to keep everyone at an emotional distance this afternoon by letting them play with the sprinker and our new super soakers.
If all else fails, I'll take control of the super soakers and use them in my defense.

It just occured to me how lucky I am to have boys. I can't imagine living in a house with another female in my condition. (my poor parents!... whew!)

a blog fog

I have REALLY been wanting to blog lately. But I am fresh out of stories or info to share. :(

I suppose that my family wouldn't mind a basic update.... so here goes.

We've been:
working,
schooling,
soccer-ing,
Awana-ing,
churching,
small group-ing,
dentist-ing,
baking,
carnival-ing,
volunteering,
partying,
sleepover-ing,
visiting,
cooking,
eating,
painting,
cleaning,
mowing,
babysitting,
and probably more.

Hopefully we'll have some good stories to share soon. We've just had a busy few weeks.
FUN, but busy.
More later-
j

Slugs and Bugs

I feel the need to give a little plug for my buddy Andrew Peterson.
As many of you know, I LOVE his lyrics and music. And I also know that many of you don't care too much for him.
BUT!!! He and this other guy, Randall Goodgame, have made a children's album called "Slugs, Bugs & Lullabies".
We recently purchased the album from Goodgame's webstore. And my kids LOVE it!!!
This means ALOT coming from the same children who ask to listen to AP music when it's nap-time on long trips. They usually say that Andrew Peterson puts them "right to sleep"!!!!
Imagine my surprise when they are requesting this new CD in the car, at home, and when their friends come over! AND they have argued about who gets to listen to it at bedtime!
I think that I'll be ordering another copy soon.
I absolutely love the songs and they don't seem to get too annoying like some of our other kids music.
So... if you're looking for new kid tunes to make carpooling easier... Get this CD!!!

back in the swing

I have been out of the computer loop since before Easter. It's nice to get back into the swing of things and catch up on the lastest blogs and emails.

We had nice travels at Easter time. We visited L'burg and SC. Then, T and I headed to Florida this past weekend. My parents were a blessing to us while they stayed here and watched the kids.
Yesterday was a really FULL day and we jumped feet first into our regular reality.

I was anxious to get online and see what a major Hokie person had to say about the tragedy at VA Tech. KJ has some good things to say about her favorite place. Thanks K for sharing your thoughts. :-)
I don't have any connections with Tech but I have been offended at the way the media has portrayed the campus, the campus police and how they have second guessed what "should" have happened that day. The media is just eating this situation up.
I guess they were tired of talking about Imus.

L and I are heading to the store today and then to have lunch with some friends.
Happy Thursday!

the sacrament of communion

The kids and I read several Easter books today. The books talked about the Last Supper when Jesus and the disciples shared bread and wine.
L stopped each book and questioned the meaning of "wine". He was super interested in what wine was.

Tonight our church had a dinner and a communion service.
I explained to the kids that communion was similar to the last supper where Jesus ate bread and drank wine with his friends. And that the communion is a reminder of what Jesus did for us on the cross.
Again, L asks about the wine.
The service continues and the pastor mentions bread and wine.
Again, L asks about the wine.
T and I took the bread and juice and L insisted that he wanted wine.

...seems like a pattern here.

On our way home after the service, we talked a little more about communion.
T says that communion is something we do at church every once in a while, that it is a sacrament, that it helps us remember Jesus, etc. etc.

L says "Dad.. what did you say after the going to church part?"
T says "it's a sacrament"
L says "Oh. I thought you said it was a soccer night"

Gotta love him :-)

The Easter Bunny:

Recently we were talking with the boys about Easter, and what we celebrate at Easter. I think that most kids get things pretty confused since we talk about the death and resurrection of Christ and they also hear a ton about rabbits and candy.
(I did find a great book about the Legend of the Easter Egg that ties it all together. ) ;)

We were briefly discussing the Easter Bunny when D states, "The Easter Bunny's not real." wow... that's a brave statement for a 6 year old... so I ask... "why do you say that?"
D responds "because there's no such thing as a bunny that big."
Interesting enough, he assumes that the Easter Bunny is supposed to be a big guy like those goofy things at the mall.
I then ask "well... who fills your Easter basket?"
He replies without hesitation... "you."

(hmmm.... Is he really onto us???
Hopefully the Easter bunny will still come to see him on Sunday.)

After that is settled I continue to pry and ask about whether the tooth fairy was real.
"yes"
And Santa?
"yes"

I suppose that the latter two are real in his mind because they are people? But... the tooth fairy is a fairy. How does he rationalize that?
It's just so neat to see his brain working. He's turning into quite the young man :-)

when it rains, it pours

Imagine my dismay as I am I cleaning up poop from the bathroom floor at 5am this morning.
D hadn't been feeling well last night and apparently he cleaned himself up after a trip to the bathroom.
I got up to potty and stepped into a mess. Literally.
Needless to say, he is home sick today with an upset stomach. No fever yet so I hope it's very temporary.


To make matters worse... TODAY is the kindergarten play!! They have been practicing for WEEKS! Daniel had a speaking part where he recites "Little Boy Blue".
I am terribly disappointed that he will miss his stage debut.
I kept trying to think of reasons that he could have been faking the sickness so I could send him to school today. But it seems legit at the moment and he is lounging on the couch.
It's just a terrible thing to look forward to something for so long and then, Zap! We miss it!
Just one of those crappy things. Literally.
ugh.

A wet ride

We've had quite a problem with water lately:

On Monday, T was installing a ceiling in our laundry room and accidentally hammered a hole in a hot water pipe. Luckily he felt a drip and made it to Lowes before closing time and fixed the problem.

Last night, one of our heating elements stopped working in our hot water heater. Luckily T has purchased the replacement part and we can enjoy our long hot showers again tomorrow.

Also, last night, there was a thunder storm. Mr. Q had refused to come inside earlier and I was worried about him out in the storm. Luckily he came in at 6:45am and he was fine and dry.
Unluckily.... someone (not me) had left the sun roof open on our van last night. L and I were heading out this morning only to discover a van full of rain and tree debris.
Yeah... you can imagine.
So we spent some time emptying things out and some more time at the car wash using those nice high powered vacuums. As of now, the van is open and airing in hopes to be dry for our Easter travels.
Luckily everthing is clean and nice for our trip and I think it'll be dry soon too. :-)

Luckily I know that there is no such thing as luck... I'm just wondering what God is trying to teach me with all of these water woes..
I'm just hoping that we'll stay dry at soccer practice today!!

hot, hot, hot

Today turned out to be much hotter than I expected.
We hung most of the day and I decided to give L's room a good cleaning to get ready for our move.
(L'burg family should look forward to some new kid books heading your way next weekend... and a few toys)
The more I cleaned things up the more exhausted and grumpy I became. The opposite is usually true when I'm on an organization mission. So I knew something must be wrong.
I checked out our thermostat and realized that it was 83 degrees INSIDE!!
No wonder I was such a grouch! My blood was about to boil!

Needless to say, our AC is running now and the breeze feels lovely.

I plan to tackle another boy room tomorrow. wish me luck!

There's a first time for everything.

Make note: for the record books....

1. I am skipping out early from "The Office" marathon so I can go to bed early. (well, it's 10:15 but EARLY since I'm missing "The Office"!!!!!

AND

2. My neighbor has ventured out for his first trip in the big truck!! T says that he went to Ohio. I am wondering if he's just parked in someone else's driveway for a change of scenery. ;)

what a difference a day makes

Yesterday I was a complete psycho. Every breath, word or action that my kids made drove me to the end of my rope. I was SO ready to throw in the towel and call it quits. I put them to bed at 7:00 and I was in bed by 8:10pm. That was totally a first for me. I rarely go to bed any earlier than 10 or 11.

After a good nights sleep, I feel much better. I was ready to face the world today.
I suppose it helped that I was able to ship one kid off to school and leave another one at preschool!! :p
I usually help out at the elementary school on Wednesday mornings but the kids were practicing for a play and I was relieved of my duties. I went to the library and then headed home.
That's when my real therapy occured.
Get this:
I cleaned both bathrooms, scrubbed the bathroom floor, swept and mopped the kitchen floor, vacuumed the entire house, folded two loads of laundry AND washed all of the cushion covers and pillow covers from our downstairs couch.
I am feeling GREAT!!!
What a difference a good day of cleaning can make!!

The truck

As many of you know... we have an "interesting" set of neighbors.
For some reason, I feel that I can write more freely about them since we'll be moving.
Here's the background: We had a nice older lady living next door. She passed away in December of 2005. Her son and his family moved in to her house shortly after. The family consists of a mom, dad, pre-teen son, 8 year old son, 6 year old girl, 4 pit bull dogs, and the occasional grandmother who comes to stay for long visits. Imagine that crew in a house identical to ours. And add lots of cigarette smoke.
So they promptly moved in and started using their inheritance money. They re-did most of the inside of the house, got a new deck, new side walk and porch, a new Harley (make that two... they got one for the mom) , a go-cart, and the list keeps going. You would think that the money spent on the house would be an improvement but visually, there is no change. The dogs chew up things and leave trash all over the yard. The neighbors, themselves, throw trash in the section of woods between our back yards. The Dad bought a nifty rainbow colored pick-up truck which sits in the driveway and collects their household trash bags.
The Dad used to drive over the road with a tractor trailer company before their inheritance windfall. He stayed home for months when they moved in and I think he worked briefly a few months ago. But I don't think he works now.
Which brings us to the heart of this post:
He recently bought his own big truck. (the front truck part of a tractor trailer...is it called a "rig"?) He had mentioned early that he was going to buy his own truck and work for himself. So his plan has begun. Interestingly enough we have never seen the truck leave the driveway! Every day he starts it up, lets it run for a while, and occasionally changes it's position in the driveway. One day it'll be facing the house and the next day he'll turn it to face the street.
He must be making a ton of money with that thing.
His daughter insists that he has taken it on the road, to the store, for a pack of gum. Gee... he must have snuck out while we weren't watching.
We get such a kick out of this truck thing. It's very interesting to watch this neighbor do absolutely nothing!

Yes, you are thinking... how in the world will we sell our house when the neighbors are so .... (what's a nice way to say it).... "visually obvious"??
I have no idea. That's where prayers would come in handy.
I'm hoping that the greenery of spring will hide most of the visiual trash and perhaps the dogs will be inside when prospective buyers come along.
The plan is to have the house on the market by May and I'm pretty sure it will sell sometime this summer. Atleast I'm praying in that direction.
keep ya posted-

Spring?

Humph. So much for spring. A quiet chill has settled over our house today while the sky is cloudy and sad. My fingers are frozen as I attempt to write this short blurp.
I'm not even sure what I'm blogging about today. I think I'm just killing time while L is having quiet time and we are waiting for D to get home. I've already vacuumed and done the laundry for the day.
There is plenty to be done, but like they say "many hands make light work"... and I've only got two. So I'm giving them a rest today.

I've been working a few days on cleaning out my laundry area so T can finish the laundry room work. I have taken out and sorted anything that I can personally claim, and anything that could be organized. Those items all are packed neatly and ready to be moved to a storage area when we put our house on the market.
The rest consists of broken boxes with all types of dusty parts, tools, gadgets, broken rc cars, etc. etc. I have no clue what to do with all of that stuff. I'd be pretty happy to rent one of those blue dumpsters for a day. Then, I'd really be able to work :-)
For now I'm doing what I can. Pray that we can get everthing in order so we can put our house on the market in May.

Today is our busy day. If the rain holds off, we'll be heading to soccer practice and then we'll take the kids to Awana. Luckily we have over an hour of kid-free time before we pick up crazy boys and bring them home.
(Why is candy a staple of the Awana program?!)
Btw-the kids have really impressed me with their memory skills. They are moving right along in the awana program. It's amazing what those little brains can soak up!!

Spring chickens

Tomorrow is officially the first day of spring. And boy! the weather today is such a tease! I'm hoping that this kind of weather will stick around.
L and I went to the park today. We had a picnic lunch and hung out on the playground.
I could tell that L really missed D because I'm certainly not any fun on a Merry-Go-'round. What happens to our bodies as we get older. I am super sensitive on the trampoline and the thought of a merry-go-round sends my head spinning. I have chosen to skip those beloved activities and I think I'm turning into an old boring mom.
So be it. I'm just a wimp.
We are currently taking a brief indoor break while we wait for D to get home from school. Then I can send the kids out to do all of that "kid" stuff... like chasing each other with sticks and hanging upside down from the swing set. Ahhh... to be young again.

soccer star

It has begun.
I will be taking D to his first soccer practice this evening. It will be our first adventure into the sports world.
Those of you who know me, know that I have put this moment off for quite a while. I was strongly set on never seeking out a sport for a preschooler. I knew that sports would filter in as the kids got older. I kept saying that we'd deal with the sports issues once they were offered in school, etc.
I am super set on not becoming overcommited to sports. I see so many other families who are trapped into the taxi-cab lifestyle of overcommited kids. I would ideally like to keep it down to one sport per year.
This year the flyers have started to come home with D, recruiting for karate, wrestling, basketball, underwater basketweaving, etc. I read each opportunity to D and he nicely declined. Much to my surprise D took interest in the soccer flyer and decided that he would like to play.
The inevitable could not be postponed any longer.
I researched a bit about the commitment involved for little kid soccer. I was super pleased to hear that practices are minimum and that soccer games are timed!!! We would be done with soccer games by 10am on saturdays! whew. It sounds much more refreshing than the neverending tee-ball games that I have heard about.
So the soccer is a go.
It was neat to see D try on his cleats and shin gards last night. It's amazing to think that I've got a kid old enough for organized sports. (That came quick!!)
I'm hoping that he'll "catch on" to the game quickly and enjoy his time with the other kids.

T likes to joke that I have officially become a "soccer mom". (ugh).
I have told T that if I EVER get the urge to put one of those soccer ball magnets or stickers on my van... that he is to take me out back and shoot me.
;)

The latest big news...

As some of you have heard... and this is new to some of my blog readers...
T's company announced on Friday that they will be closing. He was one of the few employees that received an offer to continue working with the parent company in Clearwater Florida.
So, of course, this is huge news for us.
At this point, we are researching the costs of living in Florida and determining whether a move would be beneficial for us as a family. T has a few other options on the table too.... so we are weighing the pros and cons of each.

It's so neat that I'm not feeling too stressed about things. I know that ultimately God will put us where He wants us to be. And I'm just excited to find out where and when. I know that T may obviously be a bit more stressed since the decision is largely on his shoulders.
My prayer is that God will make the decision very obvious to T when the time comes. We will keep everyone posted as things progress.

Here's the neat background info that I haven't really shared....
For months, I have been begging T to move us to another house in our same area.
Then, it occured to me a few weeks ago that I would be perfectly happy at this current location if we built a fence to separate us from the neighbors. I came up with a big plan to get a fence, do some landscaping and make our environment more private and cozy.
Since we decided to stay here, we thought it would be a nice time to refinance our house.
The very day that T made the call to start with our refinancing, his company announced it's closing plans.
This was SO clearly a God thing. God was saying... "nope, you're not staying, you're not refinancing, you're moving!"
I'm always encouraged when I can see God obviously working through situations. Our own plans that we try to devise are SO tiny compared to what He has in store for us. I have learned over the past few years that it's important to look for those 'God plans' in our ordinary situations. I can't wait to see what he's got in store for us with this upcoming move.
Please keep us in your prayers!!!

This could SO be my kid....

I took this from regina's blog today. I loved it!

Why Parents REALLY Need God.
A boss wondered why one of his most valued employees had phoned in sick one day. Having an urgent problem with one of the main computers, he dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whisper.
"Hello?" "Is your daddy home?" he asked. "Yes," whispered the small voice. May I talk with him?" The child whispered, "No." Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, "Is your Mommy there?" "Yes" "May I talk with her?" Again the small voice whispered, "No." Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, "Is anybody else there?" "Yes ," whispered the child, "a policeman".
Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, "May I speak with the policeman?" "No, he's busy", whispered the child. "Busy doing what?" "Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman," came the whispered answer.
Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, "What is that noise?" "A helicopter" answered the whispering voice. "What is going on there?" demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive. Again, whispering, the child answered, "The search team just landed a helicopter."
Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked, "What are they searching for?" Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle... "ME."

at home again

I'm grabbing a "free moment" to type a blog entry but I don't really know what's new. I've been stuck at home for such a long time with sick boys.
We did make it to L'burg last weekend for a nice visit but the kids were sick and they probably passed along the yuckies to our lovely family.
As for the past few days:
When the boys are together, they manage to play together nicely and also beat on each other pretty well. D tripped L in the kitchen and L fell into a basket which scratched his forehead. And the same day, L managed to cut his hair! (for the third time in his little life... you think he would have known better by now...) So right now, he looks like one of the three stooges.... whichever one had the really short bangs. ugh.
I am trying to make the most of my "stay home" days. I have worked on my wedding scrapbook for the past two naptimes. I've managed to complete 21 pages!! yay!!
If only I could catch up on the recent times.... last july through now....but as many of you know.... ALL of those pictures are on my hubby's work computer. Arg.... what a bitter subject.
Anyway, coming from someone who hated scrapbooking, I'm doing pretty darn good with my pictures. Feeling accomplished :-)

back on track

for the grandparents:
everyone is back to their routine today. We shipped D off to school and I'm getting ready to take L to school as well. It feels SO nice to be free of this house.
Unfortunately I'm suffering from some type of cold with a very mild fever. So I'm going to cancel my volunteer time at the elementary school today and take it easy.
Things look promising for a trip to L'burg tomorrow.
T and I are supposed to have a date tonight so I'm hoping things stay on the up swing for us all.
more later-

Kid Cuisine

I'm home again today with D. His fever is a bit lower and I think he's on the mend. We took L to school this morning and stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few things for this week.
I had forgotten that D hasn't been with me to the store since last summer! I usually go when both kids are in school or I take L on our free mornings. so... D expected all of the special care that he deserved for missing so many trips to the store. He expected a "Kid Cuisine" (frozen meal) that I usually buy for L when he goes shopping with me. D hasn't had one of those since last summer.
Those meals are pretty gross and I'm sure that they are full of bad stuff... but the kids think it's special to have a lunch time movie with a Kid Cuisine. (A true TV dinner!) I bought one for both kids.
And since they get to eat junk for lunch, It was only fair that I bought a Totinos pizza for myself. We also bought fruit "gushers" that were $2.89 for six small packages! what a rip off.
Then D proceeded to inform me that orange soda is the best thing for people when they are sick. So we bought a 12 pack of cans.
It turned out to be a successful shopping trip. We managed to buy all the junk that we need to withstand sickness and cabin fever, along with what we need to make dinners this week.

Today was just another small reminder that kids and husbands should never be allowed to grocery shop. :-)

the yuckies

D came home from school yesterday afternoon feeling pretty yucky. He was running a low fever so I gave some tylenol and we took it easy. I woke him before I went to bed and the fever was up to 102.8. I gave him tylenol which he immediately threw up.
(As a side note: I am so glad to have kids that are old enough to make it to the toilet. I really don't miss those baby vomit days. )
He slept all night and he's up this morning with a 101.7 fever.
When I called the school to report his absense, the lady said that this stomach thing has been going around for quite a while. It can last up to a few days.

So... after all of that fuss about missing the trip to the Great Wolf Lodge....it's a good thing that T had to postpone the trip. I am once again reminded of God's perfect plan, even in the little details. It all works out okay in the end :-)

We are gearing up for a sick day at home and praying for a quick recovery.
Off to sleep on the couch-(I'll be pretending to watch tv with the kids) :-)
j

calendar woes

I just recently realized that I have never transfered information from last year's calendar to my current calendar. That means... no birthdays, anniversaries or special dates have been carried over for this year. I came very close to missing both of my sister's birthdays... and I DID miss Regina's birthday (which happens to be on the SAME day as my sister!!!) It has been quite a disaster so far this year.

For those of you who know anything about me... you know that I am fanatically obsessed (otherwise called anal) about my calendar and schedules. I have realized that I don't remember anything unless it is on my calendar. I look at that trusty friend every day so I know what's going on for the day and week.

so... the fact that the birthdays for 2007 are not written is perplexing to me. I somehow need to find last year's pocket calendar and fix the issue before I forget to send out anymore cards. I'm a big card person... I hope that I haven't forgotten too many of you over the last two months.
...on the other hand, I know that most people I know don't give a hoot about cards. (atleast I know that they don't send them to me) :-)
So I'll try not to beat myself up too badly about missing a few trips to the mailbox.


While we're on the topic of calendars.... I just need to vent about my recent change in plans. T has decided to reschedule our trip to the Great Wolf Lodge, AGAIN. Apparently the "feds" are coming in on Tuesday and Wednesday to his place of work. He is attempting to set a trip date for middle march.... which will be the THIRD set of dates so far. Quite frankly, I'm getting tired of trying to be the supportive wife. It's increasingly hard for the kids and I to be "second on the list".... right behind the "feds".
ugh. growl. etc. etc.

thanks for reading :-)

taxes and tv

I realized last night that it's probably not a good idea to fill in tax papers while watching tv. I settled in to a cozy night on the cough with tax papers in hand. Everything seemed to go very smoothly until I got to the VA forms. I forgot that the VA forms can be a bit tricky when they ask you to separate the income for the spouses. (IF that was what I was supposed to do...). It seemed like I was juggling all kinds of weird figures. Perhaps 'Heros' and 'CSI' were a bit of distraction. I'll be curious if I did anything right on any of the forms. I plan to go back and do a full investigation when I grab a free moment today.
I wonder if they give any helpful hints in the directions about not watching tv or engaging in other activities while filling out the forms?? I guess I wouldn't know...
Note to self: Do it right the first time, next time.
:-)
either way, we'll be getting back some dough. that'll be helpful.

Here in the LBC

So I'm here in L'burg visiting with friends and family. I am currently at my sis's house playing with the Nintendo Wii. And I must say.... Wii are a bunch of idiots.
We've laughed ourselves silly watching our flailing movements as we play tennis, boxing and bowling.
Bro-in-law is just waiting for someone to take a fatal swing at the TV... so that he can get a new television. It'll probably be time for a brand new flat screen soon, eh?
Apparently this type of thing is common. go figure.

Earlier today, sis and I took D to get a picture taken at Sears. She has the "smile saver" plan that allows the pictures to be taken without a sitting fee. She signed D up as her kid and proceeded to be his mom. It was quite a sight. She was a super encouraging mom and the pics turned out super well. We picked the best pose and she even insisted on buying an extra collage sheet. she was so excited about it that I was forced to say "yes, I think you should get that one too". she was taking the mom thing pretty seriously. Luckily, D said, after the fact, that he didn't notice her scheme.

Alrighty....we are being sent home from sis's house. Wii have overstayed our welcome. And church will come early in the am.
nighty night!

ice days

yep. I know. another long pause between blogs.
I have been reading other blogs and feeling ashamed for keeping my readers in the dark :)

I attempted to blog on Feb. 7th after our lawn was blanketed with beautiful snow. (but my computer crapped out again and I became irritated).
On the morning of the 7th, I slept in. Around 8:30 D came into my room and said "mom, isn't today supposed to be a school day?" I replied in a shocked tone, "OH NO! did we oversleep?!" Then I told him to look out of the window. He was excited to see the snow and I could hear L yell from the other room... "It's snowing!!!" I love the excitement in their voices when fun things happen. We had a great time playing in the snow that day and enjoyed a late start to our morning the following day too.

I have been super spoiled this week with sleeping in as well. Tuesday the schools were closed because of the "threat" of ice. NOTHING happened that day. Wednesday, we were closed because there was legitmate ice issues. And today, Thursday, they were closed for whatever reason... perhaps the people in charge wanted an extra day of sleep too. (all of the other surrounding counties went 2 hours late). Both of my kids have missed valentine parties... which I assume will happen tomorrow. They are looking forward to passing out their cards to their friends.

Last weekend I enjoyed a much needed "girl's weekend" with my best buds Jamie and Cathy. J picked me up and we headed to C's place for Saturday and sunday. It was SO nice to be away from the "mom" role for a while. And to just be a "girl".
We planned a trip for our 30th bday year. (which is THIS year) We'll be heading to the beach this summer. Just the girls. I can't wait... it'll be super!

It occured to me upon returning home that I always think that the grass is greener on the other side. I suppose that we all think that at times.
I can become so jealous of the "free" life that my single and kid- free friends have. And in the other hand... those single and kid-free people want to be married with kids. Sometimes I wish that I had been single and kid-free for a longer period of time. Those commercials on tv don't lie.... "Having a baby changes everything". Man, that's an understatement.
I am trying each day to be happy with what I have. And I think I am. :-)
Even if I have to hear the word "mommy" one more time! :p

Thinking about kids reminds me about C and M...with their three darling sick boys. I am praying daily that God will get that family back to health and happiness. Soon!
I really wish that I were closer and able to help them out more. Please keep them in your prayers!!!

The boys and I are off to L'burg this weekend to celebrate my great-aunt's 90th birthday. wow. what an accomplishment. It's neat to think about all that she has witnessed in the past 90 years.
I'd like to think that I could hang around that long. Interesting enough... she doesn't have any kids. (the key to longevity??) hmmm....

have a super weekend!

a real free moment

I had a few "real" free moments this weekend. T was home with us for the first time in over a month. All of last month was consumed with his new job responsibilities, traveling, and doing the sound stuff for our new church building. We literally saw him in half hour increments when he was around... and that wasn't too often.
T was finally free to hang out with us on Saturday afternoon and ALL day on Sunday. It was nice to grab a few moments of doing my chores, alone, while T played with the kids last night.
It was nice to have the extra adult around.
I sure don't know how single parents manage!

We are back into the swing of things this week. T will be traveling at the end of the week so I'm preparing to keep busy with friends, etc.
I'm hoping that his schedule will quiet down as the months progress.

I think I'm off for a nap-

sharpest knife in the drawer.

alright. I finally convinced myself to buy new knives today. I've had them on my "want" list for several years and they moved to my "need" list recently.
They were certainly a "need"... especially since the steak knives never even made a mark on L when he attempted to cut things, and missed.
(guess that's a good thing. it saved us from several emergency room visits).
And the poor kitchen shears didn't even cut open a bag of chicken. (I guess I probably shouldn't have used them to prune bushes and plants). hmmm.
So.... I made special trip out to buy some new and shiny knives. They aren't the "top of the line" but possibly "mid-line". A huge improvement on the ones we currently own.
I was SO excited to bring them home, wash them, and display them nicely on the counter.
I eagerly opened the box only to find that the shiny black (and chrome) counter block.... was chipped!!!!! Argh.
So I have the box of knives ready to go BACK to the store. Maybe I'll venture out tonight. I sure would love to have those shiny things in use soon.

Awana Mama

The boys visited the Awana program at a local church last week... and LOVED it!! It is so encouraging to see them actually interested in something!! :-) They were very anxious to go back tonight.
They both talked at length about the fun games and all of the things that they were able to participate in.
They are required to complete a small booklet in order to become a "member" of the club. D "studied" his booklet all week :-) AND he learned the first memory verse, John 3:16, in a FLASH!!
It is SO cool to see him motivated and eager to learn from the Bible. I had been praying that D would become more interested in biblical things...and this may very well be the ticket. I am looking forward to helping him with his lessons and memory verses as well.

I was not involved with Awana as a child but this program seems to be really cool. From what I can tell, it is very organized and challenging for the kids but very fun. Designed well and very age appropriate.
So.... now that my boys are involved with Awana on Wednesday nights, I shall call myself an "Awana mama" while I am enjoying a few hours of peace and quiet at home :-)

snow day

L has been asking, just about daily, when the snow is supposed to come. He (along with several other kids I know) expected snow on Christmas day... and we all know that didn't happen. He doesn't understand why the snow doesn't fall on really cold days as well.

Good News:
The snow started while were in the church this morning and coated everything within the hour. The roads were slippery on the way home and things looked perfect for sledding.

Bad News:
L and D are spending the weekend in L'burg with their grandparents! And L'burg is enjoying a day of rain and sleet.
I can't believe that my guys are missing out on the fun. Poor guys.
I'm really hoping that the snow will stick around until they get home tomorrow.

monday night

It was my first Monday night off, and free, in probably a year. nice.

The kids were crazy from the day and they were in bed by 7pm!
I settled in for an evening of tv. Turns out that I haven't missed anything in over a year. Television shows are so lame these days. I suppose that I will try my best to scrapbook or do something productive with my free time. I was able to enjoy a bowl of icecream that seemed to add onto my guilt of slothy television watching. If I kept up these evening activities I would gain 20 pounds.
Not even mentioning the 11 pounds I've gained already. ugh. feeling chubby.
so... no more tv. I don't even want to get started with that stuff.

I'm heading into another free day with plans for grocery shopping and bonding with that cute kid of mine. We are going to make "Eve's Apple Crumble" this afternoon.
Watch out... you may know the next Tyler Florence or Food Network star.... L loves to cook.

free as the wind

maybe.

Last night was my LAST night at Target.
It was so freeing to think, "this is the last time I'll have to fold this towel. This is the last time I have to move this sheet set. This is the last time I'll have to fold this rug. This the last time I'll have to pick up after strangers. This is the last time I'll feel the need to throw away litter from Starbucks."
You get the picture :-)
It was rather refreshing.

I am looking forward to my newfound time at home. (I know that I'll be going nuts by next week) BUT I'm hoping that I'll appreciate the little things that I missed while I was out working. It'll be nice to spend some more evening time with D... since he's away at school all day.
We'll see how it goes.
so far, so good.
Pray that I keep my sanity and that plenty of social opportunities will arise to keep me in line.

Guess what! Big News!

(nope... not pregnant. and won't be)

BUT!! T got a promotion at work. It's a pretty big deal for him professionally. He is moving up to a manager position at his company :-) He will be the Manager of Quality Assurance (I think that's what it's called... he'll probably be disgusted if I am inacurate with my readers). He even has a secretary. ha. poor gal.
I should get him to write up a brief (really brief) blog about what he'll be doing. for those of you who are interested. I'll see what I can come up with...

With the changes in his job, he'll also have lots of stress and extra hours while he muddles through the mess of the last manager guy.
And since he'll be putting in more hours at work, it would conflict with my set hours at Target. Therefore, I have put in my notice at Target. My last day will be Sat. the 13th. I'll be put back into the night hours at home and hopefully enjoy seeing the kids more often. And possibly even having a social life again. It will be neat to see how things pan out.
I am really looking forward to having weekends free again. It'll be nice to travel or do family things on a saturday night. yay!

That's the latest.
Pray for us as we adjust to the new schedule, work hours, etc.
AND for us while T is involved with the crunch time for our new church building. He is in charge of getting all sound equipment things ready. including sound booth, stage, wiring , just to name a few. (again, he'd be upset with my lack of real knowledge about his responsibilities) But it's so much to keep up with! :-)
We are scheduled to have the service at our new building on Jan. 28th.

Also pray for traveling safety as he heads to Spain on the 15th.
I'm such a slacker about getting my passport. This is the second overseas trip that I've missed this year!!
Maybe next time.

family tip # 78

Don't get a hotel room on New Years Eve and expect to sleep.

Don't get me wrong. We had a great New Year's Eve while we were traveling home from SC.

But... we settled for a cheap hotel. You know, the ones with the doors and windows on the outside of the building. (and it was still about $70!)
The boys love to jump on the beds and make a ruckus in hotel rooms. :-)
We started off the evening with Pizza and popcorn in the room while we watched shows on Animal Planet. All of us stayed up until 11pm and then we called it a night.

Unfortunately the night was just starting for our hotel neighbors. At 11:45pm, they were on the balcony, drinks in hand, having a party.
It sounded like they were in OUR room!! So... I called the office and asked that they take care of the party next door. Either tell them to move inside or go away.
The security guy came along and acted buddy-buddy with these folks. (I'm looking out the peep hole and listening). He explained that there had been a call about the noise level and that he wasn't sure why. He went on to explain that it must have been us (pointing to our door).... and that the lady in the office had "made room for some people with kids." (Ugh).
The party people invited him to join them after his shift ended at 3am. (idiots)
Things settled briefly, they went inside, rang in the new year, etc.
Then around 12:40 I had to make another call to the office.
This time most people left around 1am....saying that they would be back around 3....
Did this mean that they were just waiting for the rent a cop to go home??

So....from 1-3 all was quiet.
then from 3-5:30 I woke about every 30 minutes as people were coming, going, and chatting outside of their door.
T plans to write a "nice" letter to the manager.

I know, I know... it was New Years Eve and people party. But I strongly believe that management has a responsibility to keep things under wraps. Especially after several complaint calls.
what do you think?

Even with our colorful neighbors, we had a great time. The kids slept through the party and we were on our way home the next day.

Now we are back in the swing of things and enjoying our own quiet house. (well...atleast it's quiet when the kids are sleeping).

I'm here! I'm here! I'm here!

I have SO missed the blogging thing. My stupid computer is ready for the dump. But hubby says that it just needs a little love. I'm starting to wonder which would be easiest. The trash bin is looking tempting.
anywho. I've been keeping lists of little life stories that I want to blog about when I get computer access.
So... here's the first one! Enjoy.

We were eating at Applebees several weeks ago. Just me, T and D. I excused myself to the restroom. While "sitting on the pot" (is there a nicer way to say that?) I thought to myself , "I wonder if people ever think they are in the wrong restroom??... I will need to ask T is he has ever wondered about being in the wrong restroom... Wouldn't that be weird."
I washed my hands, dried, and opened the door to leave the restroom. And to my surprise I look across the hall to see "LADIES" written on the opposite door!!!! Can you imagine!
Wow! Talk about funny. I gave a little laugh to myself as I looked around to see if anyone saw me. I think I was in the clear.
I rushed over to tell T about my big mistake. His first question was, "Didn't you see the urinal right beside the sink?!"
NO, I hadn't.
I'm starting to wonder what was in my drink.
I still get tickled thinking about it. Thank goodness that no guys came in to relieve themselves. That would be a whole 'nother story.
:-)