Angel Wings and Boyish Things

The Good... the Bad... the Ugly

2011-05-22T19:03:00.001-07:00

Let's start with THE UGLY.... here is what happens when a student driver goes straight instead of turning right:

Mike and Blake were waiting in the left turn lane to turn into China One for dinner. A student driver (around age 22) was pulling out of the parking lot. He was supposed to turn right... but instead floored it, and ran straight into Mike and B :( That yellow line in the pic USED to be on the passenger side of the van!

THE BAD:

The van was totalled.

THE GOOD:

Mike and Blake were not seriously hurt. They both had whiplash and Mike had banged his head pretty hard, but neither one had to be hospitalized.... just some good pain meds and a day off work/ school.

And another good:

Mike got a new truck :) It's a 1999 Dodge Ram and he LOVES it.

The journey continues...

2011-05-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Blake was home from school sick. I stayed home with him. He chose to not take his meds in the morning (when he finally woke up at 11:00).

We went out to dinner with Mike's mom and brother and Blake was a pain in the booty! On the way home he was even worse. I asked him how he felt about his behavior and he said, "Not good".

We talked about his decision to not take his meds and what a difference it makes. You would think the fact that HE can feel a difference when he takes them would be enough for him to continue taking them. Oh well. I can't force the kid.

On another note... he has now decided he wants to grow his hair out to donate it to Locks of Love. I don't know which is more exciting to him... donating his hair, or making me crazy by growing it long. LOL :)

Going strong...

2011-04-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

I have lost count of which week we are on in the Concerta journey (I originally put the "ADHD journey" and then realized, we've been on that particular journey for 11 years now). I think it's the end of week 5??

I received another email from Blake's teacher: (I have to say that it irritates me to NO END that I cannot copy and paste things into blogger).

Mrs. A,
I have seen great improvements in Blake. he is more focused and more on task within the classroom. I no longer see outbursts or attention seeking behaviors. I am also seeing a different way that others look at him. He did draw negative attention to himself with his behaviors and since that has ended, that has made him more approachable for students. He is still participating and answering questions in class. I have not seen a negative effect in terms of regression or a lack of participation from him. When he has ideas or comments to add to the class he does so in a respectful manner. I have also had a few subs since our last email and his name is not ending up on the disruptive or disrespectful list of students that I get from the sub. Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you, overall he is doing great.

Once again... confirmation that we made the right decision.

Once again... confirmation that we have our Blake back.

We had our last med. eval on Tuesday. They left his dosage where it is and we will go back in 3 months for another review. Blake lost 4 pounds in the past 2 weeks. Not good :( We have to monitor his weight and if he has days where he doesn't want to eat, we have to get him some Ensure or Pediasure drinks. He was excited when she said to give him a "shake"... until we told him she didn't mean McDonald's shake and that it certainly wouldn't taste as good. LOL!

Blake has also had trouble sleeping since he started the Concerta. We send him to bed at 8:30 and at midnight he is still awake. UGH. Mike knows someone who takes melatonin to help with sleeping... so we discussed it with the doc. He said it won't hurt, but that it doesn't help everyone. So we figured we'd give it a try. He has been taking it just a few days, but it seems to be helping (he's no longer awake when I head up to bed). Maybe getting enough sleep will make him less moody/ crabby in the afternoon/ evenings.

So... we'll continue to hike this path and see where it takes us next.

Concerta week 3

2011-04-08T18:40:00.001-07:00

Blake's been on the concerta now for 3 weeks. We went at the beginning of this week for a med eval and the doc upped his dose. He said it'll take some time to get everything balanced out. I sent B's teacher a note asking how he's been doing at school. This is the email I got back from him: I have seen a huge improvement in his behavior. he is less impulsive and is getting his work done in class. He is also not as distracted in the classroom. In fact as I am typing this he is working on task while music is playing within the classroom. Usually when this was done earlier in the year he would be very distracted and could not concentrate. I will keep tabs on him and look for any side effects other wise he is doing great. I will also ask specials teachers to see if they are noticing improvements Made me cry. Had Blake read it and he agreed with it and is SO proud of himself for staying on task. I am so glad we made this decision.

Week 2

2011-03-31T18:03:00.001-07:00

Week 2 is going pretty good. Blake has good moments and bad moments. He's been getting more aggitated this week... I'm thinking it's because his body has adjusted to the dosage of meds he's on and it needs to increase a bit. He has MORE good moments than bad... which is good :) His thoughts are more congruent now, and he pays attention to details more. Today when we were driving, he kept asking about things he saw along the road... and when we were trying to remember the date, he said, "Well, we went to the Capitol on Tuesday and the sticker said the date was the 29th, so today has to be the 31st" He wouldn't have been able to focus on that thought long enough to establish the date before. He is becoming likeable again. I know that is horrible to say.... but we've been dealing with his attitude for so long, and it has gotten worse. Now he is tolerable... and even when we can tell the meds are wearing off in the evenings, he is still tolerable :) In all honesty... I like it :) Go back to the doc on Monday I think it is... find out what our next steps are. Mike said he's heard that melatonin will help with Blake's restlessness at night... we'll talk to the doc about that and see what he has to say. Hoping I can make it to the appt. Have to call for a sub for the afterschool program and go from there :) Time will tell... but so far we are pleased with the results and feel like this was the right decision for Blake.

Concerta week 1

2011-03-25T16:13:00.000-07:00

Imagine you are in a room full of people. A LOT of people. They are all chattering and laughing and talking. There is a radio on the room blaring music. There is a TV in the room that is blaring white noise. You are in the center of the room with all of that noise. Try to think. To focus. To remember the name of the person you were just introduced to.

Now, imagine the noise suddenly and abruptly stops. Silence. Echoes of the chaos and static ring in your head. Silence.

We talked to Blake's pediatrician about putting him on medication for ADHD. Doc said that in Blake's head, the above scenario is how he lives every minute of every day. He can't think or focus. He doesn't have the ability to *care* about anything, because there is too much chaos in his head. He said that the medication will take that chaos away, and Blake will be able to think.

The pediatrician told us what to expect while Blake's body adjusts to the medication. He may lose weight because his apptetite may be decreased. He said Blake is by no means overweight, but at 118 pounds he can lose a few pounds and it won't be a problem. If he continues to lose weight, then Doc will take him off the meds.

Other symptoms we may notice: overly clingy, weepy, introverted, trouble sleeping, asking a ton of questions, "couch potato-ish". Doc said that all of these things will balance out in 2-3 months when we get the right dosage of meds in him and his body gets used it.

Blake started taking Concerta this week. He started taking it on Monday morning. Came home from school Monday afternoon saying he already noticed a difference and that he felt calmer at school. Placebo effect?

On Wednesday we both had a snow day and he spent a great deal of the day at a friend's house.

On Thursday, another snow day for Blake. Shelley stayed home with him. She said she noticed an improvement in his behavior. He helped shovel the walk for a full 45 minutes without whining or stopping, did 3 (?) loads of laundry, made a necklace for Great Gramma (who we are going to visit next week), and did anything she asked him to do without argument or fuss. When I got home Thursday night, he was bouncing off the walls. The doc said that would happen.

I talked to him today when he got home from school. He said he feels like he can focus better, feels calmer, and can stay on task easier. He said the only time he's not on task is at recess when you aren't supposed to be on task :)

I have noticed that he is less argumentative. If we tell him no, he accepts that. He is able to stop his thoughts....he was telling me something that he had already told me and I stopped him and said, "Yes, you told me that yesterday." and he said, "Oh, oh yeah." and moved on to something else. This is VERY different from before. Before, he would just continue talking about what he had started talking about.

I think this was a good decision that we should have made a long time ago.

ADHD? Fact or fiction?

2011-03-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

This past summer, we took Blake for counseling and he was diagnosed with ADHD. The counselor said his was a mild case and she thought behavior modification would be helpful. We had to change some of the ways we talked to Blake, and some of our expectations of him. It worked... for a while.

Now his behaviors are escalating. He is an almost constant disruption at school, has been kicked out of "specials" such as gym and music because he can't control himself. Hasn't been turning in his work. Can't stay on task. Tries to manipulate the classroom rules. Lies. Doesn't have any close friends. Has behaviors that are "strange" and cause peers to shy away from him.

So what do we do? We are working on filling out ADHD questionnaires. Have an appointment with the pediatrician to discuss medication. As much as I hate thinking of medicating him.... I hate thinking of him having SO much difficulty in his life even more. I hate thinking of him not having a best friend... being shunned because he acts "weird".... not being able to focus on schoolwork enough to complete it, or complete it well. He brought home a rough draft of a paper he was supposed to have written last trimester (he didn't finish it and therefore got a bad grade in writing). He was having a rough day the day he did bring it home. He wrote his final draft and he changed a few things, a lot of things really.... the "final" draft was messier and more disjointed than the rough draft was. *sigh*

We have tried the behavior modification. Have tried watching his diet. Have tried getting him involved in things to help him burn off energy. But it's not working anymore. I am frustrated with him on a daily basis. He is VERY overwhelming, and when he's having a bad day is even MORE overwhelming (which I never thought possible until I lived it).

Do I want a bunch of advice on ADHD? Nope. Do I want to hear "you should do this...."? Nope. I was support. Unconiditional support that my decision is what is best for my child at this time.

I know some people think ADHD doesn't exist and that there are other ways around it. I challenge them to live with Blake for a few months. LIVE with him... 24/7... deal with his behaviors and his meltdowns and his attitude and his feelings of not being good enough. See if you can figure out why mac n cheese for dinner yesterday threw him off, but mac n cheese for dinner last week was nothing major. Why he will act like a perfect gentleman one day, and an out of control bull-in-a-china shop the next.

The speech therapist at my school gave us an analogy of children with austism. I think it works well with this situation as well. Children with autism are just like other children. They can do the same things. They just need to be programmed differently. Just like if you compare a Mac and a PC. They are both computers... they can both DO the same things... give the same outcomes.... but they have very different operating systems and have to be programmed in different ways.

Our job is to learn Blake's programming language so that we can teach him how to be successful. Will meds help? I have no idea. But if they do, I am going to give praise. If they don't... at least we tried. I need to try, for Blake's sake.

So much yet so little....

2011-03-02T20:33:00.000-08:00

Many times over the past few weeks I have signed in to write something here... and can't think of anything to write. I think about writing about how sick and tired I am of being sick... but then decide that's really not blog-worthy. Then I think I'll write about how Blake is doing in swimming... but that's really not all that impressive this year (construction at the pool contributed to a shortened season). Maybe I could write about Blake's school.... but that just irritates me because he is not making good choices.

I've thought about writing about my preschoolers, or my new assistant who is due to have her baby girl any day now, or a miriad of other things. But nothing feels quite right.

So tonight I decided to just come... write something... and let anyone who is still reading my blog know that we are still here and life is still good and loved ones are still missed.

Hugs to all.

Blake's winter fun.

2010-12-23T22:10:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was gorgeous! Sun was shining. Temp was around 26. Great day to be out having fun. So I took Blake and his friends to the hill to do some sledding. One of B's friends has a cheapy snowboard and he let Blake have a go at it. B did pretty good. It's not surprising... this kid tries things and he masters them like he's been doing it for years! So now he's hooked on snowboarding. He used some of his birthday money to get himself a snowboard last night, so today I had to take them back out to the hill. Blake had a couple of nasty crashes (luckily I made him wear a helmet) but he got right back out there. Here are some pics from both days, and at the end a video of Blake on his last run of the day today.

Getting ready to try out W's snowboard.

He stayed up all the way down the hill!

Sledding.

Way to go, Bug!!!

New addition to our family....

2010-11-18T15:11:00.001-08:00

We went to the animal shelter to see about fostering a big dog. We've been missing Honey and figured we were ready to foster and ease ourselves into having a second dog around again.

None of the dogs really felt like a good fit :( We decided to head home and try again another day. On our way out, a man was bringing in a litter of puppies to surrender. It was love at first sight.

Meet Bella. The newest addition to our family. She doesn't replace Honey, but she is helping to fill the holes in our hearts.

She ADORES Blake and cries if he leaves the room and she can't find him.

Look at that face! Definitely NOT a face only a mother can love :)

Family Pics 2010

2010-10-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the ones that are sideways... can't seem to get them rotated :( Anyway.... this is just a taste of the pics we had done :)

R.I.P. Honey

2010-10-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our sweet dog, Honey. We called her Honey Lou Bear, Lou Lou, Honey Bunches of oats and some other not so sweet names at times :)

We got Honey when she was just 6 weeks old. I picked her up while out doing home visits. She was so cute and tiny. She stood up on the back seat of my van with her front feet on the back of the seat and her little nose straight up in the air and she howled all the way back to the school.

On the drive home, she snuggled in my lap.

Mike was home with Blake and when I called to tell him (Mike) that I had gotten a puppy, he asked Blake what he would name a dog if he got one. Mind you, B was only 2 at the time. He said he would name a dog Honey. When Mike saw her and her honey colored fur, he said it was perfect because of what B said.

Blake fell in love with her from the very first moment he saw her. He would haul her around and lay on her and snuggle with her. She loved him right back. She slept with him. If she felt there was something threatening, she would sleep at the top of the stairs to be sure nothing could get to us.

Usually I would head to bed before Mike. Honey would make her rounds, going to where everyone in the house was and checking on them, before settling down in Blake's room. Usually she slept in the bed with him.

She LOVED to play ball and swim in the river. The neighborhood kids would stop on their way home from school to throw her ball for her (she would drop it over the fence for anyone to throw). Some days the kids would knock on the door and ask if we'd let Honey out to play.

After 8 great years with her, Honey started having seizures. We had her on meds for them. Then in the past few weeks she started not acting like herself. She slept most of the time, hardly ate or drank, and if she played ball even a few minutes she'd have a seizure. Then she started walking in circles. Over and over and over... until she either fell down, or got stuck in a corner.

We took her on Monday night to have her put down. It was a hard decision to make... but it was best for Honey. The vet said she probably had a brain tumor and that was causing the circling.

We miss our Honey Girl.

Cancer

2010-09-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

I don't understand cancer. Such a horrible disease. Seems like every time I turn around I hear of someone else fighting, or losing the battle with cancer. Why must it be a battle? Why must people... GOOD people suffer like that? Our church bulletin is filled with prayer requests for people with cancer. Some who are new to the fight... others who are returning to the fight... and yet others who are at the end of the fight. And rarely do we hear of anyone WINNING the fight against cancer. It might go away for a bit... but then it comes back stronger than before.

Why can't we find a cure? With all of the medical miracles...why is one of them not a cure for cancer? We can transplant organs... re-attach lost limbs.... even fix brain issues without harming any other faculties. But we can't stop cancer?!

Stupid cancer has no age limits...no economic limits... hell, it doesn't have have species limits!

We fight and fight... we walk... we run... we have bake sales... we have moonlight vigils... we have dances.... and parades... and telethons... and the list goes on and on of ways to raise money to help fight cancer. But where is the help? Does it help to prolong a life of pain? Does it help for families to watch their loved ones slip away?

Are we any closer to a cure?

Thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by this ugly, horrible, evil disease. May your days be many and your journey be gentle.

End of summer trip...

2010-09-06T20:42:00.001-07:00

We decided (at the last minute) to take a little trip for the weekend. We left Friday afternoon and came home Sunday night. Blake invited a friend to go along with us. And although the weather was cold and rainy for most of the weekend, we had a great time!

We got all packed up and ready to go... we planned to leave home at noon on Friday and actually left around 10:30 am! We stopped at a little "mom n pop" restaurant on the way and had an enjoyable lunch! Mike ordered a double cheeseburger that was almost as tall as a 12 oz can of soda! He couldn't even eat the whole thing!

After lunch, we continued on to our hotel in Traverse City. There was a "Pirate's Cove Adventure Park" next to our hotel. We checked in and then went to the adventure park. Blake's friend was about 1/4 inch too short to drive the go karts :( He was upset and didn't want to ride at all. We finally talked him into riding with Mike... then he wanted to go again :)

The boys rode go karts a few times (I went twice... once alone and once w/ David). They did the zip line (which Blake said was boring compared to the one he does at summer camp), and bumper boats.

We went downtown to find someplace to eat, and after much hunting a bit of walking we found State Street Grille (which we later learned is Traverse City's newest restaurant). It was VERY good! Our waitress was amazing... we also found out it was only her third day on the job!

After dinner we headed back to the hotel, and got Dairy Queen for dessert (DQ was right next to our hotel too). Then the boys swam for a little bit.

Saturday we got up and had breakfast at the hotel, then headed out in the rain and cold to climb the Sleeping Bear Dunes. We stopped at the welcome center and got directions. Then we spent a couple of hours exploring the scenic drive. They have spots along the drive where you pull off and check things out. We got sand blasted at one of the stops that had platforms to look out over the lake. It was SOOO windy!

Then we headed over to the dune climb. Blake and David went up and down a few times... Blake went to the very tippy top. Mike and I made it up to the top of the lowest part. LOL! It was still quite a climb.

It managed to not rain while we were out of the van :)

We then drove into Glen Arbor and had lunch at a place called Art's Tavern. It was a very expensive lunch that wasn't worth what we paid. :(

After lunch, we headed to the Maritime Museum. The boys enjoyed checking out the bunkhouse and boats. They do a rescue re-enactment, but we missed it :(

We saw three rainbows throughout the day :)

Then it was back to the hotel where the boys swam again. David's eyes reacted very badly to the chemicals in the pool so Mike went to get Visine for him. Then we went to the observatory at the college for their open house. Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to see anything exciting :( There was a man in the lobby area who had pieces of meteors that he showed the boys and let them check those out.

We stopped at McDonald's on the way back to the hotel because Mike wanted fries :)

We got DQ again :)

Sunday we got up, had breakfast (I had mine in bed because I was sore from all the climbing and walking Saturday). Then we played putt putt at Pirate's Cove and the boys rode the "water coaster" a few times (it's a water slide that you go down in inflatable rafts).

Then we drove around checking out the area, got some fudge. Then Mike, David and I went to the Music House Museum. Blake said he didn't want to go.. .then said he did... but he was being a butt, so I said we'd go without him so that we could actually enjoy it w/o him making us crazy because he didn't want to be there. So he waited in the van. David seemed to enjoy the museum.

After the museum we got lunch and then stopped at the beach and spent a few hours there... the boys actually swam! It was sunny, but still COLD!

Then we loaded up in the van and headed home. Stopped for gas and food and got home around 9:00 Sunday night.

It was a great weekend!!! Mike asked the boys what their favorite part was and they said they didn't have ONE favorite :)

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

2010-08-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a summer it's been! I was fired from my job... then 2 weeks later called BACK to my job... told that one person would be my new assistant teacher... then a different person.. and then a third person... started working with the 3rd one... she got called for an interview, and then a 2nd interview.

SO... I might very well be on the hunt for yet another assistant teacher. Joy of all joys.

I am very happy for her though... and keeping everything crossed that she does get the job. I think we'd work very well together, but she is a certified teacher and if I were in that position, I'd rather have my own classroom than be an assistant teacher in someone else's room!

So... we shall see what tomorrow brings!

Bittersweet day

2010-08-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

Today is my inlaw's anniversary. 46 years I think (??). At least 46. Anyway, it's a bittersweet day because Pop died in May. He isn't here, physically, to celebrate with. Mike wants to call his mom to wish her a Happy Anniversary.... I told him "Happy" probably isn't the word to use. I told him to just call her and tell her he is thinking about her today.

I struggled with what to DO for her. Why do we think that DOING something will help? GIVING something will take away the pain? I know better. Although many people did great things for me and gave me nice gifts, nothing eased the pain of my loss when we lost Lilly. I know NOTHING will ease her pain today... and today, of all days, her pain will be magnified.

I asked folks for ideas. Nobody really knew... maybe a video or a poem... it's difficult to decide what to do that won't cause too much pain, but will offer comfort and support.

My friend and I went shopping and happened upon a Christian store. We went in and I asked the woman working there for ideas. She gave me her thoughts, showed me a few things that just didn't "feel" right. I thanked her and continued to browse the store. My friend found a section of books on grief. I looked at several books and then, tucked behind another book, I found it. "Grace for the Widow. A Journey Through the Fog of Loss" by Joyce Rogers. I read the first page. It was the right thing.

I found a bookmark with part of the poem "Safely Home" on it. And a very nice card that talks about how we are remembering with her. Right.

I hope and pray that this gift brings her comfort. Not that it will take away any of her pain... but that she will feel less alone... knowing that someone else has been there too. I know she knows this already.... but to read about someone else's journey....

I also pray that memories of Pop make her smile at least once today.

**hugs** Mom.

We love you.

Summertime Fun!

2010-08-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

A new birdfeeder :) This was a bday gift from my BFF.

Honey cooling off in her pool.

Blake's newest hobby.

Sam I Am enjoying the new deck.

Birdbath in my new backyard :)

A new garden :)

New lights... anniversary gift from my BFF.

This is Mike's garden. Right now it has snapdragons in it and that's it. LOL :) He'll get there.

My angel

2010-08-02T23:21:00.000-07:00

Some people have forgotten you.
I never will.
Not a day goes by that I don't think of you.
I wonder what you would look like, what you would sound like, how you would smell
I wonder who you would look like, if you and your big brother would get along, would you like water as much as he does?
Would you like fruits and veggies? Or peanut butter? (Your daddy LOVES it, you know?)
I wonder if people have stopped talking about you because they have forgotten you, or if they think it will hurt me too much to be "reminded" of you? As if I need to be reminded. As if I could EVER forget how my heart is missing a piece. How my arms ache to hold you. How my brain reels when I see a little girl who looks to be about the age you should be... wondering...

You would be getting ready for Kindergarten. Just as your big brother is leaving that school, to go to his new school... you would be entering it. I know which teacher I would request for you. I know how our morning routine would go. I long to read you bedtime stories and tuck you in and kiss your forehead, wishing you sweet dreams.

I think some people think I have forgotten you. That I have "moved on". Oh how I hate that term!

Those people... they are outsiders. They don't understand. Your Aunt Tricia has said that we belong to an exclusive club, and people who don't belong to this club can never understand the pain we feel. Can never understand the emptiness we feel. Can just never understand.

Ironic how I can miss someone I never got to meet.

I miss you Lilly Angel. I love you... always and forever.

~ Mommy ♥

Summer

2010-08-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well.... the summer started out with big plans. We were going to go camping, take a trip out east to visit family, and make it to at least one theme park (Michigan Adventure, Cedar Point, etc).

It hasn't ended up that way.

I'm not sure where June went. We were in school for the first half of the month, then Blake headed to camp for a week, and the next thing I knew it was July.

Last year, some friends of ours told us about an amazing fireworks display in our area. The display is put on by a local family. We decided to watch the fireworks there again this year. We don't have to travel anywhere to see them and they are AWESOME!

I got an email from the principal at my school telling me my contract was not being renewed.

After a week or so of "What the hell are we going to do now?" I got a phone call from her telling me they wanted me back. WHAT???

Talk about turmoil.

I did a presentation in my MIL's class at CMU. I presented on Zoo-phonics. I ♥ Zoo-phonics :)

Blake had summer swim camp for the month of July. He improved on his butterfly a bit ... but he still hates that stroke! LOL :)

Now summer is almost over and we haven't done a thing. *sigh*

We are heading out this afternoon to look at a campground we discovered nearby. Maybe we'll make a camping trip before school starts.

This year is going to be different. Will be saving MORE. Want to buy a new car in 2 years and want to pay CASH for it :) Let's see how that goes...

Summer camp!!

2010-06-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

Blake got out of school on June 11th and on June 13th we dropped him off at Springhill camp for the week :) He had a BLAST and can't wait to go back next year!!

Blake on the "blob". You sit on one end and someone jumps on the other end.

Rambo...er, Blake-bo? First time playing paintball.. yeah, he's hooked :)

With one of his counselors... Luke Moneypenny (his real name y'all :) )

His other counselors... Brett on the left and Jake on the right. It's a wonder they still have hair after the week :) Jake's voice was pretty much shot though!!

Blake got the "helpful/ future counselor" award :) That's my boy!!

Having fun... I think they were waiting for the flying squirrel here.

Blake's abode for the week. He stayed in Trapper's Outpost in Copper Country.

His bunk.

This is how the campers are taken to their cabins.

Here he comes!! We got a ride on a tram so we could see his cabin and meet his counselors. The campers are delivered w/ lights and sirens :)

Graduation 2010

2010-05-01T18:13:00.000-07:00

Mike finally did it! Third time trying... and this time he graduated :) Waaahooo!!! Fiercly proud of him!! Here are some pics from the big night :)

Family Christmas

2010-01-30T08:44:00.000-08:00

My family celebrates Christmas on New Year's Day. This year we hosted in our home... here are a few highlights :)

That's my great nephew and his son. Dolly apparently felt pretty comfortable with Little Will :)

My mommy. Isn't she the cutest?

K I don't know why this one is so freaking small... but it's my nephew and his wife (the top pic is their son and grandson).

My big brother and his daughter. This is the dad/ grampa/ great grampa of the pics above :)

The whole fam! There are 5 generations in this pic :)

Twas the night before Christmas....

2009-12-24T19:04:00.000-08:00

We did Christmas with Mike's folks tonight. Blake was very excited about the gift they got him :)

Then home early because the roads were getting icky.

Sadly, we skipped church (I LOVE our church's Christmas Eve service) because neither of us is feeling well :(

We have put out hot cocoa and cookies (Girl Scout cookies no less!) for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer... read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and "Santa Mouse". Now B is brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed. Not sure he'll be able to sleep he is SO excited :)

Merry Christmas to all. And to all a good night.

Still kickin....

2009-12-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

Hey ya'll :) If anyone DOES still read this blog, you probably think I fell off the face of the Earth! LOL!

Nope... new job is keeping me BUSY. It used to be the NORM to work full time, take care of the house and kid.... but after being unemployed for 18 months it has become a STRUGGLE to get back in the swing!

I decided to hire someone to clean the bathrooms. LOL!

The job is great... *I* am the boss... *I* am the expert... basically what I say goes :) I LOVE that!!!! It is tiring... and there are some minor bumps in the road... but for the most part it's awesome :) The teachers in the classrooms close to mine are great.... lots of fun :)

I am still teaching at CMU... tomorrow night is finals night. Not sure if I'll be asked to teach again... never know from one semester to another... so we'll see :) Sure would be great to have the extra money... but we'll be fine if I don't.

Blake is growing like a weed! Literally! Mike's sister was here in August and her son, Jack and Blake were pretty close to the same height....now Blake is a full head taller than Jack!

We were fortunate to spend Thanksgiving in Virginia at Uncle Jim and Aunt Jane's house (Mike's side). LisaMarie and Jack were there too. And we got to see Gramma Aylor. It was a very tiring and hectic trip.. but we had a good time. Spent a day in DC and even went to see the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldiers in Arlington National Cemetery. Very cool experience!

Now I am on my way to wiggle into my long johns, pick Blake up from his swim team pizza/ bowling party and we are off to see Santa Claus :)

Is anyone out there??

2009-10-28T21:26:00.001-07:00

I wonder if anyone still reads my blog? I don't keep up on it as much as I used to... since I have discovered Facebook (which really is EVIL in disguise!).

But... if you DO still follow my bits and pieces here.... I have a job interview tomorrow. I am very worried that my old employer will give a bad report and thus cause me to not get the job... but I am excited at the possibility of once again being a preschool teacher! I turned in my resume yesterday and they called me today for an interview tomorrow! WOW!!!

If you DO read this... please pray for me. Getting this job would be wonderful for us right now!

And a bit of an update on life....

I am teaching a class at the local university. It's an early childhood education class (that I taught last spring too). I am enjoying it. I have a really great class this semester!

We are planning a trip to VA for Thanksgiving because Mike's gramma is not doing very well. She has had a couple of strokes and has been having recurring mini strokes (TIA's to be exact). She was in a rehab center, but they discharged her because she wasn't making progress there :( So, although we really cannot afford to make the trip... we are going to do it because I really think we NEED to. I think Mike needs to see his Gramma and I think Blake needs to see his great-gramma. She is 93 and quite comfortable with the idea of dying, so it should be a good visit.

Blake is growing like a weed. Doing well in swimming and school... 4th grade already!!!

We've had a great fall so far... with friends and family alike.

Mike is in the middle of his 2nd to last semester :) He registered for classes yesterday!! I'm excited that he is so close :) This is the first time he's actually FINISHED a degree :)

Guess that's it!

Interesting....

2009-09-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

I was tucking B in bed tonight. I said, "You make me SO happy."

He asked why and I said, "Because you were born."

He then informed me that he had to fill out paperwork with God so that he could request me as his mom. LOL!!

Then stated that he's hoping a baby girl will request me as her mom soon.

I told him I'm getting too old to be having babies.

So he says.....

Well then, let's adopt one.

Love that boy!!

Waiting.

2009-09-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

I have almost always been irritated by waiting. Long lines at the grocery store get me grumbling like an old bear. Lines at traffic lights, that don't start moving when the light turns green make my blood boil (however, I am NOT the person who honks the second the light turns). When I was pregnant for Blake I couldn't WAIT for him to be born. If I order something online or through the mail it KILLS me to wait for it to be delivered.

I think you get the picture. I'm no good at waiting.

But now my life has taken this new turn. I have been thrust into a life of waiting. EVERY day is waiting. And this time... I have NO CLUE when the answer is going to arrive. It's not like the line at the grocery store where I can see the people in front of me and I can pretty much estimate how long I'll be there. Or the traffic light, which even though it seems like it takes FOREVER for it to change, is really just a couple of minutes.

No. This time I am waiting for God to reveal His plan to me. I know He has one. He can't possibly be planning on me being unemployed for the rest of my life. (Although, I must say if His plan is for me to win the lottery that would be just fine with me...LOL!)

And this.... this waiting for God.... this is the most difficult waiting I have EVER done.

Flowers 2009

2009-09-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

I love to take pictures of flowers. I think it's because they sit patiently waiting for you to get just the perfect shot. Here are some of my favorites over the past few months:

Roses from Mike.

A mum in Shelley's dad's garden.

Close up of the mum. Isn't it amazing how intricate it is?

Sweet William.

Beautiful lily.

Sunflower on my birthday :)

Cute little orange flowers in the woods (I saw these when I was out riding the quad and had to go back to take pics :) )

Beautiful mums at my neighbor's house.

Sights from our bikes...

2009-09-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

Blake and I went for a bike ride the other day. We are blessed to have many wonderful trails nearby to ride or walk along. I took some pics along the way....

This is a bridge that we crossed on our journey.

Here's Blake riding one of the trails.

The river from one spot along the trail.

The entrance to one of the paths.

Blake "cooling off".

One of a set of twin fawns we saw with their momma.

A different momma and her fawn. We saw them on our way back home!

Attempted close up of the fawn.. I think the camera focused on the weeds...LOL! Still cute!!

Beautiful mums at our neighbor's house.

Please pray!

2009-09-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

UPDATE:
Brendan was found alive at about 11:30 PM on Saturday. He was with Andrew Smith, a former neighbor, in Sandusky, OH (about 4 hours from home).

Please pray that this child is found safe and sound! I know his family. I had 2 of his brothers in my classroom!!!

www.9and10news.com/category/story/?id=169863

A few new pics

2009-09-09T08:55:00.001-07:00

This is Blake on his last day of 3rd grade last year.

Here he is on his first day of 4th grade this year! Wow.. did he GROW! Compare where the lines on the door behind him come :)

This was the moonrise over the lake where my nephew and his wife have their cabin. We were there over labor day weekend (just for a day trip).

Nostalgia....

2009-08-22T16:14:00.001-07:00

Fall 2000

Summer 2003

Winter 2004

Summer... not sure of the year.

Winter (unsure of the year).

Fall 2005

Winter 2006

Spring 2007

Summer 2007

Summer 2008

Summer 2009

Where has the summer gone?

2009-08-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

Wow! Summertime is SO busy for my family. We used to go camping quite a bit during the summer. But the past couple of years we just haven't had the time/ money for it.

Blake asked the other day how many more days until school starts... and I realized in 3 short weeks, my son will be heading off for his first day of FOURTH grade! This will be his last year at his current school. Then he heads off to a different school for 5th and 6th grades and then to the middle school for 7th and 8th and THEN to the high school. I don't even want to think about it!!!

Highlights of our summer include Blake's first summer camp experience.... and the first time he has been away from us without being with family! Trips to the pool. Summer swim clinic. Camping with Gramma for a week (where Blake learned to swim the butterfly!). Kayaking. Bike riding. Dog walking. Cutting down trees and cleaning up the HUGE mess that was left behind (which is STILL left in the backyard). Cooking out. Hanging out with friends. Playing in the river.

We have a few more "highlights" coming up... and then summer 2009 will be no more. Sad isn't it?

Since I'm being all nostalgic..I think I'll make another post with pics of Blake over the years. I don't want to add them here, because I've already typed all of this and blogger just isn't very coooperative when you add pics AFTER the text (either that or I'm just not in the mood to deal with it tonight!)

Hope everyone who reads this (all 1 of you... LOL) had a wonderful summer as well!!

More cards

2009-08-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

I made a few cards today. Most of them are the same theme... but I'm still counting them toward the card challenge... LOL! So this brings me up to only 2 weeks behind!!!

This one says "Everything Nice" on the inside.

The centers of the flowers are brads and the letters "B O Y" are dimensional.

I thought this one turned out cute :)

I meant for the buttons to look like cookies :) Maybe I should have put black dots on them w/ a marker...LOL :)

The tag is dimensional. Centers of flowers are tiny hearts.

The bear is in a cut out window and hearts on the pink are glitter glue.

This is inside the "Cheers to You" card... but the glitter glue on the glasses wasn't dry yet when I took the pic :)

card challenge cards

2009-08-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

I'm STILL not caught up... but here are 3 cards I made this week.

Nautical theme. The words say: "This card was made by hand if you throw it away those same hands will make a doll in your image and stick pins in it's butt."

Thank you card.

Wedding theme.

What a week!

2009-08-14T07:12:00.001-07:00

Amazing how much FUN can be jammed into a week!

After 3 days of *almost* solid quadding my body is screaming at me. Not so much pain... but my muscles just don't want to work! I put close to 50 miles on the quad. It was SO worth it :D

My SIL, LisaMarie, and nephew, Jack, have arrived from Florida. I honestly haven't spent much time with them as they came in while I was up north. Today I am hoping to get some quality time in :)

Remember the greeting card challenge? Well.. I'm WAY behind on that... but I did manage to get 3 cards made yesterday so I'm getting a little bit caught up... will post those later.

Have a BLESSED day :)

It's my BIRTHDAY!!!

2009-08-06T20:22:00.001-07:00

Today is my birthday. I wasn't sure what I was going to do... Michael is out of town until Saturday. I thought maybe Blake and I would go to the pool again.. had so much fun the first time.

But then my friend, Karyn, sent me a message on facebook asking if I'd come hang with her and some of her friends for the day. She said she'd buy me lunch for my bday.

So my day started out with a wake up call from Capt. Jack Sparrow! I LOVE Capt. Jack! I'd leave my husband for Capt. Jack. (only slightly joking -- er I mean, slightly serious!).

Then B and I got ourselves around and went to Karyn's house. We packed into her car like sardines... literally... I should have taken a pic! And drove to her friend Ann's house. Ann took us all out on her float boat for a nice ride and tour of Wixom Lake in Beaverton. There is a GORGEOUS house for sale... only $890,000.00!! I took a pic so Mike could see what I want for my bday. LMAO!!

After the boat ride, we went to downtown Beaverton. We had lunch at a quaint little restaurant, and then shopped a bit. Then we went to a really neat pottery store and a sweet country gift store.

I have a bunch of pics... but blogger is always such a pain about pics... I posted them on facebook. I think most of my readers are friends on facebook... if not and you want to be then leave me a comment on here :)

B and I came home and got pizza for dinner, then I made brownies.... YUMMY :) Blake wanted to put a candle on my brownie, but he couldn't find any. LOL!

Now I'm fighting to get rid of a headache :(

Got LOTS of bday wishes today too... and a SWEET card that Shelley made!!

Fun with my Boy!!

2009-07-31T19:11:00.001-07:00

Michael went out of town yesterday and will be gone until 8 Aug. So today I decided that Blake and I needed a fun day out. I spent a bit of money... but I don't even feel guilty for it because the bills are paid and I had a little extra ;)

We got up and I made egg "mcmuffins" for breakfast. Then we went to the bank and then hit the road. He had no idea where we were going :)

First we stopped at Kohl's because they have the neatest books in their "Kohl's Cares for Kids" selection right now. One is the ACTUAL size of things.. like a gorilla's hand...so you can put your hand on it and see how your hand compares to a gorilla's hand. The other is "What do you DO with a tail like this?" and it has tails, eyes, noses, etc... and what different animals do with these parts. At the back of each book is a small factual blurb about each animal... such as hippo's get sunburn easily and can hold their breath for 30 minutes!!

After this quick shopping trip (all we got was the 2 books) we went to the theater to see G-Force. This movie is about a team of guinea pigs who have been trained in secret agent type missions. There is also a mole and a fly that are trained. The movie was very cute and funny. We got to the theater early so we sat and chatted and ate popcorn (which we decided would be our lunch... LOL!!)

We read the credits for the movie cuz one of my BFF's sons is an animator for Disney so I always like to see if I can see his name on the big screen :) Zachary Stokes is his name if you are interested in watching for it next time :)

Then we headed to a pool in Midland (we went to Midland because the Mt Pleasant theater was only showing G-Force in 3D and I get migraines from watching 3D movies). I hadn't been to this pool before so I thought I'd let Blake decide if he'd rather go there or to the sprayground. When we first got there it looked VERY crowded and he wasn't sure he wanted to go. Which surprised the heck out of me! So I said, "OK... put your seatbelt back on and we'll go home." I started to back out and he said, "No wait! I want to stay." LOL!

The pool is actually a C shape... the long side is set up for lap swimming (and swim meets...the Midland Dolphins swim team practices there).. one of the sort sides is roped off and has 2 small (but VERY powerful) waterslides in it. This space is 12 feet deep so you can also dive there. At the other end.. the other short side of the C is also roped off and this one is shallow and has fountains and buckets and such... more of a kiddie play area. There is a nice concrete deck all the way around the pool... with chairs, tables and lounge chairs. There are 3 life guard stands and the lifeguards rotate out every 15 minutes. Blake had a blast... I took some pics....

That's Blake coming off the waterslide... just after I shot the pic, he did a back flip... that's how hard the slide spit him out!!

Coming off the slide again... just as his feet hit the water :)

Woooohoooo!! He's kind of hard to see in this one... I think I'll have Mike work on it in photoshop and get rid of the "clutter" :)

We spent 3 hours at the pool! Then we went to dinner at Long Johns Silvers (kind of a tradition when we go to Midland). And then we came home. The dogs were wetting their fur from being inside all day!! They were SOOOO glad to see us!!

We were also worried because our cats (who are INDOOR cats) had gotten out last night and were out all night! I hadn't realized it til morning. Sam I Am came back right away when I opened the door this morning. But Teddy Bear is VERY skittish and usually hides when he's out! Last time he was gone for 2 days! Well... we got home and were looking for Ted and calling and shaking food. I FINALLY found him... in one of our window wells. He was TERRIFIED. He ran into the house and bolted up the stairs. He STILL hasn't come for lovin... and that was 4 hours ago. *sigh*

What a great day :)

Camping Trip (photo HEAVY....)

2009-07-27T08:15:00.001-07:00

My mom took Blake and I camping this past week. We had such a good time! Here's a little photo journey of the week :)

Blake with the campfire he made all by himself (for the very first time).

A hitchiker on Mom's back.

Going on a bike ride.

Bike riding.

Chillaxin' in the pool :)

Action shot!

Rabbit we saw on the way to the pool.

There was water trickleing out of this pipe and the birds were drinking it. Then the water stopped and the birds started banging on the pipe with their beaks!

Mike was able to come for a few days. He and Blake took a bike ride and then had a little rest in the hammock :)

Another of Blake's favorite activities... kayaking!

Close up of my kayaker :)

What do you do when it rains? Ride your bike through the puddles, of course!

After riding through puddles.

His face didn't get too muddy though :)

My great nephew and his little boy came for a visit. William would throw the balls and then say, "Look at that mess!" and I'd say, "Who made that mess?" and he'd say, "Will did!"

A cardinal who visited our bonfire ring to steal chips that were in there :)

Daddy and Son :)

Blake and William playing soccer.

Having a blast!

Kicking the ball.

Isn't he the CA-YOOTEST???

Little puddin' pop!

Baseball anyone?

Learning to ride his bike.

Fishing...

Fish that Blake caught. He wanted to eat it... but we had nothing to clean it with.

At the pool with friend, Robert.

Playing chicken.

A visitor to the picnic table.

The view from my hammock!!

Blake and friend at our last campfire.

Slurping noodles!

Being goofy with a friend...what else are you supposed to do at a campfire??

Our last campfire.

The Sleepover

2009-07-11T06:45:00.000-07:00

Blake has 3 friends who live in our neighborhood, William and Gordon who are twins... and David who lives a couple of houses down in the other direction.

David is leaving tomorrow to go spend the rest of the summer with his dad. So, Mike and I decided it would be fun to have a sleepover with the boys as a last fling before David leaves.

The boys were all very excited and all of them had their bags and pillows at our house by about 3:00 yesterday afternoon.

I tried to get pictures... but when I'd think about it and go outside, they'd be at somene else's house or off riding bikes.

They were getting ready to play football in the backyard, so I grabbed the camera and went out... just in time to see them leaving with Mike heading towards a nearby school to play in the big field.

At midnight I couldn't stay up any longer and I told the boys goodnight and I headed up to bed.

At 3:00 AM we were woken up by voices in the backyard (right under our bedroom window).

Mike got up to check it out. Turns out it was the boys... because there was a bat in the house! Apparently they don't realize there are MORE bats outside.

Mike closed our bedroom door so the bat wouldn't come in with me (thank you very much) and headed back downstairs to hunt for the wretched creature. A few minutes later... he was back in bed. Apparently Sam I Am, the Mighty Bat Hunter, had caught and killed said creature. Good boy Sam!

Sam I Am, Mighty Bat Hunter

This morning, Ifinally got a pic of all the boys.....

David's on the couch, Gordon is under the red blanket, William is in the middle looking like he's freezing and Blake is stretching. Not sure WHY Honey is looking so guilty and Dolly is running towards the back door to go out.

And another new journey begins....

2009-07-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

Blake has friends who live in our neighborhood that he has been playing with pretty much non-stop for the past several weeks. W & G are twins, and D is another friend. The four of them aren't together all the time... but Blake is usually with W & G or D when they aren't all together. They have good times together. It's difficult to not know what he is doing all day... what games he is playing... what stories they are telling each other... how he is acting.

But this morning after he had breakfast, Blake went to W & G's house then came home right away and said they weren't home so he was going to D's house. At D's house he was told that D was at W&G's house. So he went BACK to W&G's house, and they told him they were going in the house to play and to come back later.

When he told me that it just stabbed at my heart. He didn't seem too affected by it... but I sure was! I felt like my baby boy was being left out.

We have planned a sleepover with the boys for tomorrow night... and Blake told me today that D said he isn't coming. The whole reason for the sleepover is because D is going to spend the summer with his dad and so we thought it'd be fun to let the boys have a night of fun before D is gone for the summer.

Well, this morning D told Blake that he isn't coming to the sleepover. I'm sure if there was a problem, D's mom would have called us... and she hasn't... so he's just being a twit.

Again.... Blake didn't seem too upset by it... but I felt hurt for him.

I know this is how kids are. I know this won't be the last time that things like this will happen. That doesn't make it any easier.

Praying that I am able to continue to just keep my mouth shut and let Blake take the lead in these situations.

Fourth of July

2009-07-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

OK... just so y'all know... blogger is REALLLY ticking me off! It REFUSES to center my pics.... totally screws up the text.... and won't let me edit anything to where I want it to be. So... hopefully you can piece this post together because I can't fix it so that it's put together RIGHT! GGGRRRRR!!!!!!!

We had a pretty good 4th this year. Shelley and I decided to just stay in Mt Pleasant and hang out this year. In years past we have gone to Whitmore Lake to watch my nieces ski in the annual 4th of July ski show... we have gone to Bay City to see the infamous fireworks. This year, we decided to just stay put.

We were invited to hang out at Theresa's house... but decided even the 1 hour, 15 min trip was too daunting.

We had breakfast (made an artery clogging "bacon weave" we had seen on youtube) and then we sat in the gazebo and did some reading. Shelley left the gazebo... and I napped on the swing for a couple of hours (wow! Time flies when you're napping!!).

Then we hung out and chatted for a bit... Shelley watched the Tigers (I think they lost). Michael made dinner... I wanted pancakes. Then we followed our neighbor out to the house of someone he knows who fires off fireworks. The show was AMAZING! The entire show was like a grand finale'.

Dave (our neighbor) gave us these "kaleidoscope glasses" that made the fireworks even MORE cool. Shelley and I wondered if it was like tripping on drugs... but being that neither of us has ever done drugs, we couldn't be sure.

On the way home from the fireworks we stopped and got a hot n ready pizza from Little Caesars and after enjoying that treat we played Monopoly Express and Harry Potter Clue. We hit the hay around 2:30 AM.

What a fantabulous day of doing nothing... no requirements.... no time contraints.... just us... being together... enjoying our freedom to do what we want... when we want. Yup. It was THAT kind of day :)

Fireworks

Fireworks through the kaleidoscope glasses.

Blake with glow sticks around his head.

Turning points....??

2009-07-01T05:57:00.000-07:00

Have you ever gotten to a point where someone you were friends with just suddenly doesn't seem to "fit" anymore? Whenever they talk, or write, or you see their picure, or see them anywhere it just grates on your nerves? C'mon... I'm not the ONLY person who has ever felt this way, am I?

Thing is.... I don't understand it. If I am friends with someone and suddenly they are the last person I want to be with... how does that work? If THEY are the one who changed then it would seem ALL of their friends would be turning away. If *I* am the one who changed, then why is it just that one person is no longer in my realm of friends?

I wonder if it's because of how we react differently to the same experiences in life? Is it because I am an outspoken person who is often perceived as a bitch? Or because I have a temper? Or because I expect people to COMMUNICATE with me and not just assume they know how I am feeling? It really irritates me when someone comments, "Well, now you are mad at me." and then quits talking to me. They don't even KNOW if I'm mad or not. I often comment back, "Perhaps you should ASK me if I'm mad before you just assume that I am." (Because honestly... most of the time I'm not mad at all.)

But that's not what happens every time. And it's really difficult to pinpoint the moment when things started to go south. It just seems like all of a sudden I realize this person is making me crazy and I need to not associate with them anymore.

I know.. this is just a bunch of rambling and makes no sense really. I HAD a complete thought in my head when I started... and it just kind of took off without me.

I guess it's just a curiosity to me why some people are your friends for LIFE... and others just swing in and out like a pendulum. *shrug*

Happy Wednesday, Y'all!

He's home!!!!

2009-06-19T20:20:00.001-07:00

The road leading to Blake's home for the week.

The sign at the entrance to "The Forts".

The entrance to The Forts.

Blake with his counselors... Jordan, Aleeka and Mitch. He cried when he said goodbye to them.

That was his cabin behind them... Ft. Gratiot :)

This was a rally they did to show the parents what they did at the bonfire each night.

That's Blake in the red shirt and yellow bandana.

The banner for his camp area.

Closing rally with ALL the campers in the amphitheater :) That's Blake in the red shirt and yellow bandana.

Alone time

2009-06-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

Well... Blake has been delivered to Springhill Camp. Wouldn't you know I forgot my camera in the van... so I didn't get any pics of him before I headed back home!

We got him all registered and then he hopped on an old fire truck that took off .... lights flashing and sirens blaring... to take him to his sleeping quarters. How cool is THAT??? (here's a pic I found online of a similar fire truck to the one he rode on).

After a few minute wait, Gramma (Mike's mom) and I hopped on a tram (a wagon pulled by a tractor) and were bumped off to see Blake's bunk and say our final goodbyes.

He is staying in "the forts"... which is a camp area that looks like log forts that are situated in a big circle with a huge bonfire pit in the center! He was hoping for a bunk on the 2nd floor.. which he got :)

After chatting with his counselor and getting a reluctant hug from my camper... we loaded back on the tram and were bumped along for a tour of the grounds (well PART of the grounds as the entire camp is HUGE... as in 515 acres huge!) and then headed for home.

I didn't cry. BIG step for me :)

When I got home I was reading a little slip of paper they gave me with my password so that I can go online and look at pics of what Blake is doing every day, and realized that we pick him up on Friday.... I thought we picked him up on THURSDAY! Oh boy!

Tomorrow I'll be sending him a card :) I miss him already!! But I know he'll have a great time... and won't want to come home :)

HUGS to my boy!!

Yard work

2009-06-12T15:19:00.000-07:00

Some of you may recall the friendship garden I did for my 40th birthday. Mike got me a bunch of rocks, put them in the shape of a heart and then I had a bday party and asked everyone to bring a perennial plant/ flower to put in the garden. That way every year when it bloomed it would be a special reminder.

That worked wonderfully the first couple of years. But since I'm not a gardener, I had a hard time telling what was supposed to stay and what was supposed to go. This year I could identify 1 plant. *sigh*

Plus, I couldn't see the garden any longer from my swing. So I decided to move the garden. I will move more of the plants once my gardening guru friend, Tammy, comes and identifies them for me :)

Anyway... here are the before and after pics of that project.... plus some other pics from the day.

"Pop's Place" before.

Pop's Place after.

A purple finch on my feeder :)

Mike was sitting in this chair and a squirrel ran off the roof (there used to be a branch from that reddish tree that touched the roof but Mike trimmed it off) and fell to the ground!

Here is the squirrel after he fell off the roof and ran up the tree. Poor thing was breathing pretty heavily! He apparently didn't get the memo that the bridge was out :)

Poem for Blake's teacher

2009-06-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

Ok... for some reason blogger will not put spaces between the stanzas... so I have made them regular font and italicized font to hopefully make it easier to read! How AGGRIVATING!!!!!

Thanks to you, Teacher

A poem for Mrs. V from Blake

By Jolene

Summer was ending

Fall drawing near

The first day of third grade

Was finally here

The days and weeks passed

Oh the things that he learned

"Mom did you know..."

Was quite often heard

The quickest of hugs

In front of his friends

Don't call me "Sweetheart"

The kisses must end

You have worked so hard

To teach him how

To multiply, and write stories

Just look at him now

He has grown so much

We give thanks to you

For keeping him safe

And nurturing him too.

Last day of third grade...

2009-06-10T05:21:00.000-07:00

Here he is after school today with his cat Sam I Am.

Wow... it doesn't seem possible that the school year is at an end. It seems like just yesterday he was jumping out of bed, bright eyed and bushy tailed for the first day of school.

He has grown SO much this year. He flew through reading... struggled with multiplication for a few weeks and then suddenly had those facts down... his stories became much more enjoyable to read... he learned to not be such a follower (although he still does make bad choices at times when with certain friends)... he grew even more kind hearted and helpful... his empathy grew...he really became a "real boy" :)

Here are his first day and last day of third grade pictures, and a poem I wrote for his teacher.

(I will post the poem in another post because stupid blogger won't put spaces between the stanza here for some reason and I am TIRED of messing with it!)

A new house???

2009-06-06T12:08:00.001-07:00

We have been having some yard work done around our house. People who are driving by will slow down and stare. People who are walking by will stop and talk. Michael says they are probably wondering if the house has always been here. It'll make sense after you take a look at the pics :)

View from across the street before.

View from across the street after.

Gazebo/ patio area before.

Gazebo/ patio area during.

Gazebo/ patio area after (well, Mike has a project going on there in front of it... but still!) A woman stopped yesterday and commented on how cute the new patio is (it has always been there!)

Front of house before (that's Blake's bedroom window behind that branch).

Front of house during (nice logs huh?? The one by the dog was 21" diameter.)

Front of house after.

The chipper .. that pile o' mulch was just the branches from the tree in front! There was another pile just as big from the branches out back.

Portable sawmill (coolest machine ever!!)

Portable sawmill after squaring off the log.

This is the lumber from the 2 logs in front of the house. There is another pile of lumber from the tree out back (that's not completely finished yet so no pics yet). This will eventually be our friend Jeni's kitchen countertop :) (Her husband cut the trees down in exchange for the wood).

Tour

2009-06-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

Mike and I went to Springhill to have a tour of the camp today. We got lost on the way there... sheesh! He says it's my fault cuz I'm a terrible navigator and directionally challenged. But I say it's his fault cuz he listened to me. LOL!!

But I have to say.... Springhill is amazing! There is so much to do there that the kids don't have time to be homesick! Blake is going to have a BA-LAST!!!!

I am still anxious about him going... but I am also excited because he's going to have such a good time.

He will be doing archery, zip line, low ropes course, swimming, the blob (an inflatable tube that you sit on one end of and someone jumps off a platform onto the other end and you go flying up in the air and land in the water), horseback riding, hiking, fishing, rock wall climbing... and so SO much more!

I am looking forward to seeing him at the end of the week and hearing all about his week :)

Letting go

2009-05-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

So there is this camp. It's called Springhill. It's a christian summer camp. Blake has wanted to go for 3 years now. It is 45 minutes away, and is a week long camp. I have not been able to let him go.

Guess what we did yesterday? We signed him up to go to Springhill! OMG! I am trying very (as in VVVVEEEERRRRYYYYYY) hard to not freak out!

The camp is quite expensive, but thanks to our church, and Springhill we received scholarships for Blake and we will only pay $30 for him to attend for a week. If you go to the site, he will be staying in "the forts" and will be doing the "outdoor adventure" program.

I am sure he will have a blast! I am sure he will grow a LOT in that week. And I am sure I will cry a LOT in that week.

He leaves for camp June 14.

He packed his bag last night.

Random Acts of Kindness

2009-05-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

I was telling Tammy about paying for the woman at McD's and how she came to my house for flowers.

Something that Tammy and I do regularly is when we go to pay for gas, we'll leave some extra money and tell the cashier to put it towards the gas of the person behind us.

Tammy told me about a time when she did that... left an extra $10 at the gas station. About a week after doing that, her daughter (who lives an hour and a half away) called and said, "You won't believe what just happened to me."

Ashlee (Tammy's daughter) had gone to get gas and she pumped $20 worth. She went in to pay and the cashier told her she owed $5. Ashlee said, "No, I'm on pump ##" The cashier said, "Yeah, it'll be $5." Ashlee said, "But the pump out there says $20." The cashier said, "Oh yeah, but the gentleman before you left $15 and said to put it towards the next customer's gas."

Crazy huh?

Coincidence?

2009-05-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

One day last week I was going through the McDonald's drive through to grab a quick bite to eat.

Michael, our friends and I often practice "random acts of kindness". So when I got to the window to pay, I told the girl that I would pay for the car behind me too. As I was driving away I heard a toot toot and I looked back. The lady in the car behind me was waving like crazy, with a big smile on her face.

A few days later I had posted online that I was thinning out my garden and giving away some plants. If anyone wanted them they could come dig them up.

Someone replied and she came to get the flowers. As we were standing in the front yard discussing the flowers, Dolly jumped up in the living room window. The woman said, "I have to ask you a question."

OK.

She said, "A few days ago did you go through the McDonald's drive through and pay for the car behind you?"

I said, "Yes."

She said, "Oh my gosh! That was ME!" and she gave me a big hug. She said she had been telling "everyone" about it and that it was just SO NICE of me to do that.

She recognized Dolly and that's what made her ask. She just went on and on about how she couldn't believe I did that.

She had only ordered a drink.

It cost me $1.06.

It made her week.

Fun weekend.

2009-05-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend, my BFF Tammy had an open house for her son, Matti. He graduated with honors last week! Yay Matti!!!

Blake and I spent the weekend there helping get ready for the party.

Here's Blake and Uncle Phil taking a break to play some catch.

Last year Blake rode a quad and he flipped it. Then he was scared to get back on it. This weekend I forced him to get on it again. Now he's hooked!

This is Maggie May, she is Dolly's BPFF (Best Puppy Friend Forever)!

Here's Dolly playing with Boo (the tan dog) and Moose.

This was a bottle of water we threw in the fire to show Blake how you can boil water and the container won't burn. If you look at it bigly, you might be able to see the bubbles in the boiling water.

I love my son!

2009-05-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

Today after Blake got home from school, we sat on the swing in the gazebo and chatted. I just love watching him while we talk. He has such personality. Those beautiful blue eyes, long lashes, and those freckles. I just ADORE his freckles! He is going to be such a lady killer as he gets older :)

I can remember when he was just little... like around a year old...and my niece would get SO embarassed (she was 14 at the time) because we'd go to a store and complete strangers would stop and comment on how adorable Blake was. One time there were high school age boys in line behind us and they were just ENTHRALLED with Blake and were talking to him and kept telling me over and over how adorable he was. Greta would have turned invisble if she could have. LOL!

And he is still just as adorable (at least *I* think he is... ha, ha!). I was asking him if anyone had tried to get him to buy drugs, drink booze, smoke cigarettes, etc at school. He was looking at a magazine and just kept saying, "Nope. Nope. Nope." Then I said, "Did you kiss anyone at school today?"

His eyebrows went up, he looked at me out of the corner of those beautiful blue eyes, and he said, "Uh, NO!"

LMAO!

He chatted with me about a variety of things for about 30 minutes. I love that time with him.

If we are in the car together, I turn the radio off so that we can talk.

I am so SO blessed to have him. I know that. I love him more every second! I'll be working around the house and will think of him and my heart just skips a beat. I miss him when he's in school. I wish I didn't have to put him to bed (ok, some nights I can't WAIT for bedtime!)... so that we could spend just a few more minutes together.

I know it's a HUGE taboo... but when he was younger (aka when I could still lift him) I would sometimes get him out of his bed and bring him to mine so I could snuggle with him all night. Mike worked nights at that time...so there was room :)

Words just cannot express how much I love Blake. How grateful I am that God chose ME to have him. Me. Blake's Mom. Mrs. Blake's Mom as one of his friends at school calls me :)

When I was pregnant for him I remember thinking I couldn't possibly love him more. Then he was born... and it was love at first sight... and it was even MORE than the love I already felt for him. And I was SURE there was no way I could love him more. And now... 9 years later... I love him more every day. It is amazing to me how much love I have for this child. Not amazing that I love him...just amazing that one person can feel that much love for another.

He is definitely an amazing boy :)

The pain is SO worth it!

2009-05-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my BFF's son, Matti, graduated from high school (with DOUBLE honors!...he's a smarty pants :) ).

We went to their house for the par-tay. They had chicken and veggie kabobs on the grill (her daughter Sadie's boyfriend is a chef and he made them). YUM!!! There was a bonfire, and quad riding :) And of course... lots of fun and laughter!!

Mike drove a quad for the first time...and now he's addicted :) They are SO much fun! We got a little muddy... but not nearly as muddy as most of the folks riding :)

Had a FANTABULOUS time!!

So glad to have such good friends (who really we consider family) to have fun with!!!

What I did today....

2009-05-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

First of all we had an American Red Bud tree in our yard. I have said for 2 years that it had something wrong with it. We had a tree guy come and take a look... and he said it was quite diseased and should be cut down. So, our friend Aaron came today weiling his chainsaw and away she went. Here are before and after shots.

Here's Dolly giving new meaning to the term "bay windows". She sits there and yaps like she's being torn limb for limb (because I am outside and she is not... yeah, she's a spoiled baby).

This is a garden art thing that Shelley gave me for Christmas :) It's called "Children on Parade". Isn't it CA-YOOT??!!

A close up of Children on Parade.

These are some birdhouse stakes that Tammy made for me, a garden stone I got a few years ago, and a butterfly spinner that Shelley gave me :)

Some flagstones (??) that I found in my yard and decided to use as stepping stones to the gazebo!

Michael put up this post to hang the hose thingy (yeah, that's the technical term) on. I had him add a few hooks and then I hung my goodies :) On top is a birdhouse that Blake painted for me. The hanging feeder Tammy made for me and the bottle chimes are from Shelley.

A view of the front of our house ... another before and after. That little tree in the middle of the garden was also having issues so it's now gone. The folks who planted it (MANY years ago) called it their anniversary tree and would walk past the house and make comments about the tree. I'm sure they will pass out next time they walk by and it's gone. Sorry. It was half dead. Really. The big pine to the left of the house in the after pic... will be gone soon too! Along with 2 other HUGE pines that are wrecking our soil and hogging all the sunlight!

Pardon the need-to-be-replaced steps. Here are some flowers I planted today. Blake and I picked them out yesterday and I was going to let HIM plant them.. but he was invited to a friend's house so I was left to plant on my own.

More flowers :) I got these planter boxes for 25 cents each at a garage sale. There were only 3... I wish there had been more :)

My artist :)

2009-05-16T09:38:00.001-07:00

Blake brought this painting home from school yesterday! I have so much of his artwork framed around my house... I just LOVE his art :)

Some of it is cut off because the paper is too big for the scanner... but this is the best part of the painting :) There is white paint to make the snow hill (you can't see it very well here I am noticing).

I got an award!

2009-05-15T17:16:00.000-07:00

Lilly at the blog Roy's Progress! tagged me with the Kreativ Blogger Award. It says to just copy and paste... but I can't get it to work. So if ya wanna see the award, you'll have to go to Lilly's blog :) Hee hee!!

Here are the rules....

1. When given the award, you list 7 things that you love.

2. Pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you love. Be sure to tag them and let them know they've won. (You can copy the picture of the award and paste it on your sideboard.)

Ok so.... 7 things I love

1. My family

2. My friends

3. Being a mom

4. Being a teacher (even if I am unemployed at the moment).

5. God

6. that I had such good role models for parents

7. that I was fortunate enough to be able to go to college.

Now, I'm supposed to tag 7 people.... not sure I know 7 ppl who have blogs... but let's see....

Stacey at http://www.housewifeinflipflops.blogspot.com/ she cracks me up on a daily basis. We also connect because we both have angel babies. And her son, Ace, is a hoot!

ToniaJo at http://grgirlsstudy.blogspot.com/ Tonia and I were roommates in college and we had some fun times together! She is such a down to earth, God loving person and I just love her :)

Tammy at http://quiltedrooster.blogspot.com/ Tammy is one of my BFFs and is the greatest person! She is so non-judgemental and accepting. Love ya Tam!

LisaMarie at http://jackintheboxadventures.blogspot.com/ LisaMarie is my SIL and a great friend! She has such an amazing way of writing...I wish I could write so eloquently!

Paula at http://musingsfromamichiganmom.wordpress.com/ Paula is an inspiration to me as she is the mom a child with special needs. She does a great job too!!

Ok.. that's all I know. Sorry it's not 7.

Nickel allergy?

2009-05-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

Ok... so my new doc (specialist) thinks the reason my hands keep splitting and bleeding is because I have a nickel allergy. She sent me a nickel free diet that she wants me to follow for a month.

Between Mike's food allergies (onion, garlic, cabbage, thyme) and this... we are going to have to get REALLY creative w/ our menus!

I apparently cannot upload the diet here.... let's see if I can copy and paste from word. Nope.. can't do that either... so here we go... these are the foods I cannot have:
* dairy products made with restricted ingredients (such as raspberry yogurt)
*buckwheat
*multigrain breads
*oats and oatmeal
*wheat bran, wheat germ, whole wheat bread
*crackers made with restricted grains
*multigrain cereals
*canned pasta
*legume pasta (such as mung bean pasta)
*whole wheat pasta
*egg dishes prepared with restricted ingredients
*NO nuts or seeds
*margarine
*other oils (I CAN have pure corn or canola oil)
*shortening
*commercial salad dressing
*chocolate milk
*canned drinks
*restricted fruit drinks
*alcoholic beverages
*vitamin and mineral supplements w/ nickel
*canned vegetables
*asparagus
*bean sprouts
*beans
*broccoli
*green peas
*kale
*spinach
*canned fruit and juice
*bananas
*figs
*pears
*pineapple
*plums, prunes
*raspberries
*canned meat, poultry or fish
*all shellfish
*processed meats with fillers
*ALL legumes (includes all beans, carob, chickpeas, green/ yellow split peas, lentils, licorice, peanuts, soy beans, soy sauce, tofu)

So for dinner tonight I will be serving an apple and a slice of cheese. LMAO!!

My Card (week 19 -- spring)

2009-05-14T06:36:00.001-07:00

Ok y'all! I just realized I hadn't posted this card yet! Geez! Someone should seriously email me if the card isn't here by Monday and say, "Hey Slacker! Get the card up!"

NEXT WEEK'S THEME (WEEK 20): WEDDING!!!

Mom's Day 2009

2009-05-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic of Blake w/ Mike's folks on Mom's day :) Pop is looking SO good! You'd never know we were so close to losing him in November!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

Wishing all the mom's... to angels in heaven or angels on earth.... a happy and peaceful day.

I know my own mom won't read this... but she is an amazing woman and I thank her from the bottom of my heart.

My mom quit school in 8th grade so she could stay home and help her mom take care of the kids (there were 11 all together). She raised babies while her husband was off to war. She kept the house payments up to date, and all the bills paid, and the kids fed and clothed...on what little bit of money Pop could send home each month.

She raised 5 babies on earth. She has 4 babies in heaven. When I was in high school, she went back to school and got her GED :) She was in her 50s by then. What an inspiration. At age 70 she was roller skating... a fun activity that she and Pop had done while they were "courting" (hee...love that word!!)... but at 70 she fell and broke both arms while showing off to me that she could still skate. OY!

She worked various jobs to have extra money for us kids to do special things (piano lessons, vacations, etc).

One summer, she and Pop took my nephew and I and we traveled the US. I SWEAR it was the whole summer. Mom recently told me it was 3 weeks. THREE WEEKS! I'm telling you... how we packed in as much as we did in three weeks is beyond me! We did Disney Land AND Disney World... Kings Island.. Sea World... Frontier Town... swam in the great salt lake...saw the grand canyon... painted desert... giant redwood forest...petrified forest.... copper mines.... the list is endless. The memories will be with me forever!

Of the five living children she has... 3 of us have graduated from college.... 2 of us have Master's Degrees. None have done major time (ok... my brother spent a night in jail as a teenager for stealing a car). None are alcholics (even though Mom's dad was). None are addicted to drugs. All have our own homes. Three of us still live in the same state as Mom.

Mom allowed us to make our own mistakes. And to learn from them. She would tell us if she didn't like one of our friends... and why she didn't like them... but never forbid us from hanging out with them. And in the end, I ended up with close friends who were good people. The bad eggs just seemed to wander off and I lost interest in them.

She was there through Jr. High and being teased, through high school, driver's education, college applications, first apartments, first jobs, broken hearts and broken bones. Mom was there through weddings and babies being born. Baptisms and all the "firsts" of her grandkids... great-grandkids... and great-great grandson :)

She's the best! I wish I could have spent today with her.

I love ya Mom!

Bad mom

2009-05-08T16:50:00.001-07:00

I am feeling like such a bad mom right now. I have always been incredibly adamant about Blake having sunscreen... since he was just 6 months old enjoying his first summer. I have had horrible sunburn and did NOT want MY baby feeling that pain!

I have been known (as recently as last summer) to call him back out of the water to put sunscreen on him... especially.. ESPECIALLY the tops of his ears.

Remember Wednesday's field trip?

Yup. Sunburn. 2nd degree!!!! On the tops of his ears!!!!

It never even occurred (sp?) to me to put sunscreen on him that day! I knew we were going to be outside all day. I knew it was going to be a warm day.

So now that we've had our road trip to ready care... he has ointment we have to put on 3x a day and if they aren't better by Monday then he can't have recess unless he has a hat that covers his ears. *sigh*

Rotten Mom of the Year Award is in the mail.

Field Trip

2009-05-07T05:48:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I like not working. Like yesterday when I got to go with Blake's class on a field trip to a nearby nature center. We left the school at 8:50 AM and returned at 2:30 PM. What a day! I found a tiny baby painted turtle that was no bigger than a quarter! So cute! But I didn't get a pic of it, because the guy told me to put it in a jar in the building with other babies that had been found yesterday too. Had it just been Blake and I, I would have let him hold it and I'd have taken a pic.

But here are pics I did get.....

Blake investigating a burr... looking at the hooks that inspired the invention of velcro.

Blake and his new BFF, RJ, looking at dirt they just dug up for "What lives in the soil?"

Getting dirty looking for life in the soil.

They found a centipede, several worms, roots, a neotode (tiny white worm), and a blade of grass.

Blake dipping the pond.

More pond dipping... getting into the weeds.

Checking out what they found in the pond

Double magnifying what was in pond water. (They found a fish, water mites, and a leech.)

Trying to get a tiny water mite into the dropper to put it under the microscope.

Learning about how the "junk" from shucking wheat blows away.

Sitting in a wigwam learning about native american life.

Card Challenge

2009-05-04T20:18:00.001-07:00

It's week 19 now folks :) Keep rollin! We're almost half way there!!!!

This week's theme is SPRING

AAhhhh.....

Can't wait to see what you come up with this week :)

Remember anyone can join at any time! Doesn't matter if this will be your first card ever... jump on in! Just post a comment so we can come see your cards :)

Shelley's cards to catch up....

2009-05-03T18:28:00.001-07:00

Week 15 -- candy.

Week 16 -- water

Week 17 -- Mother's Day

Week 18 -- butterflies

Card Challenge all caught up!!

2009-05-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

Week 14-- doilies

Week 15 -- candy

Week 16 -- water

Week 17 -- Mother's Day

Week 18 -- butterflies (this is this week's card :) )

Lizards and snakes alive! (VERY photo heavy)

2009-05-02T20:08:00.001-07:00

We took Blake to see an exhibit at the Midland Center for the Arts today. It was really neat! Here are some pics from the day :)

Blake kissing an anaconda :)

Fending off the anaconda.

Being eaten by the anaconda!

Rhinoceros Lizard. He watched Blake constantly. We figure he was hungry and B looked like a tasty lunch :)

Some kind of iguana.

Same guy with his neck flared out.

Don't know these either.

Again.. not sure of the name. Blake was cruising through here looking at one thing and another so I didn't have time to read all the info about each critter.

When Mike walked over to this exhibit, this guy was on a branch and he jumped over to the ledge by the window as if to say, "Take a picture of me!"

Say cheese!

Veiled chameleon. Their eyes move independently of each other and they have 2 toes on each foot that they grip with.

When Mike and I were first married, we almost bought one of these (the veiled chameleon).

Some kind of gecko. I swore the one on the right was dead hanging over that branch. But you could see him breathing.. he was just sleeping!!

I think this was a type of skink.

Isn't the coloring and pattern on this guy cool??

This was cool! There were cameras mounted on the glass of this exhibit and you could zoom in on the geckos. One of them was on the glass right in front of the camera so you could see his scales on the screen! Mike took this pic of the screen where you viewed the image from the camera. Look at those toes! And belly scales! How cool is that???

This is the type of gecko that was on the glass by the camera :)

A close up of his cute little face :)

Leaf tailed gecko.

Leaf tailed gecko's head.

The belly side of a leaf tailed gecko.

Blue tongue skink. Mike tried in vain to get a pic of his tongue. He was flicking it when we first walked up... but then refused to show it for the camera :)

Water Monitor.

Burmese Python. Beautiful snake!

Nameless... LOL!

Gabon Viper. Sorry... I forgot to rotate the pic. That's his head in the upper left corner!

Pretty green snake. I am just amazed at the color!

Red Spitting Cobra. I'm not sure if his venom is red... or if he got his name cuz he has a reddish sheen and you can kind of see how his underside is red.

April showers bring...

2009-04-30T18:39:00.000-07:00

Staring at a blank page

2009-04-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

Wishing I could fill it with 3 years and 5 months of memories.

Wishing I had a cute story to tell.

Thankful that I have my family.

Wishing they were closer.

Thankful for my friends... most of whom I consider to be family.

Thankful for the people who speak her name today.

Thankful for the people who think about me today. I can feel the mental hugs.

Will be even more thankful when the day is over.

The gazebo

2009-04-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

Aaaaahhhhh..... Shelley and I sat out in the gazebo for some time while she was here. It wasn't the warmest of days... but it was nice to sit and relax and chat and not have bugs bothering us :)

Actually... the day she arrived I was sitting out there wrapped up in a blanket (I told ya). Mike was gone and when he got home, Blake told him where I was. He came out to the patio and cracked up when he saw me all bundled up. Then he joined me :)

Tomorrow Jeni and I will be enjoying the gazebo after we have lunch together. We tossed around the idea of getting food and eating out there... but it's supposed to rain so we thought we'd go have lunch and hopefully enjoy the after the rain beauty :)

This summer it's going to be SO SO nice! Shelley will be here for her annual summertime visit... so we'll have lots of time to enjoy the gazebo.

Who knew you could talk about something so simple at such great length? I am just SO SO excited to have it. I have been wanting one for years and just couldn't justify spending the money when we had it.

Maybe my next blog post will be on the laptop from inside the gazebo :) LOL!!!!

Irritated!

2009-04-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

I am so ticked off! My mom bought me the new gazebo. Mike and Blake set it up on Sunday. It was very cold and windy on Sunday, so I didn't sit in the gazebo.

Monday it was cold and rainy all day.

Today (Tuesday) it's been cold and rainy all day... including some sleet!

Come hell or high water I am sitting in that gazebo tomorrow!! I don't care if I have to put on long johns and wrap up in a blanket!!!!!

Daddy and Son Fun

2009-04-20T07:40:00.001-07:00

We were working on cleaning up the yard the other day. Oh the joys of spring after your huge oak tree waits til the snow falls to dump all of it's 600 MILLION leaves!

If you remember this post , these noodles were still in the yard after the removal of the dreaded sofa.

Here's what Mike and Blake did with said noodles:

Unguard you lowly fool!

Oh no! Blake was disarmed!

Trying to disarm Daddy!

My Mom Loves Me!

2009-04-19T17:41:00.000-07:00

I went to my mom's this weekend. She handed me an ad from the paper and asked if the pictured item was like what I had been wanting. I told her it looked like it. So then she said she wanted to buy it for us and that on Saturday we'd go shopping for one.

Alrighty then!

So... today after church (and after we splurged on going out to breaky) Mike and Blake put it together :)

After this, Blake said, "Dad! Thank you for giving me self confidence to do this."

The finished product! HEE HEE!!!

This little lantern came with the gazebo :)

I had called my mom and told her that they were starting to put the gazebo together. Mom asked how far along it was. I told her they had a corner piece put together. She laughed and said, "You're this excited about a corner being put together?" And I said, "I was this excited when they opened the box!" LMAO!!

emotional turmoil....

2009-04-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

it's that time of year again. insignificant for most. spring. a time to rejoice. new beginnings. gardens and butterflies. birds and sunny days.

for me, for us this time of year churns up the old grief. is there such a thing? old grief? no, i think it's new grief. new grief being churned up by yet another year of what we don't have.

took blake to see the hannah montanna movie. it was an emotional movie in and of itself, but mike had a very difficult time watching the relationship between daddy and daughter on the screen. her first date. her first kiss. seeking her daddy for comfort after fighting with her best friend. new grief. new reminders of what we'll never have.

it's funny in an ironic way... i am unable at this point in time to give any support to fellow bereaved parents other than my husband. i am not having any problems giving support to a friend who is struggling with quitting her alcohol addiction. i have no issue giving support to a friend who just found out she won't have a job after June. i have no issue supporting tammy as she misses sadie. but i can not support the people whose grief i understand the most. i just don't have it in me right now.

i'm finding it to be a real struggle to get up and moving in the morning. i go to bed early and yet am unable to arise well rested. i have nightmares. i dream of having my daughter here, only to wake up to reality.

i can't help but think that she would be in her first year of preschool now. would she have enjoyed easter? i was in walmart the other day and walked past the little easter dresses and bonnets and sweaters and i just started to cry. all alone. in walmart. i'll never get to buy one of those frilly little dresses and patent leather shoes for lilly. i have to admit the thought that she'd probably be a little tomboy and hate dresses made me smile.

i'm not drowning in a sea of grief. i don't expect the world to stop and grieve with me. i don't expect people who have little girls to keep them away from me. or not talk about them. or not show me pictures of them.

it's just hard. the waters are choppy. the storm is coming. grief is washing over me again.

i find peace in knowing she is with her bumpa.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

UPDATED: You can see just the sign bit of church service here , it is very emotional. Or follow the link below to watch the entire service. We had 1000 new attendees at church on Sunday!

Today was a good day. Up early for church... great sermon. Pastor Brian talked about not holding onto our failures but instead learning from them and letting them go. They also did a neat activity showing how God has helped people from our church with problems they have. It was about how people don't carry signs advertising their pain, but that we should treat all people with compassion and respect.

You will be able to see the sermon here ... it should be up by Wed, April 15. Just scroll down to find today's date and you can watch it either in broadband or dial up.

After church we relaxed at home for a bit and then went to Mike's folks for brunch. Had a yummy brunch and a nice visit.

Then we took Blake to see the Hannah Montanna movie (he wanted to see it). The theater had hidden plastic eggs all around and kids could find them and bring them to the concession stand for a treat. The treats were little cups of candy. Neat idea!

Came home, took some pics and now we are winding down.

It was a great day of God and family.

Here are some pics from the day:

What the Easter Bunny left.

Blake seeing the "stash" from the Bunny :)

Checking out his stash.

He got two of these full of Lego's! How *does* that Easter Bunny know what he likes??

My handsome men! I sure do love them!!

Me with my boy.

The hubster and me :)

Tammy's card (week 14 doilies)

2009-04-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

Go check out Tammy's card

If you go to her blog (and not just that post) you can see her other cards too :)

Now *I* need to get MY doily card up! (You're right Tammy... that doesn't look right).

Shelley's card (week 14 -- doilies)

2009-04-06T19:27:00.001-07:00

Very cute!

Shelley's card (week 11 bears)

2009-04-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

OMG! I LOVE this card!!! (Do I say that about every card??) Great job, Shelley!

Weekend getaway (very photo heavy)

2009-04-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

Blake when he realized where we were going.

Can't wait to get there!

Our hotel.

Fireplace in lobby.

Blake by the sign. He wore his pajama pants over his bathing suit when we went out to dinner!

View from our balcony.

The indoor/ outdoor pool at our hotel. There were 2 hot tubs outside. When Blake got out of the hot tub steam was coming off his body. Mike thought it was great to swim in the pool and watch skiers on the slopes :)

A cute little skiing rabbit in our room.

Blake crossing the ice floe.

The clubhouse... every so often a horn would go off and then all that water would pour down. You should have seen the kids scramble when that horn blew!

Blake on a water slide down from the clubhouse.

Vertigo. A water slide where you go down a tube, drop into a "toilet bowl" and get swished around and out the bottom. It was great fun!

Blake and Mike coming out of Vertigo.

Blake taking a solo run on Vertigo.

Being goofy in the Boyne River (the water flows around and you can just relax in a tube and ride the river.)

Blake riding Rip Tide.

Rip Tide again.

Sunset in Boyne City.

Misc....

2009-04-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

Since I was away for the weekend and didn't get doilies until I was away I don't have my card finished for this week. Feel free to still post a link to YOUR card here... or email me your card so I can post it here :)

Next week's prompt is CANDY. Have fun with it!!!!

I will also be posting pics of our weekend as soon as I get the energy to get the camera and put the memory card in the computer. We are WHIPPED!

Our weekend started with us waking up at 5:30 am Fri night to the dog barking hysterically. I told Mike someone was in the house. He said she was just barking at someone outside.

We got up at about 9:15 Fri morning to find a drunk college kid sleeping on our sofa! He claimed someone had let him in... but unless it was one of the critters that's total bunk! We called the cops on his ass (after Mike scared the poo out of him by screaming at him and the kid said, "Dude, why are you screaming at me?" UH HELLO???!!!)

So... after talking w/ the police and sending the kid off with them we were able to finish up our last minute packing and get on the road. We actually got off just a few minutes past our planned time so not so bad.

We had a blast at Avalanche Bay. Blake especially liked the indoor/ outdoor pool (pics later).

When we got home we found a lamppost in our yard smashed and air had been let out of Mike's tire :( The bad news is the tire is filled with nitrogen so we can't add air to it w/ our compressor... and it's too low to drive to the shop to get more nitrogen added so not sure what we're going to do about that. *sigh*

Ok... off to veg and get some din din.

Finally....

2009-04-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

The highly anticipated weekend has finally come. I didn't think Blake was going to go to bed. He is SOOOOO excited!

We are going here . We are leaving Friday at noon. We'll be home sometime Sunday.

Tammy is coming to stay with our critters so they will have companionship (and food) while we're away.

We saved money from our tax refund so we could do this :)

I'll fill you in after we get home and my rhumatoid arthritis lets me move again (I'm going to be in SO MUCH PAIN! But it will be SO worth it!)

Tough times

2009-03-31T18:57:00.001-07:00

Kind of out of touch lately.

Having a rough time.

Always happens this time of year.

*sigh*

Missing Pop.

Missing Lilly.

Remembering Pop.

Wishing I had memories of Lilly.

catching up... My cards

2009-03-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

Ok... here are my cards to catch up...

Week 10 -- gems

Inside gem card.

Week 11 -- bears. Not sure if you can tell, but the bear is chalked for color :)

Week 12 -- stars (with a new "thank you" stamp that Shelley got me! Thanks Shell!)

And all caught up with week 13 -- Easter :) (Another new stamp from Shelley! She spoils me so!)

Ok..next week's prompt is...... *drumroll please*.... DOILIES :) Let's see what you can do, Ladies :) Post your card on your blog and leave a comment here so we can all come see it :)

Shelley's card (week 13 -- Easter)

2009-03-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Cute card, Shell. I love the jelly bean stamps :)

Shelley's card (week 12 -- stars)

2009-03-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

I love this card Shell! I like how the stripes go diagonal :)

Playing catch up

2009-03-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

Ok y'all... I am sorry... I've not only gotten behind on making my cards... but I just realized I've gotten behind on giving the prompts too! Goodness me!!

Shelley and I sat down and figured out prompts for the rest of the year :) So I really don't have an excuse for not putting them here... except that I've been really busy with my class, presenting at a conference, and visiting with Shelley :)

So... here are the last few weeks that I think I've missed.... forgive me if I repeat but I figure better to repeat than omit :)

WEEK 11 -- bears (Sun 3/14)

WEEK 12 -- stars (Sun 3/21)

WEEK 13 -- Easter (Sun 3/28)

I will be posting Shelley's cards in the next post :) I'll post mine when I have them completed :)

What if?

2009-03-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when you do something nice for some people... they really appreciate. So much so that they in turn do the nice thing for someone else?

But other people act like you OWED them the nice thing? Or like SOMEONE in the world owed them and you were just lucky enough to be the one who acted on it.

I hear people complaining all the time about how rude and selfish we as a society have become. And I wonder if they have looked in the mirror lately?

I am the type of person who will stop farther back from the light than I need to so that someone can pull into or out of a parking lot. I usually get honks and nasty glares from drivers behind me. Or... I stop, but nobody in the other lane does.

I hold doors for people... even if it means I have to wait an extra couple of seconds for them to get to the door. Sometimes these people don't even say "thank you".

I will offer rides to people in need. We once took a family home from an evening activity at church because I didn't want this mom and her 3 boys waiting for the bus.

I often give rides to a friend from church who isn't able to drive.

I am not looking for any sort of recognition for these things... just giving you an idea of where I'm coming from. Of course, some of you who read this blog already KNOW these things about me.

Am I perfect? Hell no! Do I complain? You betcha. And I am quick to bitch out another driver who is driving like a maniac.

But I still can't help but wonder. What if... what if instead of complaining about how selfish people have become... we all worked harder to become more selfless? Instead of complaining about how rude other people are.... we look at how rude WE are and work to change if we need to.

Imagine the world if EVERYONE did small acts of kindness for each other?

Blake used to run across the street to help a lady who lives there. She is elderly and uses a walker. He always wanted to help her... but she always sneered at him and shooed him away. When he outgrew his bike, the first person he thought of was her because he had seen her grandkids visiting and thought they might like a bike. When we went over to ask if she would like the bike "and not even have to pay for it" (Blake's words to her with a huge grin on his face) she sharply snapped, "No! We don't want that bike!" *sigh*

He took the bike to another neighbor who had a little boy who was too small for the bike but Blake figured he'd grow into it. That neighbor was just THRILLED and commented weeks later at how "kind" and "giving" Blake is. (He has since given quite a few outgrown toys to that little guy... and we see him riding them quite a bit).

What if the whole world were kind and giving? What if we didn't look at a person and instantly judge them by their clothes, their car, the color of their skin, the religion we assume they practice?

What if?

Bleary eyed

2009-03-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

Blake woke us up with breakfast in bed this morning.

He made breakfast burritos with a side of cereal straws and glass of milk. Yum. Well... I don't care for the cereal straws... and I hate milk... but other than that, and the fact that the burrito was cold......

and the fact that ...

it was FIVE THIRTY IN THE MORNING!!!!!!

It was a great breakfast.

He first came in and woke me up with "Mom, can I turn on a light?" and I mumbled, "Why?" and he said (in a very proud tone), "Because I made you guys breakfast in bed."

Oh the joys of boys.

My card (week 9 -- circles)

2009-03-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

Ok... it's not the best pic... but here is my circle card. I will catch up on posts tomorrow :)

Shelley's card (week 10-- gems)

2009-03-15T19:01:00.001-07:00

Oh my gosh Shelley! I love it!!! Those gems are too cute!!

Card Challenge week 11

2009-03-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

Ok.. I'm way behind on making my cards... hopefully y'all are not :) Email them to me or comment with a link to your post so we can see your cards :)

The prompt for this week is: bears :)

I am going to do my best to get all caught up on making my cards by this Sunday... so I'll be posting 3 cards.... plus Shelley should have 2 (gems and bears). Hopefully Tammy will get hers caught up too (I"ll have to call and bug her... LOL )

Anyone else who wants to join feel free to do so :) We'd love to have you!!!

The Shack

2009-03-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

What an amazing book! I just finished it tonight...and am ready to read it again! I actually DID go back and re-read one of the chapters as soon as I had finished the book.

William P. Young is the author, and after reading the book I am amazed at his insight. You can see info about the book here. Mr. Young asks that if we enjoy the book we don't "give it away" to others... but simply tell them they need to read it.

You need to read this book.

If you are strong in your faith, or weak in your faith, or confused in your faith... this book is for you.

I will say that there is a part in the book (the part I re-read immediately) that made me think of my friend Shelley. In this part of the book (I feel confident that I can share this without ruining the book) 2 of the characters are talking about relationships and one of them states that relationships aren't about expectations that you put on each other, but rather they are about living in the other person and them living in you.

That is the relationship that Shelley and I have. We live in each other. We virtually become one person when we are together... sometimes even when we are not together. We understand one another completely. We love one another unconditionally. I am so blessed to have such a friend.

My friend, Tammy, and I have this relationship as well. And as a matter of fact, when Tammy, Shelley and I get together there is more life than one can even purpose to handle. We LIVE when we are together. Stress and pain and sadness are brought to the surface, dealt with and then thrown out the window to make way for life. There is no doubt that we live in each other. And it is wonderful. And fulfilling. And amazing. There just aren't words to describe it really. If you've ever been pregnant you'll understand a little better... because when you are pregnant and you feel that unconditional love for that baby...and that love is so huge that you just can't describe it..... THAT'S the relationship that we have. That's the relationship I am just now realizing as I write this that I want with my husband. And with God.

Read the book. Then we can talk :)

Greeting card challenge.. week 10

2009-03-04T19:44:00.000-08:00

Ok Ladies.... week 10's prompt is gems :) Oh fun!!

Even if you are a newbie here, feel free to join in the challenge. Make a card each week and post it on your blog on Sunday.

Ter isn't doing the challenge at the moment, so there is no Mr Linky, so just post a comment here with a link to your blog with your card and we'll all go and check it out ;)

Have fun!!!!

The joys of anesthesia!

2009-03-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

Tammy had to have a procedure done yesterday morning that required her to be put under anesthesia, so she asked if I would drive her to the hospital and then stay with her at her house until her son got home from school. Tam's husband runs his own business so taking time off means losing money for him.

I went Sunday afternoon and spent the night, then we were off to the hospital on Monday. She got all checked in and taken back for the procedure. A couple of hours later the nurse came to get me and said that Tammy had done really well, but wasn't waking up so she thought maybe I'd be able to wake her up a little quicker.

I sat in the chair next to Tammy's bed and she looked at me and said, "How long have you been here?" I said, "Not long". Tammy, "Oh. What time is it?" Me, "About 11:05."

A few minutes later:

T: Oh, how long have you been here?

M: not long

T: what time is it?

M: 11:10

Then....

T: Hey, have you been here long?

M: nope

T: Oh, what time is it?

M: 11:15

And again.....

T: Oh, you're here... have you been here long?

M: no

T: Good, what time is it?

M: 11:20

I told the nurse I only came so I could laugh at her. The nurse cracked up!

Tammy still had the little metal thingies where they hook up the monitors stuck to her chest. She kept looking down her top and talking about her third nipple and asking the nurse how much she thought people would pay to see her third nipple!

Man! I LOVE people who are hopped up on knock out drugs!

Shelley's card (week 9 -- circles)

2009-03-02T19:53:00.000-08:00

Very cute Shelley! And so appropriate for this month :)

How to get sent to time out...

2009-03-02T19:32:00.001-08:00

Walk into the kitchen.

Hear your dad say what he's making for dinner.

Reply (in a very sarcastic tone), "So how's that working for you?"

Etsy irony.....

2009-02-28T20:35:00.000-08:00

Ok.... so I ordered something really cool from Etsy (for myself and for Christmas presents so I can't post them here). When I placed my order I asked the girl, Michele, if she had anything with angel bears on it. I wanted to order something for Ter.

So, Michele... angel that she is.... went on a hunt for pink angel bear fabric. She found some and sent me a link to see what I thought. And I LOVED it. So she ordered it. Then she made the secret items (I promise I will post a link to Michele's etsy shop after Christmas cuz I just don't want the ppl I ordered for to go there, fall in love and order for themselves... LOL). She sent me pics of the items... and I LOVED them.... so I ordered them for Ter.

Then on Saturday (4 days after I placed MY order) I get an IM from Ter saying, "JO! LOOK WHAT I BOUGHT!" and I follow the link she sent.... TO THE EXACT ITEMS I HAD SPECIALLY MADE AND ORDERED FOR HER!!!!!!

Now... what ARE the chances????

So, of course I panicked .... and sent Michele a message saying, "Mayday! Mayday! mayday!"

Then.... instead of waiting to see what ideas she had about the situation.... I IM'd Ter and told her she had to cancel her order. Of course she asked why.... and I hadn't planned THAT far ahead.... and couldn't come up with an excuse that sounded feasible..... so I told her what was up.

We had a good laugh! I sent Michele a message telling her not to fret cuz I had told Ter.

But SHE had come up with a GREAT excuse... and it would have worked too if I had just kept my pants on! LOL!!!

Oh well.... now the cat's out of the bag... and Michele is going to refund Ter's money... and as soon as I get my pkg, I'll send it on to Ter... and all will be right with the world! LOL... ok, well, in my little corner anyway.... for the time being.

*sigh* Seriously... what ARE the chances???

My swimmer does it again!

2009-02-28T19:41:00.000-08:00

Blake had Novice Championships today. He SO rocks the water!!!

He got 5th place in the 50 yard freestyle. 10th place in the 50 backstroke and 6th in the 50 breaststroke!

After the meet his coach told him he'd better build a BIG trophy case :) LOL!!!

He got 2 nice medals and a really nice ribbon today. I'll have to take pics :)

I'm so glad he's finally found his niche :) He played soccer for about 6 years and then decided that wasn't for him. He tried T-ball. He tried hockey. He wanted to try basketball but when it was time to sign up he changed his mind. But swimming is DEFINITELY his sport! He has ALWAYS loved the water. As a matter of fact, Shelley made me a tray with various pics of Blake and the great majority of the pics are him in or near the water :)

That's my waterbug!!!