Steeler's Truck

I am a Raven's fan. I am not a Steelers fan. I am, however, the daughter to one and the mother to another. Most of my extended family on my Dad's side, and most of Gary's extended family are Steeler's fans, too. It is because I love all of them so much, I took and post these pictures. You do have to wonder several things in reference to the pictures...

1. Would you EVER do this to your vehicle? (Ok, I know my Dad wouldn't no matter how big of a fan he is. We didn't even have the Honor Roll bumper stickers on our car! And, I still have a heart attack if my kids lean against some one's car...you don't want to scratch the paint, you know!)
2. Just how much does it COST to have this done to your truck?
3. WHY would you do this to your truck?
4. What do you do if, by some crazy chance, the Steeler's loose?
5. Just how funny did I look driving around this truck in the Target parking lot, taking pictures?
6. No, I didn't get arrested for circling this truck, just several strange looks!
7. Do you have a camera in your purse for times just like these? My hubby made sure that I do with the best Christmas gift EVER!!!! My Cannon Elph goes everywhere with me...and aren't you glad?
8. Last, but not least, aren't you glad your not married to the crazy person that owns this truck?

Happy Super Bowl! May the best team win...and for this guys sake, it better be the Steelers!

I Know...

...that the last post was long and had a lot of pictures, but I think it just might have been the best day the kids have had in a long while. This morning, they were still talking about the great time they had in the "snow". I am so thankful that they play together so well. It's days like these that I am so glad to have a large family with kids so close in age. I can't imagine what that must feel like! They are surely blessed!

Snow Day Battle

The really cool thing about having a larger family is that you have friends to play with at all time. Never was this more obvious than today's snow day. Although there was precious little snow, the kids worked together to make the most of what they had. Please note, it was misting out there and foggy, but no one seemed to mind (except Momma!). They were soaked when they finally came in to eat.

Preparing for battle: Forces were joined to make cool forts!

Bunker Hill (otherwise known as Danny and Collin's fort)Fort Steelers (otherwise known as Nathan, Kaylyn and Claire's fort) Please notice the Steelers hat being used as the fort's flag! Really, this Steelers obsession needs to stop! We are Ravens fans!
Snow Battle:

Claire's a huge help reloading snowballs for the others.

Even Holly got in on the action!

Momma's Battle

"Old Business" and Missing Pictures

I have promised pictures from the last several posts. Well, let's just say I've been lazy and didn't download the pictures until today's snow day. So......

Nathan's extended field trip with dad as chaperone:

Nate had a great time climbing the rock wall, although he did strain his wrist. There was a high ropes course that Nate only got about 1/4 of the way through because the kid in front of him kept freaking out. Heights aren't Nathan's favorite thing, so it bothered him to have to wait on the platforms. Gary came home talking about the great group of kids that was in his cabin. It's great to know that Nathan's friends are nice, cool, fun kids. It was also great that all of the kids thought Nathan's dad was pretty cool! All in all, they really had a great time.

Now, January birthdays.

About half an hour after Nathan and Gary walked in from the field trip, Pap and Nana Pat came to celebrate all of the January birthdays. I love Nathan's face in this picture, although I am aware that it's awful of me. I guess Nate is getting a little old to blow out the candles! Anyway, the three of us were spoiled as always and got just what we asked for! Nathan and Claire got some books they wanted as well as some great toys and/or video games. I got the cookbook I asked for and a gift certificate for new lamps for my bedroom. Nathan broke the old ones!

Later that night, Grammy and Grandpa Dud were able to visit with us for Nate's birthday dinner...a wonderful almost teen aged dinner of pizza, cheese sticks, cheese curls, grape soda and root beer, and chocolate chip pound cake! Yes, antacids were passed out as well! The highlight for Nathan was the Transformers DVD and some really cool shirts from Grammy and Grandpa Dud. He was really excited about that!

Well, that should wrap up some of the old business (except the snow pictures, they are coming!) that I've been lazy about. We are so blessed to be so loved by so many. Words just can't describe just how blessed we are!

It's Snowing!

*****UPDATED******

Here are some of the pictures of our first "real" snow. The kids were playing with the little boy across the street that we have *adopted*. He's so cute!

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I can't believe it! It's snowing for the first time since we have moved. Actually, we did have a *dusting* a couple of times, but today it is really snowing! The kids are off school, AGAIN, because of it! We are looking forward to a fun filled, cold day. Hope you are having a great day! Pictures to come!

My Birthday

Yesterday was Nathan's birthday. Pictures will follow. We had a nice day and Nathan is a happy boy! I just can't believe that he is 12! Our last year before teen years! Lord, help me!

Today is my birthday! I actually don't mind getting a little older. I feel that I have earned my 38 years, packed a lot into them and have enjoyed most of the time God has blessed me with! All in all, I am a very blessed woman and I have nothing to be sad about in getting older. So...that being said, Happy Birthday to me!

My Boys Come Home

Ok, it's been really hard, but I didn't tell you that Gary and Nathan have been away since Tuesday. (I have been told that it is not smart to "broadcast" things like Gary being away or me going to Dover so that "everyone" that reads this won't know when the house is empty-or at least manless. In an effort to be safe, I have waited until they are coming home to let you in on what is really going on in our life!) Nate's school took the 6th graders on an outdoor field trip for the week. Gary was able to go as a chaperone (probably the only way Nathan was going to get to go)! I have had brief contact, but it seems that they are having a good time. I hope that they have had a bonding time, you know an almost teen aged boy needs that with is dad.

Anyway, they are on their way home! Yay! I missed them. I do have to say, my house is A LOT quieter without the leader, Nathan, leading the others down the noisy path of crazy at home! And, Daddy isn't home to "direct" (usually with a loud, firm, no nonsense tone) the others from that noisy path to crazy. So, that being said, it has been fun to watch the other kids create their own fun. Here are some pictures of just what happens when left to their own devices:

Pillow jumping forward...

Pillow jumping backwards...

Playing doggie soccer...and just general playing.

It was a fun week, and we were fine, but we are really ready to have Daddy and Nathan home. (Poor Claire has cried every night for either Daddy or Nathan or both. She doesn't like being without her men!)

My Thoughts on Gifts

Hey, Jamie, thanks for the response!

Having given this a lot of thought, I think I like for others to know me well enough to get me a gift they know I would like or need. I kinda feel like, if you don't know me that well, then a gift isn't needed! If, for some reason a gift is appropriate and you don't feel that you know me well enough to get me a personal gift, then a gift card to Target or a local restaurant is fine. I just HATE to ask for a gift, no matter what the occasion. It's just a "thing" for me.

Well, that's all I have to say about that!

Birthday Gifts

What is your opinion on birthday gifts? Or I guess any gifts, but this is birthday week in our house, so birthday gifts are on my mind. Do you want to give everyone a list to be sure you get just the right thing? Are you frustrated when someone asks for a list and then buys something different from what you have listed? Would you like people to go out and find something that says, "BUY ME"-something that just calls out your name? Do you love gift certificates so that you can get whatever your heart desires? Do you feel like gift certificates are just taking the easy way out?

Like I said, birthdays are on my mind. Just wondering where you all stand on the issue of gifts. I'll let you know my stance later.

My Baby...

...is 7 today! Just how did that happen? I swear, it was just yesterday that she was a baby in my arms! You have never known such a happy, pleasant, sparkle child in your whole life. We are so blessed to have her in our lives.

Here she before school is in her new sweater holding her new MP3 player-both pink of course. She LOVES music and has quite a voice, so the MP3 player was just perfect! Momma even figured out how to upload songs to her player, keeping them separate from Kaylyn's. Not bad for a technically challenged Momma! Needless to say, she was thrilled to wake up and have everything loaded and ready to go. She is also quite a reader and received several books for her special day. What more could a little girl ask for? New clothes, music, and books...life is good!

Happy Birthday my baby! I wish you joy, smiles, and fun for your special day. Oh, and could you please slow down with this growing up stuff. I can't handle it!

Just Wondering...

...if 10 1/2 is the new 14? I swear that Kaylyn is displaying all of the 14 year old angst that you could ask for!

Today the issue is that I don't let her be HER! She wants to be her own person, and apparently, to my true amazement, I don't allow her to do that. REALLY! This was the subject of a very heated argument-one in which we had to sit on the side of the road to discuss for 20 minutes. By the way, I didn't have 20 minutes to sit on the side of the road...I had a ton of stuff to do tonight. A TON!!!

What started the argument you ask-yes you did, I heard it!

I dared to ask her what she liked about the tie dyed peace t-shirt at Target. That was it, I promise. One simple question in which I inquired about her preference.

Well, that won't happen again, I can promise that! From here on out, I don't CARE about why she likes something!

Oh, and she is NOT getting that dang, ugly t-shirt! Not today, not tomorrow, not EVER!

Bummer

We watched the Ravens/Steelers game. Everyone in our household wanted the Ravens to win EXCEPT Nathan. Well, in case you were living under a rock, Nathan's team won. Bummer. Of course, Nate was thrilled (and wasn't shy about letting us know just how thrilled he was!), and we will now have to cheer for the Steelers in the Super Bowl. Oh well, there is always next year.

By the way, please pray for the Raven's player, Willis McGahee, injured at the end of the game. It was a huge hit and he had to be carted off the field in a neck brace. Although it was scary, it was a great image to see so many of those huge, hulking men kneeling in prayer while they were working on McGahee. For me, that was the most amazing, timeless image of the game.

A Lovely Visit

My friend Tina came to visit this weekend. Last night she traveled an hour and 15 minutes after driving her school bus runs just to come see me and my family. Is she a great friend or what? Of course, I bribed her with the promise of a meal of French onion soup, hamburger quiche and chocolate chip cookies. She couldn't resist!

We stayed up until 12:15 a.m. chatting and catching up. Okay, to be fair, we talk on the phone almost everyday, but there is just something so wonderful about actually being face to face that makes it even better.

This morning we got up, saw Nathan win his basketball game, and then went shopping. We LOVE to go shopping especially when we can find such great deals! (Let me clarify, we were shopping at the Mennonite grocery outlet store, so it wasn't all frivolous. We were working hard to provide inexpensive food for our family. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!) After shopping we met Mom for lunch at Pizzeria Uno. Mmmmmmm!

Gary was a wonderful, super dad/husband. He coached the indoor soccer game for Kaylyn, Danny and Collin's team (of course this was at the same time as Nathan's basketball game) and then held down the fort while Tina and I spent the rest of the day out and about. He even had to take Kaylyn to a birthday party 35 minutes away and then picked her up again. This job usually falls under the heading of Momma's responsibilities, but he didn't even complain! Have I mentioned just how great he is?

All in all, it was a lovely day. Am I blessed or what?

Our Puppy Holly

We got Holly from the pound this summer, actually it was the end of July. She was about 12 weeks old and had always been with her litter mates. She was an adorable, stinky, shy, fluffy ball of cute! It has been fun (and a challenge) to have all that puppy energy in a home with 5 kids, let me tell you!

Her newest issue is she whines when the kids aren't around. At first, Gary and I thought that she was in pain for some reason and we were really concerned. We couldn't really find out where she was hurting, but she would just lay on the floor and whine. We realized that this happens just when she is "alone" on the floor. (Keep in mind, "alone" is a relative term in our house...one that means there is no one within, mmmmmmm, maybe 5 feet of you!) We also realized that the whining stopped if you touched or pet her. I was mentioning this to a friend, and she said, "Holly's lonely!".

WHAT!?! How can anyone be lonely in this house? (Refer back to the "alone" comment! Really, can 5 feet make you lonely?)

But, I think that my friend is right! I thought about it, and we got Holly when the kids were on summer break. She left her litter at the pound-the one she had lived with all of her 12 weeks here on Earth-and came into our home where there are kids willing to play with her on floor all the time. Then the kids went back to school. (Holly's hatred of the school bus is something to be discussed at a later date!) Holly is alone on the floor now. Hence, the lonely whining.

She spends her weekdays laying on the floor or looking out the window, just waiting for that euphoric moment of her, I mean my, children returning from school. Don't get me wrong, I try to entertain her. I talk to her, I pet her, I feed her little treats, I chase her with the vacuum,-I was the one that wanted the company during the day, remember?-but I do not get down on the floor with her for hours. I have to put her in the crate and leave sometimes-we have to eat so I have to shop for food! I go upstairs and clean bathrooms or put clean sheets on beds-DSS does have some standards, I think! I even leave her alone so that I can nap once in a while-ok, that might be a little selfish. I am just not able to be the playmate the children are. So sue me-I did rescue her from the pound!

Just what I need, a dog with dependency issues.

"Free" Fieldtrip

Nathan's class is going on a "free" field trip to an outdoor camp soon. It is a 4 day 3 night camp for which the state has given Nate's school a grant. (Actually, they were supposed to go last year, but due to a miscommunication they had to reschedule for this year. The worst possible week this year. The coldest week possible this year. A short week for this year-it was supposed to be a 5 day 4 night camp). The PTA chose to pay for the transportation so the whole trip isn't supposed to cost us a cent.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Yes, that's me rolling on the floor laughing!

We got the list of what to pack the other day. It is in the winter and it is an outdoor camp. Put them together and you have a lot of needed cold weather gear! Nathan has outgrown EVERYTHING needed for this trip!

Soooooooo, today I went shopping. Gloves, boots, hat, ear warmer, long underwear, extra socks, shall I go on? I spent almost $100 on supplies for this FREE trip! I sure hope he has a good time! I sure hope he uses all of this gear. If he is cold, it won't be my fault!

It's COLD!!!!

I have to say, it is the first day that I have felt like a human popsicle just waiting for the bus to come! It is 23 degrees out there with a high of 27 for the day! It shouldn't be this cold unless it's gonna snow! I hate to be cold! (I hate to be hot too, but that's for another day.)

Sports this Weekend

It was a busy sports weekend for our kids. Saturday morning, Nathan started basketball games. Please notice that he is the tallest kid on his team. He's almost as tall as the coach! He made his first point-a free throw-and his team won! I can't tell you how much better this rec program is than the one from before we moved. It is a whole different world! Nate's coach is wonderful...he encourages the kids to do their best while teaching them about the game of basketball. It was a lot of fun to watch.

That afternoon, we went over to Grammy's and watched the Raven's game. It was a really good game and the Raven's won. They move onto next week's AFC Championship game!

On Sunday, Claire's indoor soccer team played, but lost. She seemed to have fun anyway. It's really hard to get pictures because my flash doesn't flash far enough onto the "field" and all pictures turn out really dark. I'll try for some good ones next game.

Kaylyn, Danny and Collin played just after Claire. Unfortunately, they lost too. Sadly, it seems as if some of the coaches bring in already formed teams. We didn't know that, and their team, coached by Gary, is just a random group of kids that the facility put together. They're not bad, but they aren't on the same level as these teams that have played together before. Needless to say, they got beat, and beat BAD! The other team seemed to have travel kids and at least 3/4 of the team were Collin and Danny's size or BIGGER! It was a little demoralizing, but some days you just play a better team. We are hoping next week will be better.

Sunday night, we watched the Steeler's game. Nathan was thrilled that the Steelers won. It will be quite the showdown next week with the Steelers vs. Ravens. We aren't sure just how Nathan became a Steeleers fan other than Pap is. We put up with him because we have too! The rest of us are cheering for the Ravens. Either way, it'll be a fun game to watch next Sunday at 6:30.

I've been Tagged!

Susan tagged me. I've never been tagged before, but here it goes.

These are the instructions she gave me:

1. Go to your photo folders and open the 4th folder.

2. Choose the 4th photo.

3. Explain the photo.

4. Tag 4 other people!

Here is mine.

This is the first day of school back in Aug. 2008. It's just the elementary school kids-I forgot to get a picture of Nathan's first day of middle school. I'm a bad momma! It's actually a fun picture! They were excited about their first day!

I am now tagging Heather, Jeannette, Swoozy, and Sunday.

Good luck!

We will continue...

...to be over protective parents. Nathan borrowed from a friend the DVD, Dark Knight today. It is PG-13, but I thought maybe he could watch it. He says that all of the guys at school have seen it and he saw part of it at a birthday party the other night. (He had a nightmare that night, by the way! My kids are really bothered by evil and evil intentions.) I told him that Daddy and I would look up some reviews, maybe watch it, and then let him know if he could see the rest of it.

We read the reviews. He won't.

I am discouraged that other parents will allow 11 year old kids to watch this stuff. Do they do any research at all before they let their kids go see movies? And, by the way, why is Hollywood so hellbent on turning the good, admirable hero into something murky? We should be able to send kids to see a movie about Batman and feel sure that the good guy wins, the bad guy looses, and the good guy is all good, the bad guy while bad, isn't downright evil. What happened to POW!, BOP!, BANG!, etc. from the old Batman and Robin shows? Did the world really need a dark version of Batman?

From the review, and I will admit, I didn't watch the movie, it sounds REALLY dark. Admittedly, the review mentioned that there isn't a lot of blood and gore shown on the screen...it leaves it up to your imagination as to just how much pain and suffering the Joker puts people through before killing them. This makes it better? Really, have you met 11 year old boys and their imaginations? It's better to let them imagine what the Joker is doing to people? The reviewer mentions that they left the movie theater more unsettled than when they saw SAW 3! Holy cow, are you kidding me? Is this really what parents want to let into their kid's mind?

Now, that being said, I have heard over and over what a great movie Dark Knight is. I would guess that it is a good movie for an adult...at least as good as a dark Batman can get. I believe that it is really well made. Heath Ledger is supposed to be unbelievably good as the Joker. I don't have an argument there. However, it isn't a movie my 11 year old son needs to see. I think we'll go get Iron Man or Transformers instead. I'll take a good blowup movie over evil Jokers any day!

Silly Nathan

Well, although Kaylyn seems to be growing up before my very eyes, Nathan might be regressing! What a goofball! The girls had been playing with the few baby things I have in the basement, and somehow, the bink showed up in general circulation. Nate was so excited! With an exclamation of "Cool!" he popped it into his mouth and went on making a triple decker peanut butter sandwich! Take a look at Claire in the bottom corner. I don't think she knows what to think of her silly brother. He'll kill me if he knows that I've posted about this, so don't tell him, ok?

When did...

...my oldest daughter become a teenager? I swear, she is 10 1/2 going on 14!!! Check out this picture that I took this morning. Her legs are a mile long! Not to mention, she looks way too old for 4th grade! Lord, save me from teenage girls...or maybe I should be worried about teenage boys? I can't stand it! I promise that just yesterday I was changing diapers, feeding her Cheerios on her highchair tray, and watching her take those first steps. All of those moms out there, don't blink. This is what happens when you do!

Oh, and here is a picture of Kaylyn playing the violin last night. I didn't get it in the long entry last night. She was really concentrating!

I'm so sleepy

I took NyQuil again last night. I love it because I can sleep through the night with a cold, but I always feel "hungover" the next day. That being said, I am going back to bed and will post again later. Have a super day.

How Did...

my evening get so out of control? Today I needed to finish the errands that I didn't get to yesterday. I started a little late because, due to a NyQuil hangover, I went back to bed this morning. No problem, Nathan had a meeting after school and would get a ride home with our carpool buddy. I had extra time to run around Dover, so I felt no pressure. I was finished errands, came home for the stress meter to go off the charts!

First stresser: As I come through the door I see a new message on the machine. Nate's carpool buddy left school early with the stomach flu. (This, of course, was promptly blamed on exposure to our family!) I need to pick Nate up from his meeting. Ok, this presents several issues. A. I just passed his school on the way home and could've picked him up then! B. I don't know what time the meeting is over! C. I have other children coming home from elementary school with homework that will need to be taken care of while I pick up Nathan. D. I am supposed to be getting dinner ready at this time so that we can do our other nightly activities!

No problem, I wade my way through those issues to face the...

Second stresser: Kaylyn has to play her violin at the Board of Education meeting tonight at 6:00. We need to be there at 5:30. Somehow, the paper informing me of this didn't come home until yesterday! Also, Kaylyn has a friend that needs a ride, please, as her mommy's car is in the shop. No problem, where does she live? You guessed it, 10 minutes in the WRONG direction! Oh, and Gary is running late coming home from work!

No problem! I've got this under control! I put frozen chicken nuggets and fries in the oven and leave Nathan, Collin and Claire at home. (Danny came with Kaylyn and me.) Gary and I pass each other in the driveway. He gets home early enough to get the "dinner" out of the oven. Of course, at this point, I am running about 8 minutes late to pick up Kaylyn's friend, but that's ok. Also, there are 2 pickup trucks in the driveway. I'm not judging, but I sure hope that BOTH of those trucks are in non-working order! I pick up her friend (I've never met her or her family before, but NO ONE comes out to meet me. At another time I will talk about how much this concerns me, but I don't want to digress!) and head back towards the B.O.E. building, passing our house on the way.

Gary, at this point, calls me and wants to know if he takes "dinner" out of the oven, or just flips them. Good question. Looking at the fries now, they could've used several more minutes, but that's ok. Bless him, he feeds the kids left at home in time to...

Third stresser: Take Nathan to basketball practice at 6:30. This leaves 2 children, Collin and Claire to run over to Grammy's house until I get home from dropping Kaylyn's friend off.

Ok, now, I realize that those of you that live in civilization, as I used to, this seems like no big deal. HOWEVER, I do not live in civilization, I live in the country. What used to be just down the road is now 15 minutes in totally opposite directions, making a round trip half an hour! I have to say, I must have the best husband on Earth, because, although he is a planner, he took all of this craziness in stride without complaining! He was wonderful just doing what needed to be done.

And just think, when I woke up this morning, I thought I had this day under control!

Well, now that is off my chest, I am going to eat my cream of potato soup and try to unwind. Thanks for reading and, I am sure, laughing through our crazy night! Just think, you too can have this life. Just have 5 kids, a husband that works and hour and a half away and then move to the country where driving is just a way of life!

Wonderful Hubby 2

My wonderful, terrific husband bought me a real cell phone. (Those of you that don't know, I have had a Tracfone for years!) My old phone needed more minutes, which always caused a "discussion" as to just how much I needed to use my cell phone. Anyway, after Gary investigated phone plans, I am now a proud owner of a REAL cell phone. It's really cool! I can take pictures and everything with my new phone! (Ok, I am aware that I am really behind every single teenager in America.) Really, I don't need a cell phone that much. I am at home almost all of the time, but Gary decided that it was worth the monthly payment so that we didn't have anymore "discussions" about cell phones. Anyway, I just wanted to share my "happy" with you all! Have a great night!

I Hesitate to Say...

...Everyone went to school today. After throwing up yesterday morning, Claire had a restful day. She was fine by dinner, so she happily went to school today. It seems to be just a 24 hour bug, THANK GOD! I am running out to Dover to get all of the things we are out of...things like shampoo, tissues, new toothbrushes, scope, etc. (Mom picked us up toilet paper, water bottles and bread yesterday. We were out of all that too!) You just can't imagine how much we've gone through in the last 3 weeks! Have a happy day!

Snow Geese

Before moving to the Eastern Shore, I was unaware of all of the different water fowl there are. When we lived in the western part of the state, I enjoyed watching the Canadian geese when they migrated, but had never heard of Snow geese. Snow geese are AMAZING! They are, surprise, white, and travel in HUGE flocks. I have never seen such a thing! There are thousands of them in one flock. When they land, they circle, circle, and circle until they are sure they have found just the right spot (I'm guessing that's what they are looking for?). It looks like a live, white tornado. And the sound, my goodness, all of them calling at once. It's really neat. Anyway, I took a picture this morning on my way home from taking Nathan to school. The picture doesn't really do it justice, but I thought I would try. The white line at the bottom is THOUSANDS of birds-I mean THOUSANDS! Enlarge the picture by clicking on it and look closer. You just can't believe it! It's so cool to live in the country!

Shoot me!!!!

My poor Claire is throwing up again. She is so sad. She wants to go to school and see her teacher. She is SAD. She looks so cute even when she's sick. There is just a little ginger ale in that cup! Bless her heart, she tries to stay upbeat while sick. Right now she is watching Playhouse Disney-not too bad since she loves it, but misses it when she is at school. I see a nap in our near future! She told me she doesn't want to snuggle with me (one of her favorite things on Earth) because she didn't want to get me sick. I told her I already had it so we would be fine. Could you imagine a sweeter kid?

Forget the last post. I would be HAPPY to see all of the children go to school. That would mean that all of them were healthy. I can't believe the sickness that is plaguing us!

Happy and Sad

I am happy and sad that the children go back to school tomorrow.

I'm happy to get back into a routine, but sad that they have to go to school. (We've had a throw up free day so all the kids are cleared unless we have an incident tonight.) I just can't make up my mind. I guess that I could always home school. Nahhhh, not going to happen this year.

Well, I wish the kids a good first day of 2009 back at school. I've gotta go shopping!

Two More Down

Danny and Claire went to bed with throw up bins tonight.

Good grief, when will this end?

Please, please, please, go away throw up flu! We've had you visit once already this season. Go find someone else to play with. We're done with you!

Can't be Possible...

...We have the stomach flu, again! Collin woke up with a stomach ache this morning. He then promptly threw up...several times...YUCK!!!!

Gary feels sick this afternoon. GREAT!

How is it that we can have spent the WHOLE Christmas vacation fighting illness? We had had several days that everyone felt better. I thought we were out of the woods. There I go thinking again.

Pray for us! I still have several kids that haven't had this stomach flu. It could be a long first week of January.

First Day of 2009!

We had a wonderful first day of the year! We were blessed to be able to visit with our friends from before we moved. Oh, it was great to visit with those that KNOW us, LOVE us, and were excited to see us. It was like coming home! I had almost forgotten just how great it feels to be around people to whom you don't have to introduce yourself. The downside was it made me a little homesick for Northwest Baptist Church. (Actually, I have been homesick since Christmas Eve if you really want to know.) It's hard to leave a church that you have attended your whole life and just find a new one that "fits". We are trying, but, well, it's hard! As you an see, the girls had a super time. The boys did as well, but they were never around me long enough to get any pictures! They were downstairs playing video games or outside playing whatever they play in the freezing cold! I didn't brave the cold long enough to get the pictures. They only put in face time long enough to refill their plates.

Anyway, we had a wonderful time catching up with friends, eating great food and generally feeling at home. Thanks so much Dorothy and Dean for having us early and putting up with us staying late!