The Glasscock Family

Time to get back to it

2011-08-21T08:46:00.003-05:00

I'm looking forward to a new school year, and for things to get back to a bit of normalcy. We've had a great summer. Lot of traveling, memories, and family time. This picture was taken at my grandparent's farm in July. It was great to see them.

Grace is under the weather right now. She has lost about 8 pounds in the last month, has stomach cramps, and is very lethargic. We got some test results back this week, and they are looking at the possibility of a parasite. Two weeks in Mexico and a season pass to Hawaiian Falls have added to the likelihood of that conclusion. We'll find out more next week. I just hate the waiting, and I hate that she'll start her first week of 5th grade not feeling well. Happy first day of school to everyone!

Can't look back...

2010-11-15T20:38:00.004-06:00

A week ago, I finished my first 1/2 marathon. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. We started off great, but by about mile 12, I was ready to sit on the sidelines and people watch...needless to say, my running buddies cheered me on, and we finished in about 2hours and 20 minutes. I have already signed up for my next one...the Dallas Rock and Roll Half has teamed up this year with the Susan B. Komen foundation so there will be a fundraising component to it. I'll be hitting you all up :)

P.S. Please keep my college roommate, Stephanie, in your prayers. She's been diagnosed with breast cancer, and will begin chemo on the 29th. I'm pretty done with this whole cancer business!!

The week from hell...

2010-04-30T15:58:00.002-05:00

Lots of tears this week. I think that the hardest thing about the diagnosis from Monday is that we just were so taken by surprise.

It started on April 9th when we were admitted to the ER at Medical Center of Plano. They told us that dad had tumors on the right side of his brain that they thought were brain cancer. That weekend they ran NUMEROUS tests. Head CT, MRI with Dye, a contrast CT, etc. What we initially learned from all of that is that there were no other tumors anywhere else in my dad's body...they wanted to do a brain biopsy.

The neuro-surgeon, Jeffrey Cattorini, did the biopsy. He told us that he felt like on a scale of 1-10, it was a 7 that it was cancer. The pathologist in the surgery told him from two different samples, there were no cancer cells.

We rejoiced. He said that it may be viral encephalitis or a fungal something. No cancer cells = no cancer. You would think, right?? He did tell us that they were going to have to send it off to the Mayo clinic for further testing...they ended up sending it to UT Southwestern.

On April 26th, 2010, my dad had a routine visit to the neuro-surgeon to get his stitches out. We (steve and I) found out about the appointment on Friday, and I cleared my schedule to go..so did Steve...that's when the bomb was dropped. Dad has a glioblastoma. The brain cancer that defies all odds and can double in size in 10 days...

We've met the radiologist, the neuro-oncologist, and everyone in between. We just want a little time with my dad.

My Dad...

2010-04-27T09:31:00.002-05:00

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/norwynwilliams

Cadenisms from the last week....

2010-02-17T18:08:00.002-06:00

On Monday, he asked Memrie..."Why is your toilet paper softer than ours?"

On Tuesday, I took the kids with me to the PISD spelling bee competition at the administration building because one of the students that I teach was the 5th grade winner for Mathews. We sit down (Grace, Caden, myself, and another teacher on my team) and sometime during the competition Caden told my friend that the lady in front of us has "two sets of hair". Hmmm...actually she was a really butchy woman who had the chilibowl haircut. Shaved on the bottom which was brown, and the longer top was blonde.

At this point, I tell Caden that he needs to filter his words. Not everything he thinks is okay to say out loud.

To which he proceeds to say out loud at Grace's piano lesson after the spelling bee, "mom. Are boys supposed to wear Uggs?" I look over and the little boy coming in for his lesson after Grace is wearing Uggs. Really???

Then the topper of the day was during church today, Ash Wednesday. I have been having conversations with the kids for the last couple of weeks about what we are going to give up. Caden immediately speaks up with, "church." Yeah..not really the point, Caden. So he tries again,"CCD." Yeah, still not working for me. We are supposed to give something up that we like. "Well. I'm not giving things up like cheeseburgers and soda." I obviously need to keep working on it with him...

So, it was a crazy day today and I forgot about Grace's volleyball practice. It worked out because we went to the 4:30 prayer service instead for Ash Wednesday. During church, Caden complained the whole entire time about everything. His shoes, how he wanted to give up church for lent, etc. You can imagine that all I am thinking is that God is testing me. So as we leave after the ashes and before the last prayer because I've had enough...Caden says to me in the parking lot, "Whose ashes are these on my forehead?" Wow. Thanks for that one. So then we get to the car and I tell the kids that we are going to Lifetime so that I can do a spin class and Grace says, "We left early for you to go exercise? I think that church is more important than that." One of my Lenten goals is working on positive interactions with my words for my children. I was really silent this afternoon :)

Crazy Happenings

2010-01-25T19:38:00.003-06:00

We've had two fires in our neighborhood in the last 3 weeks. Both are total losses. The first family has a 1st grader at Mathews and a preschooler. I'd never met the family before, but had the opportunity to meet them in person at a birthday party two weeks ago. They had a repairman at their house working on the furnace. The mom and two girls were out running errands while the dad was at home. The repairman went to the car to write up everything, and while he was in the car the homeowner turned the heat up...it was at 50 while he was trying to work on it. Well, apparently a current went through the wires and it sparked the furnace in the attic. The attic was on fire for about 20 minutes or so before they even knew it. So sad, but they are all okay. The company is liable, but that's not going to bring their stuff back. Lesson to be learned - fire alarms in the attic...

The one on Saturday was a street north from us and close to the school. It was an older couple who collected antique cars. They started the car and it sparked a pile of oil that was in the garage. They escaped, tried to put it out with an extinguisher in the garage, but the car blew up. They are fine, they got their pet out, but once again...the house was a total loss. The kids and I walked down the street and watched it for about an hour. It was so sad..really makes you think. Do we have copies of all our credit cards, passports, licenses, all important documents? What's our homeowners policy for fire? Do we have a video of room to room in our house? Do we have copies of it with our parents? We now have a few projects to take care of.

Here are some pics of the fire from Saturday.

Seriously Slacking

2010-01-05T16:46:00.002-06:00

So much to do and such little time to get it done. One of these days I will update this thing. Had a great 1st day back to school. I really do love my job!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-26T09:22:00.003-06:00

Bags packed, car loaded, kids occupied with electronics, we left for the ranch on Tuesday after school. With George Bush opened all the way to 30, it made for a quick escape from Plano. We made the trip in about 5 1/2 hours, which isn't too bad considering that we stopped a couple of times, it was dark which is a slower speed limit, and we were constantly on the lookout for deer. When we were leaving Comanche and headed toward Brownwood we saw the biggest buck on the side of the road. Chris and I agreed that was probably going to be the biggest deer that we saw on our trip :)

I'm looking forward to hanging out with Chris and the kids on the ranch today. I'm thinking of my friends who have lost loved ones this year. It is going to be a tough day for them and I wish you a day filled with remembering old times and making new memories of your own.

Today we're going to attempt to take some family pictures for our Xmas card this year, ride out on the land looking for critters, and watch some football. GO BRONCOS!!!

p.s. Chris was so disgusted with the Broncos after last Sunday's game that he changed his shirt when it was over. That was a first for me and I am hoping that he gets to wear his shirt ALL day today!

A lot to catch up on....

2009-11-09T21:25:00.003-06:00

I don't really even know where to start. Our life right now is full of games, games, practices, and more games. Grace had a FANTASTIC weekend of games. We've had to make up all of the games from the rain, which led to a game on Thursday, one on Saturday, and one more on Sunday. She had 3 goals this weekend. Two on Saturday and another one on Sunday. She was ON FIRE!! Fun times!!

Caden is still going through phases. He's really particular about everything. Sometimes love and logic just doesn't work.

Remy is proving to be a silly dog. She is getting the hang of the potty training, and is even doing a great job on her leash. We are still working on the "down" and not jumping on the kids, but it's a work in progress. Her latest trick is to climb the rock wall on our swing set. Yes, you read that correctly. She goes up and down the rock wall. The first time she went down the slide, but after that she decided to just jump. Now, she goes up AND down the rock wall. She's really starting to mellow out some, and she is a very loving dog.

Grace decided that she wanted to be the Twister game board this year, and Caden wanted to be scary. It's funny that he chose that since he won't go into a dark room by himself right now :)

We've had lice go through our house, the kids went to Disney for a week with Gma Mem and Granddad, and they both had Flu A. We're ready for the holidays and some down time. I am even thinking of getting out the X-Mas decorations next week so that they'll be ready to go when we get back from Ann's at Thanksgiving. I haven't done a lick of shopping, but I figure that it'll all get done. Happy Monday!!

Good Grief...Grace!

2009-09-19T11:41:00.002-05:00

My little smarty pants..so proud of her!! I just was going through her folder and looking at the work from the week. There's a blue letter from her reading teacher attached to a test. The gist of the letter is that it's their first test, first tests can be challenging, and that the grading on the first test is very lenient. Points will be taken off for spelling, no excuse words, and not using complete sentences. Hmmm....turn the letter over...Grace got a 100!!! Atta girl Grace!

96 on a math test, 100 on another math test from last week. She is off to a great start this year!!

Getting Back to it....

2009-09-19T09:11:00.004-05:00

The transition from summer mom to working mom seems like it's been a little rough the last few weeks. We are all having our "days" it seems, but just not on the same one (smile). We have something literally every afternoon of the week. Monday - soccer for Grace, Tuesday - piano, Wednesday - CCD, Thursday - baseball for Caden, and Friday- soccer for Grace again. Then...the games on Saturday and Sunday. It has not left us with a lot of down time, and that has been a huge part of the transition also.

My mental health rests on me getting some time to myself each day...even 5 minutes to go to the bathroom by myself. I also like the time to be when I exercise. I have been making a lot of excuses lately, but this morning Remy and I ran 3.0 miles without stopping and it made me realize that the time for excuses is over. So...cheers to a great school year!

Grace is Turning 9..

2009-09-05T15:46:00.004-05:00

Grace's birthday is Monday, September 7th. To celebrate she brought a cookie cake to school on Friday and she is having 4 friends spend the night tonight. My sweet baby girl is definitely growing up.

It seems like yesterday that she was born. Finding out that the baby in my belly for 9 months was a little girl was the best surprise ever. I'm so proud of her and the little girl that she has turned into.

Remy...

2009-09-05T15:35:00.002-05:00

Remy is doing well...as well as you can expect for a playful puppy. She is so darn cute and the kids absolutely love her. Chris and I love her also...she's doing really well with the sit command. She's really a smart little cookie and we're hoping that she figures out this potty training thing really soon.

We had a bit of scare this morning. We've been putting her outside in the backyard in the mornings while we are getting ready so that she can run around before she goes in her kennel for the day. She either got into something or something stung her because her WHOLE face was swollen. Her eyes were almost swollen shut, her glands in her mouth, hives on her tummy, etc. It scared the daylights out of us. We took her to the vet and they gave her a steroid shot and some steroids for the rest of the week. She's back to normal now. Thank goodness!

Cadenisms....

2009-09-05T15:33:00.001-05:00

During practicing spelling words he spelled citizenship...c-i-t-i-z-e-n-s-h-i-t. It was ABSOLUTELY the funniest thing. He, of course, had no idea what he had done. He was just trying to figure out how to spell the big word. Grace's eyes got huge and I told Caden that he needs to NOT put those four letters together again. He got it correct on his spelling test!

"Does Remy have her eyes back?" You'll see why he said this in the next post...

First Day of School 2009-2010 School Year...

2009-09-05T15:21:00.003-05:00

Well, we've officially made it through our first few weeks of school. Grace is getting back into the routine of things and Caden is still moving right along too. We've only had a few hiccups along the way...such as getting ready in the mornings. Caden all of the sudden dislikes all of his socks and Grace seems to have grown out of everything that we have...even the stuff that we bought a few weeks ago. So, it's a process. Trying to get us all organized and such is the goal right now.

It's cute..Caden is still pretty clingy to me in the mornings. Sometimes it makes me wonder if he wouldn't be better off without me at the same school, but I know that he has plenty of time to be independent and I am enjoying all of the extra hugs and kisses :) I leave for school around 6:45 and I work in the mornings rather than staying late in the afternoons... (I still usually work at least an hour or two in the evenings once they are in bed)...so I leave right after the kids are awake and dressed. Caden comes to my room each morning and we walk down to 1st grade together. Grace is too worried about making sure that she is unpacked, in the right switch class, and ready for the day to take time to walk Caden down. She is very meticulous about dates, times, etc. She definitely takes after her mom with that!

On another note, my 50 5th graders that I teach each day seem wonderful. I am excited to come to school each day and see what they have in store for me. Happy new school year to all my friends out there!!

Getting Caught up...

2009-09-05T15:20:00.000-05:00

I'm going to be better about updating my blog. I have lots of fun stories to tell and I'm sure that you are all DYING to hear them :) Much more to come...

Crying Kids....

2009-07-16T20:10:00.003-05:00

Chris and I leave tomorrow for Cancun with a bunch of friends for 5 nights/6 days. The first one of our "group" is turning 40 next week and we are all taking the opportunity to get away and celebrate "adults only" style. We've had this planned for MONTHS...and my children are acting like we are leaving and never coming back.

Caden is telling me that he is not able to spend more than one night away from his room. That he'll only spend one night at Gma and Granddad's and then he needs to come home. Can't you change your flight? Why can't you come home early? Why can't we come? I'm sure that you can hear everything his little mind is thinking. He even ended up with a stomachache this afternoon because I know that he is so worried about it. My sweet little man.

Grace had tears in her eyes this evening when I went to kiss her goodnight as well. I think that they are both just exhausted from Hawaiian Falls today. We tried to make it a fun family day for them and I think that we succeeded.

Say a little prayer that Chris and I depart and arrive home safely. I am going to miss my children, but not enough to stay home :)

****UPDATE...just went into Caden's room and he put a pillow and blanket on his floor for me to come and cuddle with him later...breaking my heart!!

Remy update

2009-07-14T18:20:00.003-05:00

Remy is still the focus of our household right now. She is a bundle of energy and teeth :) She is a huge pain to Bailey...his favorite thing to do is growl at her, but he is also very patient with her.

We've learned...to keep our shoes in our closet if we don't want her to chew on them...that when she whines in her kennel she needs to outside...even when it's 3am or so...that she can make it several hours during the day without having an accident...that we need to keep paper towels handy for when she has an accident...that even though we just had her outside 5 minutes ago she still will pee on the floor...to keep her in an area without carpet...that we love her dearly and I made Chris call his parents on her every day that we were on our vacation...that Caden is a great helper with her...that she's lucky she's so cute...that she is growing bigger every day!!

Family Vacation Part 2....

2009-07-14T18:04:00.004-05:00

Hill City was a great little town. Several restaurants and it really felt like a small ski town like we are used to in Colorado. VERY touristy, but that is exactly what we were looking for. We also loved Keystone, SD, again the same feel but had a lot to offer for all of us to do. I recommend staying in either one of those towns if you decide to do Rushmore. Both towns do a little "Shoot Out" since that area is where Wild Bill had his last fight, died, etc. Grace was chosen to give the cowboys in Hill City a quarter and they gave her it back with a hole in the middle of it. I wonder why the metal wasn't warm when we got it back AND the circle was perfect...hmmm...Grace and Caden both loved it though :)

So the 2nd day in Hill City we decided to go to Custer State Park. This is a prairie complete with roaming buffalo, antelope, and prairie dogs galore. It was great to see animals roaming free instead of cooped up in areas like we saw them the day before. I bet by the time we left we saw over a 100 of each one of those animals. It made me want to sing, "Home on the Range." This buffalo was HUGE and it just was walking down the road. We had to take a picture of it.

Family Vacation...

2009-07-14T16:34:00.008-05:00

Grandpa and I
Grandma and I
On the 4th at the parade in Exira. It was rainy, but we stuck it out.
Mount Rushmore
Family picture
We took the kids to see my 91 and 93 year old grandparents in Iowa for the 4th of July. My family (parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents,etc.) are all doing our annual Family Reunion this Saturday, but Chris and I are going to be in Cancun so we decided that it would be fun to go the 4th instead.

We started off leaving home on Thursday the 2nd. We drove to Kansas City, KS, and stayed the night in Great Wolf Lodge. It's about a 9 hour drive to that point so it is a great stopping point and the kids love the water park. We let the kids swim on Friday morning again and then headed to Casey, IA. We did a detour through Corning, IA, and I showed the kids the cemetery where Gma and Gpa Talty are. We each left them a rose on their headstone. It's hard to believe that August will make it 9 years ago that we lost him and Gma will be 3 years in December. The drive from Kansas City to Corning still chokes me up. I still expect that Gma T will be waiting for us to open the front door and greet her and it's hard that she is gone.

We checked into our hotel in Adair, IA, and then headed out to the farm to see Gma and Gpa Williams. She was a little upset that we weren't staying with her, but I knew that they needed their space from all of us and I like a shower instead of the tub. She still cooked for us all of the staples for her - homemade mac and cheese, Iowa sweet corn, mashed potatoes, meatloaf, etc. It was delish. My grandma can cook!! We had a wonderful visit with them full of laughter, playing cards, and small town living. Loved it! We also loved the weather...62 degrees!!

When we left Casey/Adair on Sunday we drove to Hill City, South Dakota. We took a detour through The Badlands and then checked into our cabin. I found this cabin on the internet. Chris and I both thought that it would be more fun to stay in a cabin rather than a hotel. This little cabin had 3 rooms, two bathrooms, and was VERY rustic, but had a great deal of charm. It was a perfect place to go after a long day where the kids could run around and play

Hill City was 10 miles from Mount Rushmore. We spent Monday seeing the monument in the morning. They have a junior park ranger badge that the kids had to answer a bunch of questions to earn it. We learned a lot about U.S. history and the monument was beautiful. They were taking down a bunch of stuff down from the top of the monument that day so we decided to go back in the evening for the lighting ceremony they do and to get some pictures of the monument without all of the people on top of it :) So...to keep ourselves busy we went to Bear Country U.S.A and to the Reptile Gardens. Both were money pits, but we all had a great time.

Chris and the kids in front of the cabin
Bear Country here we come...
The bears were all over the place. Mostly looking for shade because it was really warm that day. This is my favorite pic of the bears. We stayed in our cars and they wouldn't let us put the windows down. We cheated here and there and I went out the sunroof to get some good pics.
At the end of the ride they have a "zoo" that you walk through and see all the cubs and different animals. Here's a cute one of one of the cubs.

Remy...

2009-06-25T21:29:00.004-05:00

She has made our ottoman in our living room her hideout. She takes her toys under there and hides. We have the big dogs and I think that she likes to hide to get away from all of the chaos too.

Background...Remy's mom is named Gypsy and she is a Blue Heeler. She was found on the side of the road in Oklahoma miles from civilization eating road kill. A guy stopped and picked her up to find that she had been shot in the behind and had a broken leg. When he took her to the vet to get her leg set he also found out that she was pregnant. This guy's mom works for PISD and sent out an email with the puppies that looked just like our little Sadie girl that we had to put down a little over a year ago. We figured that the timing was right (summer) so we emailed Debbie and told her that we wanted one of the little girls. She was born on Mother's Day.

We didn't tell the kids that we were getting a puppy. We told them that Chris needed to get something from a teacher and so we went to her house last Monday. I wish that I had a video camera to capture the look on Grace and Caden's faces as they saw 9 little 6 week old puppies running all around the garage. They were in absolute awe and were so thankful that we were going to bring one home. We picked a little girl and then we let the name game begin.

We went through SEVERAL websites, lists of names, etc. I liked Penelope and Tinkerbell. Chris refused Tink because he didn't want to have to call that out running down the street to get her if she decided to escape. Not very manly. Ha. I started looking at names of wine grapes, cocktails, etc. and found a champagne names Remy Martin. So...that's how she got her name.

The kids are in ABSOLUTE love with her. She is a sweet little thing. Full of energy and hopefully she'll be a good sleeper tonight too!

Father's Day

2009-06-25T21:18:00.011-05:00

A time of reflection. I'm thankful for my dad and Chris's dad. They are terrific grandparents. I am also so thankful for Chris and the hands on kind of dad that he is. I've always been able to count on him for help with the kids and as a result they absolutely adore him. He is the rock in our family and I am forever grateful for finding him. Love you!!

****my mom was not pictured in any of these because I respected her wishes and didn't photograph her. She took a header into the cement on Friday and had two black eyes, scraped nose, bruised lip, and on and on...she's really lucky that it wasn't worse.

For Father's Day this year we went to the races. My parents, my brother Steve and his girlfriend Liz, and then the kids and me. It was a great time and Chris even won some money :)

More Jonas

2009-06-25T20:41:00.005-05:00

Bowing to the SCREAMING girls...
Going down the middle for the final goodbye.
Miley and Nick...
The icing on the cake from this concert was that Miley Cyrus came out and sang a song with Nick at the end of the show. It was an awesome surprise!!

Jonas Brothers During the concert

2009-06-25T20:33:00.002-05:00

Having the time of her life!
I think that he(Nick) was singing this to me :) Chris and I were both amazed at how talented he was. He played the guitar, piano, and sang.
Joe...
At this point Caden was all smiles.
Jordan Sparks was the opening act along with a boy band called Honor Society

Jonas Brothers..Before the Concert...

2009-06-25T20:23:00.004-05:00

Chris and I purchased these tickets a very long time ago. We gave the kids the tickets as a surprise at Easter time. I knew that the kids would want to go to see the concert and I was hoping that Chris would go with me to take them. I think that he just went to check out the new stadium, but we were both VERY surpised at how much we enjoyed it. It was a great time.
Standing outside the stadium. You could hear the screaming girls from inside the stadium as we were walking from the parking lot towards the stadium. I don't think that I've ever heard as much screaming as I did that evening.

This was our view of the stage from our seats.

More Graduation Pics...

2009-06-13T15:05:00.001-05:00

Group Picture
Other table at dinner
Dylan and I

10885 108th Place...Osseo, Minnesota

2009-06-13T14:59:00.002-05:00

Was where we lived from when I was 2 until the end of 5th grade when we moved to Illinois. The house didn't used to be this color and everything sure did look a whole lot smaller. My brothers and I stopped here on our way back to Minneapolis. It was fun seeing all of the places that we used to hang out and ride our bikes through. Not to mention sledding down the huge hills and remembering my dad's HUGE garden. Fun times!!

This was the steeple from our old church that we went to. St. Vincent de Paul's Catholic church. They built a new HUGE church, but the retirement community kept the steeple from the old church.

Matthew's Graduation June 2009

2009-06-13T14:43:00.004-05:00

On the last day of school this year I hopped on a plane with two of my brothers to Minneapolis. We stayed in Elk River, MN, on Friday night so that my brother Steve could see a friend of his from high school. We ate dinner with them and then made it to the hotel. I was exhausted from all the activity that day and was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Saturday morning we drove to Duluth for the graduation party. We were about 2 1/2 hours in the car and made it there uneventfully. Thank goodness :) Here are some pics from the party and then we all went to dinner that evening. It was great to see everyone.

I think that the best part of the trip was spending time with my brothers. It usually never happens without spouses or kids and it was a great time. We all fought like siblings the whole trip, but we had a lot of trips down memory lane and a lot of laughs too.

Matthew, the graduate, and I at dinner.
Cassie and I
Mike and Matthew
The Cake
My brother Tom, Mike, Cassie, and Steve

Summer School...

2009-06-09T14:09:00.003-05:00

I had an opportunity this week to teach it...NO WAY!!! I'll update soon with pics from the graduation this weekend in Duluth. It was really cold, but we had a great time!

Sweet Grace

2009-05-29T21:31:00.002-05:00

I just have to take a minute to brag on my precious little girl. She is at the age right now where a lot of her friends are starting to form little groups and I've seen how Grace handles herself in these situations - a definite perk of being at school with her. For example, one of her little friends came up to her yesterday and said,
"X is coming to MY house after school today," to which Grace replied,
"You really shouldn't talk about people coming to your house when not everyone is invited. That's how people's feelings get hurt." GO GRACE!!! Then the little girl said, "Well, I don't really care what you think...and a bunch of other stuff" GRRR... Girls and their petty little digs. I can't believe that it starts so young, but I'm so proud of Grace for telling her like it is. I told Grace that she should have just turned to her and said, "that's great. I sure hope that you guys have fun." and walk away. I know that it's a lot easier said than done, but good grief. I have a feeling that we've got a long road ahead of us with girl drama and I'm so thankful that I have a sweet one :)

SO BUSY!!!

2009-05-28T20:26:00.005-05:00

This year is really starting to wind down. I have 75 research papers to grade this weekend...assuming everyone turns one in...5th grade graduation next week...baseball games....softball games...and summer camps to schedule!! Woo Hoo...I'm ready for some down time. I wish that I could say that this year has flown...full time...not so much :)

Random Pics from the last few Months....

2009-05-10T12:10:00.002-05:00

Amazing Grace...
Caden singing in his school program.
Singing part 2
Family waiting on Caden to open his birthday presents.

First Communion Part 3

2009-05-10T12:01:00.002-05:00

The Cake
We're so thankful for friends :)
Grace and Lauren

Caden's First Baseball Game of the Season

2009-05-10T11:43:00.002-05:00

He started playing 2nd base
In the dugout before the game
Getting the bag in the dugout
getting settled
Conferencing during warm-up. I think Caden was showing Blake that his bottom teeth are coming in. Ha!!

First Communion Part 2

2009-05-10T11:31:00.003-05:00

With her Aunt Amy and my brother Mike
With my parents
On the altar at church after the ceremony

Her godparents are Matt and Amy Reedy. Nathan also made his first communion with Grace. It was great doing this experience together.
With her Grandma and Granddad

Grace's First Communion

2009-05-10T11:25:00.002-05:00

A huge milestone in the Catholic Church is the sacrament of First Communion. Grace made hers last Sunday on May 3rd. It was extremely hard to put on her veil without crying. It was such a great day and Chris and I are so extremely proud of her.

Caden Turns 6

2009-04-18T16:48:00.004-05:00

April 10th is Caden's birthday. He had been dying for these little frogs from Learning Express. They live in a little plastic container that is its own living environment. It has a snail, bamboo, and living gravel. He was so excited to open it!Here is a cute pic of him opening all of his presents in the morning. His birthday fell on Good Friday this year so it was nice to have the day off!!

My 16 year old niece, Cassie, and my 18 year old nephew, Matthew, were in town for Spring Break from Duluth, MN. It was great to spend time with them and as you can see from the picture, we took them to Strikz to go bowling. The little boy with Caden is his friend, Blake. My other nephew, Brandon, and his sister Emily met us there with my brother. Fun times :)
After bowling, the whole family met at our house and we ate dinner, opened presents, and had cake and ice cream. It was a jam packed day. Happy Birthday Caden!!

Braggin' Rights...

2009-04-05T14:48:00.002-05:00

I'm so proud of my children. I know that Easter is a time of reflection, and I'm feeling a little bit that way today. When we were in Panama City, Florida, almost all of the waiters commented on the manners of my children. They were so complimentary of Grace and Caden and some waiters even went on to tell other waiters/staff about our children and how well behaved they were. Those kind of moments make your heart swell up and reaffirm that you are doing a good job :) Grace and Caden even got a free cookie out of one of the places we ate breakfast because the lady checking us out at the bakery heard about how well behaved they were. I'm trying to treasure every moment we have :)

As all of you know, Caden is the one who keeps us on our toes. You just really never know what is going to come out of his mouth. Today at church, the priest was giving the homily during mass. Caden looks at me and says, "Who is he talking to?" Ummm...Caden...that would be all of us - ha!! What a good Catholic! I can't believe that Caden is turning 6 on Friday. I keep telling him that we get a day off of school because it's his birthday. I think that he is starting to believe me. I'm going to have to fix that one. We do have the day off, but not because of him. Caden is not one to have ANY attention drawn to him. He doesn't even want a birthday party this year. We're just going to plan a small family celebration and do something fun on Friday. Maybe the zoo if it is nice or Six Flags. He wants his friend, Blake, to come and spend the night. I am liking his simplicity this year :)

Grace, on the other hand, is full of drama these days. Not anywhere else but with me. She's intelligent, strong willed, opinionated, and willing to let you know what she thinks. I know that my good friends out there are probably laughing right now. She's a lot like me...which is why we bump heads so much :) She's also a very sweet little girl. She loves the smaller children and is going to make a great babysitter someday. Mwah...I love my kids :)

It's Not Spring in Texas....

2009-04-04T20:59:00.003-05:00

Until the Bluebonnets are out :)

Germs...

2009-04-03T16:52:00.003-05:00

It all started last Sunday. We were at a birthday party for one of Grace's friends, but they are also family friends. The mom of the birthday girl, asked Caden if he wanted to skate also. Of course!! He skated for about 40 minutes like a champ and then I told him to take off his skates because we were going to do cake. He told me that he didn't want cake and that he wanted to leave. I knew that there was problem. Luckily, Chris had met us there after his soccer game so Caden and I could leave. We got to the parking lot and Caden was as white as a ghost. Uh Oh...I start digging in my trunk for a bag and luckily I found one. A sprouts bag. I get Caden to the side of the parking lot -no grass anywhere- and he starts throwing up. There's a hole in the bottom of the bag. The throw up goes through the bag and straight to the concrete. It splashes all over Caden, his legs, his shoes, my shoes, and all over my hands. FUN!!!

I decided to stay home with Caden on Monday. He needed a day to recover and so did I. Tuesday evening it hit me as well. I got the bug. I lost 6 pounds in twelve hours which gives you an idea of how bad this bug was. Wednesday morning as I am laying in the floor on our bedroom (the only comfortable position) Chris tells me that Caden has diaherrea. I told him to just leave him home with me. We'd be sick together. I literally could not move off the floor because every single muscle in my body ached. A deep down horrible ache. My wonderful husband called my amazing mother in law and she came and got Caden. I slept almost the whole day and night. It was awful...now Memrie has the bug too. I'm so sorry!! Nasty germs!!!

Shell Island

2009-03-25T17:45:00.005-05:00

Since the town of Panama City was infused with college partiers, we had to find a spot of beach that was a bit more serene. St. Andrew's State Park delivered. It was a great spot for families. And really anyone that didn't want to get in on the party scene. This is where we spent the bulk of our time. The pictures really say it all. Chris was our castle engineer that week. We also took a fairy from the state park to Shell Island. It's totally uninhibited and was a great place to find some shells.

First day on the beach and castle #1...

Shell Island...

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-25T17:31:00.005-05:00

We decided to go out for a late lunch. We'd been on the beach that morning and had a blast. We thought that we were going to go to Pineapple Willy's, but St. Patricks day + college kids on spring break does not equal a good family environment. After we went to Margaritaville for lunch we found a great little German bar and restaurant down the street in Pier Park. We sat on the patio, drank green beer,let the kids play with their new toys - balls-, and we listened to the live band. It was a great afternoon!

You never know...

2009-03-16T09:27:00.003-05:00

Okay, so Chris and I decided to take the kids to a restaurant near the beach last night for dinner. We made the mistake of taking Front Beach Road which is where all of the teenagers and young twenties are...bumper to bumper traffic...Girls swaying all over the road while trying to walk, guys screaming and yelling at the girls, it was a scene right out of every cliche Spring Break movie that you have ever seen. EXCEPT, we have our kids in the backseat. Grace asks, "Where are all of these kids going?" Caden said, "Probably to a party." I think that he nailed that one right on the head. Chris and I were cracking up!!! This picture is from us walking back to the car after dinner. It was sprinkling and Caden was mad that the bottom of his jeans were getting wet. You can see that he is holding them up so that they stay dry. HA!!

Driving to Panama City, Florida...

2009-03-16T08:52:00.008-05:00

We left our house on Saturday at 7:09am (I know the exact time because I was hoping that we would have already been gone by then). Chris had borrowed an adapter for the car that allowed him to hook up the wii to the tv in his Tahoe (thanks Kevin for letting us borrow)!! The kids were so excited to play and it was a great distractor. It took us about 14 hours to get here. Only 12 1/2 hours of drive time, but we stopped for lunch, dinner, and at a lot of different rest areas and signs to take the kids pictures. I can't express to you effectively how GREAT the kids did in the car. They were tired at the end (we all were), but they hung in there and we are now ready to have a great week!!!
Caden in the car with the Wii..

Grace was really concentrating...

I forgot to talk about the drive...it rained almost the WHOLE way to Florida. We got pictures of the kids by the signs in Missippi and Florida. It was raining too hard to stop in Alabama and we figured that the one in Louisiana wasn't worth the stop - ha!! This pic of the kids in front of the Mississippi sign is in Vicksburg. I drove across the bridge in the background. I drove across a lot of bridges this trip that I was not expecting. I was white knuckled the whole way!!
The rest area in Florida had a tribute to the Blue Angels. We had to have a picture of it!!

Sadie, Sadie, Pretty Lady...

2009-03-08T19:26:00.004-05:00

It was one year ago today that we sent Sadie to doggie heaven...she was the best dog ever and we miss her terribly...We still have her ashes in a box...someday we'll be able to celebrate her and spread her ashes...she was the one that the kids could tug on her ears, sit on her, and she would never blink an eye...our "find" from Mr. Dunlap. We miss you!

The Letter Gg by Caden...

2009-03-07T16:58:00.002-06:00

My personal favorite is the stinky gorilla with his fumes :)

Vegas, Baby!!!

2009-03-04T17:49:00.006-06:00

We decided to take an adults only trip to Vegas this year. My parents, two of my brothers, Ann, and my uncle Charlie from Omaha all met in Vegas this year. The guys went to the NASCAR race on Sunday, and the girls decided to walk the strip and go shopping. It was a lot of fun to have us all together and hanging out :) My body is still trying to recover from all the late nights. We stayed at the Mirage.

My brother Mike and I posing at the casino...
Mike, Amy, Chris and I went for Italian food on Sunday night. We found a fun t-shirt shop and couldn't stop laughing at some of these shirts :)

New Pics...

2009-02-15T12:57:00.004-06:00

While I was at a baby "sprinkle", Chris took the kids to a park to take their pictures as a gift for me.
He took 122 pics in all...some of them were great...I guess Caden was in a "mood" - ha!!

Butterfly Kisses...

2009-02-07T08:34:00.004-06:00

Last night was the daddy and daughter dance. Chris showed up on the right night this time :) We had some friends come hang out before the dance and then the guys went to the dance and the moms took the boys to Dave and Busters. It's pretty cool how this friendship has developed this year. Brooke and Grace have been on the same soccer team since kindergarten. This year they are in the same class and her little brother Blake and Caden are in the same kindergarten class. Small world, but has made for fun friendships :) The song that Chris and Grace danced to was "Butterfly Kisses." Awww....

Chris and Grace
The foursome posing for a pic.The girls ready to go!Can't forget the boys...

Just when you think that you've got it bad....

2009-02-05T18:24:00.004-06:00

***update...Janine passed last night right after Melanie left seeing her...ironic 'huh? Her husband, son, and daughter were walking Mel out and she let herself go. Off to a better place where she won't suffer.
**********************************************************************************
My team leader, Melanie, is in need of your prayers. Her best friend was diagnosed with cancer 11 weeks ago and is now in hospice with a week (maybe) to live. I can't even fathom what that would be like to go through.

We've talked a lot about her friend and their friendship over the course of the last 11 weeks. I've tried to learn more about Melanie and her friend and as we all know, sometimes it just helps to talk. I am a listener. I am really a care taker and feel the need to help and care for the people around me. I digress....during these talks that M and her friend have had, she told me when she was first diagnosed they sat on her friend's bed and just talked and laughed. Cried a bit too, but ever since that day, all they have done is laugh. They sit around and tell stories of their lives and the experiences that they have shared together. Her friend told her that it was okay for her to go now because her kids are grown (daughter is 26 and her son just graduated from college). She was able to meet her 6 month old grandson and she knew that she will live on in their hearts. It's going to be a long road...

Also, my other team mate is pregnant with her 1st baby. She's 29 weeks now and has started bleeding. They are telling her that her cervix is thinning and she's probably going to be put on bedrest soon. Not fun...makes for a lot of team bonding :)

Nothing fun about being sick...

2009-02-01T17:53:00.000-06:00

Caden and I are both under the weather today...he is exhausted and has a horribly runny nose from allergies and I woke up with a stomach bug. YUCK!!! I'm feeling better - thanks to the Immodium - but I am wondering what the night will bring for Caden. Send hugs and prayers my way!!

Ice Days....

2009-01-29T17:25:00.003-06:00

The Doves were taking refuge on our swing set.
The kids trying to get to the icicles.
Success!!!
I'm in my classroom on Tuesday morning around 10:50am and I hear over the intercom, "Will all team leaders please report to the office." Hmmm...I know that this is not good. Within 5 minutes my team leader is running down the hallway - literally - and gathering us all up. She tells us that Plano ISD is releasing the students at 12:30pm and we have to call ALL of the parents and make sure that they know. Well...that just sent everyone into a tizzy. Before I could even get back to the classroom to explain to the students what was going on, the office manager comes over the intercom and tells the students. Now we're at just pure bedlam. The kids are not worried, they are just plain EXCITED!! Note that at this time it's 11am and we're not dismissing for another hour and 1/2...also, please note that no learning went on during this time. The phones overloaded because every teacher of every student in PISD was having to call home. CRAZY. I, being the fabulous problem solver that I am, decide to use my cell phone. Now every parent from my 2nd class of kids (24 in all) has my cell phone number - nice 'huh? Oh well..no calls yet! Can you imagine what it was like trying to get 24 5th graders to stay focused on something to do or watch so that I could call all of those parents. It was definitely a large glass of wine night for me so I was glad that school was cancelled the next day. I just don't want to make it up!!

Out of the mouths of Babes...

2009-01-19T15:21:00.002-06:00

Chris and I were cleaning up around the house this weekend and Grace says to us, "Are we having people over?" I found it both humorous and sad that my child thinks that the only time we clean toilets and do laundry is because company is coming.

Last night we were driving home from a fun afternoon of family time. We went shopping at Stonebriar and then to dinner at Scotty P's. On the way home from dinner Caden says, "Last week I thought that Jessica in my class was cute." Chris and I both glance at each other and try to keep from laughing...so Chris says, "Why did you think that?" To which Caden replied, "She had ponytails in her hair." I don't know that I'm ready for Caden to be thinking about things like that yet. He's not even 6.

A Nice Day Outside...

2009-01-19T08:06:00.001-06:00

The weather in Texas has been hot one day and FREEZING the next. The kids took advantage of a nice day last week.

Christmas at My Parent's House...

2009-01-19T07:56:00.003-06:00

The kids were all hanging out with their electronics on Emily's new bean bagGrace was excited with her new doll.
The kids are deep in concentration with opening gifts.
Before the kids opened the packages.
My sister in law, Amy, and my brother's girlfriend, Liz and I all posing.

Chris's parents go to Cancun, Mexico, every year for the holidays. We always head to my parent's house in the morning after we've opened presents at our house.

Christmas Morning...

2009-01-18T21:02:00.002-06:00

Grace with American Girl doll nightgown and matching for her dolls.A make up kit.
Caden was concentrating very hard :)
Santa got us just what we wanted!!
Couldn't resist this smile...

Christmas Eve part 2...

2009-01-18T20:57:00.001-06:00

Grace is fast asleep.So is Caden...
Chris's fabulous Xmas lights on our house...
Can't forget the letter to Santa...

Christmas Eve 2008...

2009-01-18T20:51:00.002-06:00

Christmas Mass is must in our house. If you've grown up Catholic, you know what I mean. When Grace was little we decided to start going to the 4:30pm Children's mass at Seton. It's so cute because the first part of the mass is the children acting out the manger scene. Precious!! Every year Father Henry plays "Silent Night" on his harmonica and it just never seems like Christmas until we hear him play that tune. Each year Christmas mass seems to mean different things to me. It's such a reflection of the year. I get pretty weepy at all of the songs and being thankful for the many blessings in my life. It's pretty easy to get caught up in the day to day "worries", but overall...my life is good and I have much to be thankful for.

Our Annual Christmas Party...

2009-01-18T20:41:00.004-06:00

Life is funny. I think that everyone we meet has a place in our lives for one reason or another. Chris has played softball with a group of guys for more than 11 years. We all started out as acquaintances and through the years we have become close friends. Friends for life. We've all watched each other get married, have babies, and go through good times and not so good times together. I am thankful for this group of people that I call my friends. Here are some pics from our annual xmas party that Chris and I host.

The Boys in their City of Plano Championship shirts for Softball. Their first ever in 11+ year. Go boys!!The Girls...

Trimming the Tree....

2009-01-18T20:32:00.002-06:00

My mom buys us a new ornament every year. It's been fun seeing them each year with the ones from the beginning of our marriage of just the two of us, then add in Grace, and finally CadenBrother and sisterly love...for a minute....
Everyone helping out!

Christmas and New Year's

2009-01-09T17:02:00.001-06:00

I'll be posting more this weekend. Sorry it's been so long since I've blogged :)

Letters to Santa . . .

2008-12-20T10:58:00.005-06:00

Then I said something to Grace about having something for Caden, something for me, but nothing for Chris. Here is what she did - So FUNNY!!!

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-15T19:17:00.000-06:00

Here's a new pic of the family :)

Survived Camp!!

2008-12-14T20:40:00.002-06:00

Woo Hoo!! Last week I went to Collin County Adventure Camp with my 5th graders. I was really dreading going, but we had a great time. The cold weather on Wednesday was not favorable . . . especially sitting in a canoe on the lake when you can't feel your fingers or toes and praying that the 3 kids in the canoe with you stay balanced and don't splash you!! I was very glad to be home and we had a weekend full of Christmas parties. I still have a to do list from you know where to do, but I am looking forward to the last day of school on Friday!!

Scattergories . . .

2008-12-14T20:38:00.000-06:00

A much needed break!!

SCATTERGORIES. ..it's harder than it looks! Erase my answers, enter yours, send it on to 10 people including the one that sent this to you.

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things.. nothing made up!

WHAT IS YOUR NAME:
Kristin

BOY NAME
Keith

4 LETTER WORD:
Keys

GIRL NAME:
Kaitlyn

OCCUPATION:
Kitchen worker

A COLOR:
Killer red lipstick

SOMETHING YOU WEAR:
Kerchief

BEVERAGE:
Kahula

FOOD:
Ketchup

SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM:
Kotex

A PLACE :
Kauaii

REASON FOR BEING LATE:
Knife dropped on your toe.

SOMETHING YOU SHOUT:
Keep Away from that!

Where has this month gone?!?

2008-11-25T15:15:00.006-06:00

I can't believe that it's Thanksgiving and then Christmas. I have NOT.ONE.PRESENT.PURCHASED!!!! Thank heaven for online shopping!! We've had a crazy last couple of weeks . . . Grace got the worst stomach flu of her life. She was sick literally every 10 minutes and ended up popping blood vessels in her eye because she was so sick. As of right now I'm home with Caden and he also has the stomach flu. Poor little baby.

We were supposed to go to the ranch for Thanksgiving, but that fell through yesterday. One of my dad and Chris's hunting buddies passed away down at the ranch yesterday. The funeral will be some time this week so I know that we will be attending that one. Richard used to teach with Phil and one was one of the hunters that I've know for as long as I can remember. He will be missed. There are only two of the original hunters left on the lease now. Very sad.

School PIcs . . .

2008-11-02T18:23:00.002-06:00

Grace is getting retakes because I don't like the gap in the front. I'm not quite sure why the photographer had her lean so far forward, but I LOVE the smile on Caden :)

Thomas at Love and War . . .

2008-11-02T10:38:00.002-06:00

We went to go hear our friend Thomas Michael Riley sing last night at Love and War in Texas with some of our friends. He is such an awesome performer!! This is him in the middle. Chris uploaded a video on his face book of our favorite song, "Tommy".

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T10:24:00.002-06:00

We had a great time this Halloween. We went to the Ross's house for a fun adult party which Chris and I dressed up as Chucky and The Bride of Chucky. For those of you who know Chris well, you should be able to understand the "Chuck" pun :)

We ordered Grace and Caden's costumes online this year in the full-time working mommy way of doing things :) Grace's costume was titled "Garden Fairy" and Caden's was a "Warrior Knight". Perfect . . . until the costumes came in the mail. Grace's is adorable, but a bare midriff for an 8 year old?!? I think not. I was scared that Caden would be scared of the warrior part of his costume (teeth on hat, skull and crossbones, etc.) but he loved it. Ha!

So As Not To Question . . .

2008-10-22T19:59:00.004-05:00

I finished reading this book on my trip to Denver. There were three other people reading the same book on my return flight. It's a thought provoking story about a man and his struggle with his faith because of a tragic event in his life. I am still thinking about the book which is usually an indicator to me that it was a good read :)

Unfortunately, I do question the events that happen in my life and the lives of people that I care deeply for. I know that it is not my place to question and that I need to have faith in the way that events play out. I just hate that bad things happen to good people.

Denver

2008-10-18T09:39:00.002-05:00

It was really hard to say goodbye to the kids this time. We've spent the last couple of months in school together, running around in the afternoons, and at soccer games all weekend. It makes for a much needed break from one another, but it also makes it hard to let go.

We talked to the kids everyday that they were gone. They had an absolute blast, but who wouldn't . . . a week out of school, Disney Magic Kingdom, MGM, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, etc. Swimming almost every day, etc., etc., etc.!!!

Chris and I had a great time in Denver. We knew it was going to be cold, and Denver certainly didn't disappoint in that regard. It was a high in the 40's and lows in the 30's. The game on Sunday was a bit chilly. It kind of decided to spritz on us during the 3rd quarter, but by that time we were so involved in a great game that we didn't notice. I put an ad on Denver's craigslist to text me with available lower level tickets. We ended up with tickets on the 10 yard line 3 rows up. They were the best seats that we have had by far EVER at a Bronco game. The guy who sold me the tickets gave them to a buddy to sell b/c he was in Mexico for the weekend. The tickets have been in his family since the 60's. We definitely lucked out :)

We also were able to hang out with a lot of friends this weekend too. Stacey and Geoff Danheiser, my friend from middle and high school Erin, and Shiela, Jason, and their boys. So good to see and hangout with everyone :)

The rest of the week was spent getting to school early or staying late for parent/teacher conferences all week. This work thing definitely put a kink in my shopping excursions I usually take when the kids are gone. I'm glad that they had a great time and I am also glad that they are home. They are tan, Grace's hair is really blond, and they seem like they grew an inch last week :)

M-I-C. . . K-E-Y . . . M-O-U-S-E!!!

2008-10-07T20:49:00.003-05:00

Can't you just hear the song in your head?!? The kids leave on Friday for a week in Disney with Gma and Gdad. This will be the last year that they will be able to go. A week of unexcused absences means that grades cannot be made up. The teacher in me wouldn't be able to handle a week of zeros in the gradeboook. It has been great bribery for the last couple of weeks with the kids. "If you don't (fill in the blank) you're not going to Disney." HA!

Chris and I are flying to Denver on Saturday and we will be back on Monday. I am looking forward to a mental health day :) We're planning on getting tickets to the Broncos for Sunday. My kids at school are excited for me to be gone for a day I found out today that it's supposed to be COLD there this weekend with a possibility of SNOW!!! Thank goodness we'll fly away from it and come back to Texas. Snow is fun to play in when you don't live up north, but day after day with snow would be a whole different ball game :) Have a good couple of days and I'll update when we get back from Denver!

After Tut . . .

2008-10-05T21:22:00.004-05:00

Our friend, Thomas Michael Riley, was playing at Love and War in Texas. We did the museum with a 5pm entry time (we got in some naps after the soccer games in the am) and knew that we were going to make an evening of it. We left the museum at about 6:30 and arrived at Love and War about 7:15pm. We figured that we would eat dinner and listen to Thomas for a bit and then head home around 10pm. We had a great time hanging out. The kids played with a cool game that they have there. It's a ring toss game, but the hook is attached to the fence and you have to swing the hook (or release it above your head) so that it attaches the ring to the hook. Grace was definitely the pro in our family with Chris close behind her. Here are some pics from the evening . . .Some serious concentration .. .I see you ...
Oh My Goodness ...
Chris and Thomas Michael Riley
Grace in the hat
Grace the photographer

King Tut. . .

2008-10-05T21:18:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we took the kids to the Dallas Museum of Art to see the King Tut exhibit. It was the first time that they had been to a museum and they were genuinely interested in the exhibit and learning about ancient Egypt. All of the gold was pretty appealing too. It was a fun family outing where we all learned a bit about history :)

Happy Anniversary . . .

2008-09-30T17:10:00.002-05:00

11 years married - Love you Babe! :)

Nitty Gritty . . .

2008-09-21T21:23:00.002-05:00

So . . . I know that blogs are supposed to be about the fun stuff, but I think that it should also be a forum to talk about the not so fun stuff too. Full time work with a family kicked my rear end the first 3 weeks. I was completely overwhelmed, felt like everything I did was wrong, and that I was like a sinking ship. Last week was much better . . . thanks to Memrie for taking the kids every afternoon so that I was able to get my stuff done!! Here are some of the highlights of the last few weeks:

1) Started school - had to learn: lunch room procedures, recess procedures, bought a whistle for recess duty, still don't have an e-z grader (gave ALL supplies like that away), bought rest room passes (again, gave away), etc. etc. etc.

2) Gpa is still in ICU after having his colon removed on Thursday. Very stressful.

3) Caden had stomach virus and luckily Memrie came to the rescue again - so not ready for a sub in my disorganized room!!

4) Mom had to have procedure last week. Has Gall Bladder stones and just told me tonight that she is going to contact surgeon tomorrow and discuss options. Dad is Iowa . . . sub for my classroom is looking like it might happen sooner than later -

5) FORGOT Grace's birthday treats. She reminded me the Friday morning that we were to have the treats. No worries - I'll have my planning to do it - ha!! Not getting any mom of the year awards on my end any time soon!

6)Grace's bday party at my house.

7) Mom's 70th bday and all involvement with that!

8) Caden's trip to Pediatric after hours with 102 temp -sinus infection - showed up at 24 hour pharmacy that all of the sudden isn't 24 hours any more - ENOUGH - TOTAL NERVOUS BREAKDOWN!!

Please send prayers my way ... for patience, for my gpa, for my gma, for my mother,etc. CRAZY!!!

Caden and His Girlfriend . . .

2008-09-20T14:18:00.003-05:00

We went to lunch with Ashli and Pat a few weeks ago. Caden and Abbi got out of the car and were walking to the restaurant in front of us. Caden grabbed her hand and they just kept walking. It was absolutely adorable!! They were really excited to see each other and kept comparing notes about how kindergarten was going - BFF's for sure!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

2008-09-20T13:52:00.006-05:00

Steve and Liz
Tom and Char
Mom and Dad
Chris and Me
Mike
The Whole Group
My mom had a milestone birthday on the 14th. We had a great weekend with family, fun, and cake! Ann came in town to celebrate with us and so did my oldest brother Tom and his wife Char. We had a room on Saturday night at Brio Italian Restaurant where we all ate dinner and celebrated her birthday - adults only. Unfortunately Emily started running a fever and Amy was not able to attend. We missed her! My mom is such a special person to me and I'm so thankful for her love and support. One lesson I have learned this month is that no matter how old you are . . . when things go wrong or are difficult - you just want your mom! Somehow they always have the magic to make it all better :)

A Few Fun Facts about Grace . . .

2008-09-08T22:22:00.003-05:00

1) Miley Cyrus is her idol. She loves to watch Hannah Montana and even has Caden watching it with her!
2) She knows who all of the Jonas brothers are and can even tell you fun facts about each one of them.
3) Her favorite color used to be pink. Then purple. Now it is blue.
4) She likes to pick out her own clothes in the morning.
5) She is very opinionated - can't imagine where that came from?!?
6) Grace is a great big sister. She watches out for Caden most of the time and let's him play with her even when she has a friend over.
7) She loves to be the center of attention. Dance recitals.
8) She also loves to be a goof. Acting silly and calling people silly names. I think that it goes back to #7.
9) She loves to sing and has a beautiful voice.
10) She's 8 years old!!

Happy Birthday, my sweet little girl!

Grace's 8th Birthday Party . . .

2008-09-06T20:45:00.004-05:00

Background:

I absolutely loathe doing birthday parties at my house. It's okay when they are one, maybe even two, but as they get older they are just a beating. No other explanation. So ... this year when Grace told me that she wanted her birthday at home, you can imagine how I tried to bribe her to do something different. How about ice skating? No. How about Pump it up? No. I figured that I had it with, "How about if you take a few friends and we go to Great Wolf Lodge." She did think about it, but still a negative. So birthday party at home it was - after all it is her party :)

It was a great success!! We did a pajama party with 12 of her closest friends. Crazy, I know! They decorated pillow cases that I had embellished and they made a cute sleep mask. It was a lot of fun, and that's what it's all about. I do still hear squealing voices in my head though - the wine is helping :)
Making the masks
Grace and her pillowcase
The whole group of girls
Can't leave out Caden with a whole room full of girls :)

Poor Caden . . .

2008-09-02T19:57:00.002-05:00

1) He has the stomach flu - saying a prayer now that the rest of us don't get it. Never under estimate the power of a can of Lysol . . .

2) A little boy in his kindergarten class told him that his last name was funny. I didn't even know what to say other than, "You're going to hear this for the rest of your life." Poor little man :(

Not Ready . . .

2008-08-31T22:33:00.002-05:00

My 92 year old gpa (dad's dad) is in ICU right now. He's in need of some prayers. I know that I am lucky to be 34 years old and to still have him in my life, but how can you ever be ready to say goodbye. I'm just not ready.

School Update . . .

2008-08-31T07:41:00.002-05:00

We've all had a great week! Caden was still a bit "clingy" in the morning, but who wouldn't be with 100 parents packed in a small hallway trying to help their children unpack?!? Next week no parents are allowed to escort their kindergarteners so it should be interesting. . .I don't know if I qualify under that category or not - ha!

I have been trying to get Caden to agree to have Grace drop him off and help him unpack, but he wants to do it all by himself. . .Until we actually leave my classroom in the morning to start walking him to kindergarten then he wants me to help. Overall, it's been a great week.

One thing that this week has reminded me of is how much I enjoy teaching. Not taking care of a teacher that doesn't have good classroom management or delivery of a lesson, not sitting in on planning sessions discussing lessons that I'm never going to teach, not planning for inservices that I have to deliver, just teaching children. All. day. long. It's wonderful!!

My students are fabulous!! This group of students that we have are "the" group that has moved up through the school. Either we're still in the honeymoon phase or they've matured over the summer, but we're off to a great start. Of course, it could also have been the 20 minutes of practicing following directions that they didn't enjoy either . . . "Put your d.o.l. folder on your desk. Now put it in your desk. Get out your agenda. Open it to page 10. Close your agenda. Now open it to page 18." Not too much fun for a 5th grader :)

It reminds me of one of the suggestions that my 5th grade group of PACE kids wrote for me as a going away gift last spring,"Send children who are misbehaving to the strictest teacher on the grade level. If that isn't already you." Ha!! I don't know that I am necessarily really strict, but if you set the expectations early, they will follow them. With three groups of 25 kids each day I don't have time to deal with behavior issues because we need to get our content lessons completed. That's right - I see 75 children a day :)

I intend to enjoy my day off tomorrow. We will be planning Grace's birthday party which she is so excited about. She is having it at our house and we are doing a pajama party. Not a sleepover party, but a pajama party. I'm going to rotate the girls through 3 stations . .. games,craft, and nailpolish. I pretty much offered Grace anything to not do it at our house, but this is what she really wanted to do. I even offered to take two of her friends to Great Wolf Lodge, but she wasn't biting. I can't believe that she's about to be 8!! Enjoy your long weekend!

WE DID IT!!!

2008-08-25T22:23:00.005-05:00

Oh my goodness!! All that anticipation for nothing. Caden did GREAT!! Chris had to drop him off because of all of his attachment issues with me lately, but Caden did better than Chris did - ha! I love this picture of the kids walking down the sidewalk holding hands with their Mickey and Minnie backpacks. I'm going to blow this one up as big as I can and frame it!
Grace and Caden standing in front of the school getting ready to cross the street and go in.
Grace's new bangs. She told the hair dresser that she wanted them . . . I think that they are going to drive us both nuts!
The big kindergartener!!

On a side note: I was really worried that Caden was going to cry. He did get a little attached to Chris, but I think that was because Chris wasn't letting go of Caden. Had to have that one last hug a couple of times - my sweet husband!

It was definitely different being back in the classroom today. I don't think that I sat down all day, had a 15 minute lunch, and never made it to the bathroom . . . and I LOVED every minute of it. I forgot how much I liked being in charge of myself. My kids are polite and fun and I can't wait to get to know them better. I know that the "honeymoon" period will be over soon, but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts :) Whew . . . going to bed now!

Ode To Caden . . .

2008-08-24T20:39:00.002-05:00

First Day Of School

~Author Unknown~

He started school this morning,
And he seemed so very small.
As I walked there beside him
In the Kindergarten hall.

And as he took his place beside
the others in the class,
I realized how all too soon
Those first few years can pass.

Remembering, I saw him as
He first learned how to walk.
The words that we alone made out
When he began to talk.

This little boy so much absorbed
In learning how to write.
It seems as though he must have grown
To boyhood overnight.

My eyes were blurred as hastily
I brushed the tears away
Lest by some word or sign of mine
I mar his first big day.

Oh how I longed to stay with him
And keep him by the hand
To lead him through the places
That he couldn't understand.

And something closely kin to fear
Was mingled with my pride.
I knew he would no longer be
A baby by my side.

But he must have his chance to live,
To work his problems out,
The privilege to grow and learn
What life is all about.

And I must share my little boy
With friends and work and play;
He's not a baby anymore --
He's in Kindergarten today.

Back to Work . . .

2008-08-21T19:56:00.001-05:00

I'll write more when I have a chance. It's good. I'm good. I'm dreading Caden going to kindergarten on Monday. Not for any other reason than he's my baby and I'm not ready for him to be that grown up.

Needed to learn how to use the new camera before Vegas . . .

2008-08-21T19:46:00.006-05:00

Chris with Brice and Dondi's nephew . . .
Brice, Dondi, and Chris
Add Cameron . . .
At dinner the last night . . .

I had a lot more pictures that did not show up. They were either too light, too dark, or blurry. Time to read the manual :)We had a blast in Vegas. Too much fun, in fact! It was great seeing Brice, Dondi, and Cameron . . . and all of Dondi's family. I had someone to hang out with while Chris was playing poker and we definitely made some memories and inside jokes!

Graceisms . . .

2008-08-13T19:43:00.002-05:00

I don't get to do these type of blog entries very often . . .

Two funny things she's said this week:

1) We pulled out of the driveway last weekend and the house across the street from us was completely covered in toilet paper. Grace said, "I'm glad that wasn't our house." Chris told her that he felt pretty sure that someday in the future middle school years our house might get TP'd. To which Grace said, "Our house has already been teen-agered. Don't you remember the Christmas lights?" Ha! What a great verb "teen-agered" I would still like to catch whoever unscrewed all of those light bulbs and took them!

2) She told Caden today in full Hannah Montana fashion . . . "I wish that you had an on/off switch." HA - there are a lot of days that I wish he did too, but I explained to Grace that it was probably not the nicest way to get her message across to him. She replied, "Well he does talk too much AND he talks all the time." Can't argue with her there . . . so instead I focused on the delivery of her words. Teenage years are going to be so fun - can't wait!!

A Bit Overwhelmed. . .

2008-08-12T17:24:00.002-05:00

So . . . this week I went up to my new school and started getting all of the "stuff" organized in my classroom. I have been trying to go up there several times before school starts to help get Caden acclimated to the school. I am hoping that it will make the dropoff easier on the 1st day of school. He has been a lot more excited about starting school so hopefully it is working! This weekend we got them each a new backpack. Neither one of them really needed one b/c they both got brand new ones about 6 months ago, but nevertheless if it makes him happy - so be it. He got a new Mickey Mouse one and Grace got the matching Minnie Mouse one. I'm not really big on characters, but it was really cute watching them negotiate in the Disney store. The fact that they match is pretty cute too. I can't believe that my baby is starting kindergarten. It just doesn't seem possible . . .

I am ready to go back to school. Scary. I didn't think those words would EVER come out of my mouth. I'm ready to start back with a routine, etc. I am not so ready for the full time teaching part. I'm pretty apprehensive about it all to be quite honest with you. I am hoping that it is a bit like riding a bike and the 5th graders don't end up chewing me up and spitting me out - ha!

Chris and I are leaving on Thursday for Vegas. It'll be nice to get away for a bit, but we come home on Sunday and inservice and meetings begin on MONDAY - EEK! Start sending a whole lot of prayers and good vibes my way - I have a feeling that I might need them :)

Caden's Sweet Letter . . .

2008-08-12T16:04:00.004-05:00

You may or may not know that Caden has a friend, Abbi, that he has known since he was 2. They were in the same preschool class for 3 years and we get along really well with her parents also. We go to dinner with them as much as we can and the kids just love each other. It's fun. Well, we got this letter in the mail last week. Abbi's mom, Ashli, hadn't seen the letter because Abbi wrote it and then put it in the envelope before she could see it. When the kids were all playing at our house last week, Abbi was so proud of the letter. She asked Caden if he liked the frog on it - she knows him so well!
It's so sad that they are going to be going to different schools next year, but I know that we'll still see them a bunch :)

Another Caden Story . . .

2008-08-04T09:58:00.004-05:00

I have been doing a lot of back to school shopping for the kids. It's so hard to walk into the stores and buy jeans, long sleeve shirts, etc. when it's 105 degrees outside, but they both have outgrown their clothes during the last 3 months of summer. At GapKids I saw a bunch of little boy boxers. Some were the regular boxers and some were the tightywhities but with legs. . . you know what I'm talking about. So, I decided to get some of both kinds and see if Caden likes them. Well he loves them because he is wearing the same kind as dad and his cousin Brandon (he's Grace's age). So last night he is brushing his teeth wearing his new boxers and he notices something.

"Hey, Mom. What's this hole for?"

So I explain to him how that hole in the underwear works . . . I still have imprinted on my heart the giggle that followed when I told him AND the complete face smile with both dimples as he tried "the hole" out.

Funniest Movie I've Seen in A Very Long Time . . .

2008-08-03T18:08:00.003-05:00

Chris and I went to see Stepbrothers today. Gross, crude, completely inappropriate at times, but yet I found myself unable to keep from laughing. Chris and I both left the theatre giggling. Go see it, but don't say I didn't warn you :)

You may be asking yourself . . . How did they get to see a movie on a Sunday afternoon?!? Thanks to my wonderful in-laws for watching the kids!

Happy 90th Birthday Grandma Williams . . .

2008-07-30T13:32:00.004-05:00

The whole reason we went to Iowa last weekend was to celebrate my Grandmother's 90th birthday. She and my grandfather have been married for 72 years and it is amazing that they have hit another milestone together. We had a great celebration of food, family, and lots of sharing time. We all wrote down questions that we wanted gma and gpa to answer and then we sat around and listened to all of the answers. Where they were born, how they met, the first car they bought after they were married (A model A - black), etc. Now we have it all on tape. We listened to my dad and his brother and sister all tell stories. I know that this is a day we will all remember.

Gpa getting a good laugh over something that my dad said.
Some of the kids playing on the merry go round at the park down the hill from the Methodist church where we held the celebration.There is a reason that teeter totters are no longer on the playgrounds at schools. This would be the "before" picture of Grace and Caden. The next would be a movie of Grace letting go and Caden flying forward and landing on the big metal arm and scraping the whole bottom of his chin. Leave it to my children to figure out how one of them can get hurt :)
In the afternoon we all played a game of softball. This is some of my cousins and my uncle Dean in the blue
My brother Mike at bat. My cousin Barry is the catcher.
Grace on 2nd.
Caden on 1st.
There was a little stream that separated the play park and the softball field. Of course, Caden managed to find two frogs. He carried them in this cup all afternoon. It was really cute. He had already put one back when I took this picture. My little frog boy :)

Pictures of My Grandparent's Farm . ..

2008-07-29T09:09:00.004-05:00

This trip was so much fun. First, we were celebrating that my grandfather was out of the hospital and able to join us. We were so worried that was not going to be a possibility. Second, I saw Iowa through my brother Steve's girlfriend's eyes . . . the beauty of all the cornfields, crops, rolling hills, etc. It's the small things we take for granted that "city folks" have never seen :) I should have taken pictures of my Gma Talty's town of Corning. I couldn't believe all of the flooding. The fairgrounds were under water, all of the fields were flooded, etc. Very sad.

Great Wolf Part II

2008-07-28T13:24:00.004-05:00

We all know that Chris is "fun-loving" and acts like one of the kids when he can. Well, he was in rare form at Great Wolf Lodge. They have all of these hoses, water guns, pumps, buckets, etc. that are attached to the big structure of the park. It allows you to get people wet that are walking underneath you, in front of you, etc. Chris tried very hard to keep getting Amy and I wet. He did not succeed the first night so he enlisted Emily to help him nail Amy on Friday morning.
Emily telling her mom that she only wanted to be on the left side.
Chris is in place up top ready to spray Amy. Amy has no idea he is up there.
Ready, Set . . .
Gotcha!
Emily was very proud of herself for getting her mom soaked and Amy was a great sport about it :)

Great Wolf Lodge . . . Kansas City, KS

2008-07-28T13:00:00.007-05:00

We left for Iowa on July 24th and decided a couple of days before we left that we were going to stop in Kansas City, KS with my sister-in-law, my nephew, and niece. She was picking my brother up at the airport on Friday (he was in Boston on business) and we jumped at the opportunity to break up the trip. It's a 12 hour drive (with stops)to my grandparent's house and about 8 hours to Kansas City. The kids were great travelers and we stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge - which was a blast. We had been wanting to take the kids to the one in Grapevine, but just haven't had the chance so this was the perfect opportunity.

We left our house at 6am on Thursday morning. The kids watched TV almost the whole 8hours, I read a book, and Chris drove. We arrived at Kansas City about 2pm and decided to go sit down at a restaurant and eat lunch before we checked in at the hotel. At 3:20 we checked in, but our room wasn't ready so we decided to walk around Target instead. I bought both kids a new game for their Nintendo DS because they had done a great job in the car - minimal fighting and "he's touching me", etc. When we got back to the hotel we decided that we were all exhausted and took a nap before we headed to the waterpark. We slept for about an hour and then promptly suited up and headed down to the waterpark. Here is what we saw:

It was massive! Huge areas for all of us to hang out, baby area, inside pool, outside pool, etc. It was like the Wet and Wild that I went to growing up, except that most of it was all inside. They have this huge bucket that drops 1,000 gallons of water every 5 minutes or so. A bell rings and then people run to stand under it and get drenched. Chris, Amy, Emily, Brandon, Grace and Caden all stood under it so that I could get their picture. Caden and Chris getting off a water slide.
Grace and Emily in the lazy river
A before picture
Here comes the water
Woo Hoo!

My Big Brother . . .

2008-07-19T11:56:00.004-05:00

My sister in law sent this picture to me and it is such a great picture that I had to put it on my blog! We are leaving on Thursday to head to Iowa for my grandmother's (dad's mom) 90th birthday. Don't my grandparents look great in this picture!! My oldest brother, Tom, is not going to be able to make that celebration (he has a really good reason) so he and his family went to Iowa for the 4th instead. This is my brother, his wife Charlene, my nephew Dylan in the back (19), Cassie will be 16 next month, and Matthew is 17. He'll be a senior in high school next year. They are such great kids and I wish that they lived closer so that we could see them more often!

My grandfather (92) is in the hospital right now with disorentation, high blood sugar (he's diabetic), and a high white blood count. I don't know that we'll end up doing a celebration for grandma if he's not doing well, but we're all planning on going up anyway so that we can see them. I was up there in February, but the kids and Chris haven't been up there with me in 2 years, so it's time. Then all of our traveling for the summer is done!!

More Illinois Pictures . . .

2008-07-16T13:19:00.003-05:00

Nice Uncle/Cousin Todd took the kids on the 4 wheeler for a ride. This was an activity that they all did quite a bit. . .as long as they could talk an adult into taking them! The kids loved it!
Courtney (11), Grace, Kayla (7), and Caden doing the "cha cha" for all of us. Courtney and Kayla are sisters and they live in California. They spend the summer with their Grandma on the farm :)
We did sparklers and firecrackers a couple of nights and this is one of Chris's pictures. We had our own 4th of July a week later :)

Caden and his froggy friend . . .

2008-07-16T13:10:00.002-05:00

To give you a little background about Caden:

He doesn't like to get dirty. Not sandy in the sandbox, not paint all over his hands from a craft project, etc. When it is raining and he isn't wearing his rain boots, I have to carry him to where we are going because he doesn't want to get the bottom of his shoes wet. It's crazy. So imagine my surprise (you can see my face in the first picture) when I saw him covered in mud from head to toe and holding a frog in his hands. He won't hold his frogs that he has at home either :)

Back Home Again From Illinois . . .

2008-07-15T14:36:00.005-05:00

We got home yesterday (no flooding this time! ) from our weekend trip to the Wilkes family reunion. We went to Memrie's sister's farm in Cobden, Illinois. We had a great time. Bruce and Memrie surprised us with the most unique accomodations at a fun bed and breakfast. It was called the Davie School Inn and is an old school house that they made each old classroom into a private room with a bathroom. Each room had the old chalkboards in them, original hardwood floors, etc. If you are ever in Anna, Illinois, it's definitely a great place to stay. I'll be posting more pics of the weekend and all of the fun things that we did on the farm. There was a creek with frogs so you know Caden was in heaven!!