Ahhh...the joy of winter break!!

This week has already gone by fast with a lot of running but each of the kids has gotten in a playdate with their closest friends! Trevor had one of best friends over for the day on Monday and they just had a blast playing together with the latest boy toy craze...Bayblades!! Emily was invited to an overnight playdate with a friend on Tuesday and Erin invited a friend to have an overnight playdate here on Tuesday night. I don't have a picture of Emily's fun but she was full of stories about her friend's dog, sledding in their backyard and her friend's little brother!! Erin had a lot of fun with her friend playing with the American Girl dolls, Zhu-Zhu pets, crafting, gymnastic stunts and, of course, dress-up! I was even asked to be a runway model judge! Not that I had any idea what I was doing!! =-)

We also started a new family tradition this....or I hope it becomes a tradition. Terry and I really try hard to make it so we have each have one-on-one time with each of the kids. It is so much easier to carve out that time for Trevor as he is the only boy so it seems to just work out more often. But this year, Terry took each of the kids one afternoon/evening out for supper and their choice of fun with him. Each one of the kids came home full of stories and smiles!!

Now tomorrow, we are on to my sister's/mom's for a weekend of scrapbooking.....another family tradition for New Year's Eve!! And of course, we will HAVE to help Chris celebrate his 37th bday and Alicia's 34th bday!! =-) I am so looking forward to getting a TON done. I am ashamed to admit that I haven't finished the girls' 1st grade scrapbook and they are into 3rd grade....and haven't even done more than THINK about their baby scrapbooks. I have a resolution to at least make an attempt to get caught up. Hmmmmm-wonder how that will go?!

Family Fun

We decided on Thursday night to take the kids to a skiing area that has skiing, snowboarding and tubing on Friday morning! Sometimes the last minute plans are the most fun...for kids and adults alike! Trevor was anxious to try snowboarding again, Erin was excited to finally get to take skiing lessons and Emily was content to join Terry and I on the tubing hill. Unfortunately, it was a bit difficult to get pics of the tubing but this picture shows how Emily felt at the end of the day! Rosy cheeks, all snowy and cold but a great big cheery smile on her face! After being a little scared to try it on her own, we did manage to get her to try it bit by bit on her own until by the end of the day she was going up and coming down completely on her own! There is certainly nothing wrong with being a bit cautious, Em-n-Em!

Winter Fun on the Snowboard

It had been two years since Trevor had been on a snowboard so he was a bit apprehensive at first. But after a few tries down the hill it all came back to him! It was fun to watch him and Erin together up on the slopes enjoying their flying trips down the slopes! The protective side of him came out as he stayed close by her for a long while after her lessons were done. However, after a bit he came over and took a few turns on the tubing hill b/c he said he didn't think she even needed him b/c she was doing so well out there. After nearly five hours of snowboarding, he was pretty tired but said it had been an awesome day! Although I prefer to stick to tubing, it was so much fun to watch him enjoying himself so thoroughly out there!

Erin hits the slopes!!

Erin has been begging for skiing lessons for the past two years (at least!) but Daddy was reluctant to let her try. Last year he promised her she could THIS winter and Friday was THE day! She had nearly two hours of private lessons and skied continuously after that. She stopped long enough for only water at lunch and was back out there! The biggest picture shows the smile that was on her face for nearly five hours that day! She was pretty proud after her instructor told us that she was a natural and she couldn't believe Erin had never tried skiing before! Erin's comment was "I've been watching everyone at Nordic Mtn so I know how to do it!!" Go figure - if it something Erin wants to do, you can be assured that she will figure it out! Great job, Er Bear!

If you give a mouse a......

Terry gave me this idea after someone at work brought these cute little creatures in!! Emily, Erin and Ellen helped me put these little guys together that will be sent to school tomorrow for the 3rd graders party. The hardest part of making them was to find the marachino cherries WITH THE STEMS ON!! From there it was just melting the chocolate, dipping the cherries, putting a choco chip on for his head and almond slices for his ears. Even for those of you that don't like mice....aren't these just too cute?! =-)

OK Corral Musical

Our music director does a great job with the students every year with their annual Holiday Musical that is performed. The performance this year was based on a Western story that also incorporated a lesson on bullying and giving others the benefit of the doubt. Above is the girls' class picture taken in front of the decorated entrance going into the gym/auditorium. The teacher's aide painted the cardboard and I tried to get creative with what I had to work with. The students thought it was great....and I got a lot of thank yous from them!!

Erin was a "frontier" person wearing the outfit that Auntie Al got them for their birthday last year to wear to the Little House on the Prairie musical and it has been used many times since then!!

Emily was also a "frontier" person. This was really the first opportunity for "acting" for both of them and they had lots of fun practicing!! I wonder how often we'll hear them still saying...."No, that's not gonna work!"

Middle School Choir Performance

Trevor's first middle school choir concert was tonight. They sang three songs with each being done in three-parts. This was their first year doing three-part music and they did a terrific job!! Uncle Chris, Auntie Al, Mason, Granny, Uncle Levi and Aunt Kayla all made it down to watch the program. Thanks for coming!!! Great job, Trevor. Keep singing!!!

You got bit by WHAT?!

Yikes! This morning the girls were cleaning their bedroom while I was folding laundry. I heard some giggles coming from the living room but dismissed it. Just a short while latery I heard Emily yell "Mom", then Erin cry out, followed by both of them screaming hysterically for "Mom"!! I could tell by the crying that it was more than just an argument. As I rounded the corner from the kitchen into the family room, I see Erin coming out literally covered in blood from her hair to her shirt!!! I (tried to) calmly clean her off while trying to get the story of what happened. As I was cleaning her off, I saw pretty deep tooth marks....aaahhh. Now I am getting the picture. While Erin sits down holding a wet rag to her forward I fly into into the living room to see if Emily is OK as she is very distressed in there. She just says that her jaw hurts and her two front teeth feel a little loose. =-( After trying to calm her down with absolutely no luck I run back out into the kitchen to find Trevor washing the red trail of blood from the kitchen floor. I talked with Alicia quickly to see her thought, let Terry know what was going on (he is working weekends right now) and then head off to Urgent Care. They weren't able to do stitches mainly b/c there isn't much skin to work with there (right below her hair line) so just stronger antiobiotics to avoid infection. After all was said and done, I found out that Emily had asked Erin to help her fold her blanket. While they were doing this, they decided to have some fun and Erin hid under the blanket. Emily fanned the blanket up and run under it as well not knowing where Erin was under there....coming down hard on Erin's forward with her teeth. Thankfully all is well other than a headache for Erin right now but Emily keeps telling me that her teeth are tightening back up. Let's hope so...... Erin will now have a part of Emily with her at all times....her toothmarks. Amazing what can happen with just a little innocent fun with a blanket!!!!

Pictureless......

The last while the girls and I have been reading Carole Marsh mysteries together each night. Last night we started a new one that takes place in Las Vegas b/c Emily wants to learn about the place that Daddy goes to on business once a year. We learned that back in 1911 (about the time that town became famous, to my understanding) the population was 1,500 people. I made a comment that that was nearly 100 years ago.....Erin quickly responded with "Oh, about the time you were born?!" with a big grin on her face. Hmmmmm.

A warm and balmy -10* here this morning at 8:00. So cold that even Erin is wearing her snowpants, boots, scarf, gloves AND hat out to the bus!!!! I had to take Terry's car in to Oshkosh yesterday and I decided that I MUCH prefer my van with snow tires on as the roads are still snowpacked and/or icy in spots down here.

Monday night was filled with doctor visits to find out that the horrible sore throat (with NO TEMP) that Emily started complaining of on Sunday morning and I sent her to school with on Monday (again b/c she had no temp) was actually strep throat. Did THAT ever make me feel not so great!! Erin also had to go in as she got a pretty nasty infection on her toe after stubbing it and ripping off the nail. By Monday night it was bright red down into her foot. So, to make things really confusing Emily's antibiotic is 3xday for 10 days and Erin's is 4xday for 7 days but hers needs to be on an empty stomach. Hmmmmm.

Trevor's first middle school choir concert is Thursday night. He is quite excited to perform as this is the first year singing in parts for him!! The girls will have their Holiday Musical program on Friday. I need to get busy completing the decorations for that so I can (hopefully) get them up today!!

Happy Wednesday!

Another December Snow Storm!!

Just one year ago, we had a massive snowstorm on the day
of Terry's grandmother's funeral. Now almost exactly
one year later, we have just had another huge storm that dropped
nearly one foot of snow on us and then added 40+ mph winds.
There were disappointed kids when I chose to stay home
from my family's Thanksgiving. Ever since totaling out our
van about six years ago, I have become very cautious
during winter storms and then was glad I made that call
when we woke on Sunday to learn that several roads in our
part of the state were CLOSED. I'm not sure that I had
ever heard of roads being closed here before....
Terry didn't have fun plowing in the awful wind and then at 11:30
on Saturday night the plow broke down!!! Terry and I spent
about one hour working on that in the (unheated) garage
before finally crashing. On a good note, though, the snowblower started!!!
The kids and I spent Sunday in our cozy warm house while poor
Terry spent about three hours trying to clear the driveway
so he could get out to go to work this morning. I did make
homemade chicken noodle soup and hot drinks for him, though!

All in all, I had disappointed kids because they missed out having
Thanksgiving with my family, now bitter cold temps, a huge amount of
snow......but it is SO BEAUTIFUL OUTSIDE!!!

HAPPY WINTER!!!

New Mode of Transportation!

A 2008 Chevy Uplander - NEW to us!!! Only 36,000 miles with CRUISE, REAR AIR/HEAT AND EXTEND VERSION! An added bonus is it was in Arizona 1-2 winters so little to no salt exposure. Therefore, we will continue to drive "ole blue" as our family vehicle for the winter or until it dies. As it is our "truck" as well, it would be nice if it continues to run for awhile yet!
Yay for us!!!

Cookie Daze!

A Friday off of a school was spent baking three different batches of "edible" cookies and decorative cinnamon cookies that we can paint for fun. Of course the fun will be eating all the cookies for the next few weeks!!!!

Winter Wonderland

Maybe this scene will bring the snow that I am craving?!

Tick, Tock....The Passing of Time

Three years ago, at our school's annual spring talent show, our kids sang Grandfather's Clock for the audience. The girls were in kindergarten at the time and Trevor would have been in 3rd grade. With the passing of Grandpa and my uncle Syd's post of the clock that was seen in many pictures taken in Gpa's childhood home over seas, the memory of the kids singing this song means even more to me.

"Life passes like a dream....."

The family tradition in Terry's family for Thanksgiving over the past seven years has been to gather for Thanksgiving dinner near Prairie du Sac and then spend a few nights at a waterpark resort in the Dells. After Gma passed away nearly one year ago, the family decided that we should continue our tradition of making memories this way. This year, we booked a condo at a resort and made our Thanksgiving meal right there in the full kitchen and it worked out just wonderful!!! We all enjoyed our time filled with water, memories, and family.... These years will be something that our children will remember for the years to come.

Of course, there were some deals starting at midnight on Friday morning that the kids were set on getting!! When it came right down to it, Emily just couldn't make it (NOT A SURPRISE!) but Trevor and Erin went with me. We arrived at Wal-Mart at 11:15, found our deals that we came for (Wal-Mart opened the boxes early but no check-out until midnight), got in line and we were back to our beds by 1:15 a.m.!!!! All in all, it was a success!

I am so thankful for family that means far more than any words could possibly convey. My own family means the world to me and I am thankful that we have all found our homes near one another. I know I take that for granted too often but I love that we can get together "just because" and not have to plan it months in advance!! I love each and every one of you!

I am incredibly grateful for in-laws that are so great that I just don't even think of them as "in-laws"! Because of them, I have a terrific husband that works hard to provide for us, stands firm in his place and we never have to guess how much we mean to him. Because of him, my life has become complete in my "occupation" as a wife, mother and homemaker~the most treasured occupation for me.

I am thankful for our meeting, fellowship that we can have and the love of God.

All in all, there is just so much to be thankful for. I need to remember every day.

Fun Thanksgiving Treats

Happy Thanksgiving! I love to find little treats that the kids and I can make together for their class. Emily and Erin helped me make little acorns using donut holes, chocolate frosting and heath chips with a pretzel "stem". They turned out really cute!! This afternoon I completed the next baking project...making a cake that looks like a cooked turkey! Trevor and I came across the idea on Family Fun magazine's website and decided it would be just the thing to make for our Thanksgiving Day meal with Terry's family! It turned out kind of cute!

Ten Years of Progress

2000-2010
We bought our home and 8.5 acres in August of 2000 when Trevor was a year and a half old. Terry fell in love with the land, woods and trail going down to a pond. I saw potential in the house and loved the lawn. After moving in and actually SEEING what needed to be done (HIGH heating bills, etc.), Terry was starting to wonder where I had seen the potential. However, after ten years, a lot of sweat and maybe a fair amount of tears, I am happy to call this our home. It's not new, it's not large and it's not fancy.....but it is our COUNTRY HOME. After working so hard on the house (inside and out), the shed, the landscaping (some say I will never stop adding to it!!) it is good to look back over past pictures to see just what we started with and what we have now. Tjis is the longest I have ever lived anywhere and hope to remain settled here for a long time to come! HOME SWEET HOME!

Thank you, Veterans, for our freedom.......

As today is Veteran's Day, I am made aware again just how great a price has been paid that I have the freedoms that I enjoy today. As I have each year since 2004, I attended the Veteran's Day of our little local school and am in awe again just how great a job they do to make sure our children understand the meaning of this special day. They sang a song that had many of us tear up....Thank You Soldiers.

The third graders each had a part of the story to share with us as to how we came to have the Taps and the reason it is played in military funerals. Another moment of true reflection.

Pumpkin Masterpieces

All members of our household were together and healthy so I decided to FINALLY do the pumpkins.....even though it was a week AFTER Halloween. Despite the timing of it, the pumpkins turned out very cute! This was the first year that the girls attempted to do their own....and I think they did very well. Hint.....Terry and Trevor both did the same pattern. (Like Father, Like Son?!)

Happy Fall!

2010-2011 School Year

And The Band Played On......

Neither Trevor nor Terry & I expected that Trevor would have been able to play in his very first band concert tonight......but he amazed us all by being able to play his solo (Old McDonald)!! The school he attends has been awesome through his recent attack as they have allowed him to leave classes every two hours to head to the nurse's office for a neb treatment. Without this, there is no way he could have attended school today and therefore wouldn't have been part of the concert tonight. Trevor, you are amazing in what you accomplish when you are determined to do it. Keep those music notes coming!!! We love you! Now off to another night of breathing treatments every two hours - but it is so worth listening to that goofy alarm clock!!

The importance of oxygen....

Since Trevor was three years old, we (or rather, HE) has struggled with asthma attacks brought on by his mold allergy and/or a respiratory "bug". We have been able to control is fairly well throughout the past year or so but our (or rather, HIS) luck recently ran out. Nearly two weeks ago he came down the same cold everyone else has gotten, but he has been fighting the asthma "thing" the entire time. I have done the normal meds that I have available to me, took him to the doc last Thursday, starting him on stronger meds on Saturday and finally ended up in ER late last night followed by an EMERGENCY visit to our family doc this morning. I haven't seen him this bad since he was in 1st grade (5 years ago) when he was hospitalized. Thankfully, we are very used to the routine so we didn't have do the hospital stay....but he did have to miss costume dress-up day and a pizza party where he was going to get awarded TOP SELLER for their 6th grade fundraiser. But he was so sick that neb treatments every 2 hours around the clock for the next 24 hrs sounded better than that....he said he will just get his award when he goes back to school.

This is the way he was this morning before going to the doctor. I just feel so incredibly helpless to just stand by and rub his back and give out hugs when he is just whispering "I JUST NEED AIR". As we were walking into the drug store for all his many meds he has to take for the next 2 weeks, he pitifully said "Mom, I really appreciate all that you are doing for me." It brought tears to my eyes.....amazing when what we "have" to do doesn't even seem so bad when it is for a child that we love beyond words......

WE ARE KEEPING OUR FINGERS CROSSED THAT HE HAS MORE "AIR" SO HE CAN PERFORM IN HIS FIRST BAND CONCERT AND PLAY HIS FIRST SOLO ON HIS TROMBONE.

Gathering the Treats...Avoiding the Tricks!

Emily went out gathering her treats dressed as Laura Ingalls Wilder....complete with a basket and the book that she is currently reading! Just as Laura did, Emily most often had her bonnet slung off her head and hanging down her back. When Terry and I asked her to put it back on, she said "But Laura never liked to wear her sun bonnet either!". Hmmmm - how do you argue with THAT logic?!

Erin was dressed as Mary Ingalls...complete with the basket to collect her goodies in! She dressed in her outfit for the school's party as well. Both Erin and Emily were shocked at how many of their classmates didn't know who Mary and Laura were!!

Trevor decided at the last minute that he would attempt to go collecting the goodies despite suffering from an asthma "episode". The picture sort of shows just how miserable he was feeling. No matter how terrible he felt, he still enjoyed walking around town with one of his best friends.....an alien!!!

The alien even posed for a picture with Karate Kid, Laura Ingalls and Mary Ingalls!! The dressing up portion of Trick-or-Treating is (almost) the most fun....for me as the parent!!

Playing Catch-Up

Last week, I was able to chaperone on a field with the girls' elementary school to a local apple orchard/pumpkin patch. They had fun playing in a hay bale maze before having lunch. Afterwards, we all got a hayride out to the pumpkin patch and picked a pumpkin. Then we went to a "classroom" to learn about "good bugs" and "bad bugs" for apple trees, went to the orchard for a Red Delicious apple and a lesson on photosynthesis. Our last stop of the day was in another "classroom" to learn about the bees. Because it was a COLD day, the bees weren't very active and the QUEEN was hidden. Of course, we also saw where the apples are stored after they are picked and sorted. Yum!!

This is the rocking horse that Terry and I bought when the girls were very little. Sadly, it has gotten too small and our house has too many "things" in it. Happily, though, Kayla and Levi have taken it for the little ones to play with at their house. It will be good to see it being used in a good home!

Every spring, we get three new baby rabbits from the "mama" that Gma and Gpa have. This year, we had Shadow (Trevor's), Blaze (Emily's) and Buster (Erin's). Unfortunately, it turned out that Erin's was a male. In an effort to keep him through the summer though, Erin gladly put him in a hutch inside the dog kennel (the rabbits' home where they can run lose) and she volunteered to go out EVERY day to care for her rabbit while Trev and Emily took turns taking care of the rest. It was a sad day when we had to sell them but we just don't have a good place to winter them over. =-(

We have had a LOT of HIGH winds the past few days. Sadly, the cedar tree in front of our house decided it was just too much....and LARGE part of it broke off and fell on our front patio this morning during breakfast. Luckily, it JUST brushed the house as it fell and brushed the Grand Prix on the driveway. It doesn't look like there is any damage to either one. Just some of the goodies in the flower garden that it feel across......

A few weeks ago, our elementary school held it's annual DONUTS WITH DAD. The fathers can take their children to school, have milk and donuts with them before school starts. This is always a special day for our kids.....Trevor was a bit bummed out that he won't have that in Middle School. I was able to go in and have lunch with him last week, though, as they have a monthly "Parent Lunch".

Family Pictures!!!

My thought on the photo above and below is to make a collage of some sort with a saying....that saying still needs to be determined, though.

I have been wanting to have our family pictures taken on the trail through our woods for the past.....well, SEVERAL years...during the fall when the leaves are all scattered. Thanks to Kayla and Levi, that has finally taken place - after 10 years of living here! However, her and Levi and did such a great job of trying out different poses around our property, that I am having a hard time choosing just one to use. So, I thought I would see if I could get some help from anyone that would like to offer their opinion! I would love to hear...... I am hoping to put a few of the pictures that were taken inside the rungs of a ladder that came from Gma & Gpa's attic after I paint it and hang it horizontally.

Thank you to Levi and Kayla for taking the time and making the trip to take these pictures!!