Home Extreme Make Over

Two weeks ago the show Extreme Make Over Home Edition was in Louisville. Doug had the opportunity to "volunteer" on that Sunday afternoon. We went over on Saturday to watch - and the kids and Doug went again on that Tuesday to see the almost finished product. The "Move That Bus" occurred on Wednesday afternoon.

Here are a few pictures of the house in progress from Saturday. Although the kids did not want to stay long - it was exciting to see a show in progress. It will show in February sometime - will let you know when for sure.

On Thursday afternoon - after a lunch of Turkey, dressing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberries, rolls, and pumpkin dessert - we got ready for Christmas. The kids and I put up the tree while Doug put up lights outside. The kids did help him out with the lights - and even ventured up on the roof. They are all syked for January when they get to help take the lights down. :)

Come Ye Thankful People Come

This week I have been doing a lot about thanking God for all his blessings with my students. We made murals, wrote prayers, made acronyms... Yesterday one student said we sure are talking about thanking God a lot (the student was Michael). I said Yes, we were, but we were still not doing it enough. God gives us so many blessings! More than we could ever count! I reminded them of Solomon (we had that story two weeks ago) and all his blessings. This Thanksigivng take the time to Thank God for his blessings - and then do it again - and again - and again! God loves it!

Today we will do it again at school - and again - and again!

Thank you God!!!!

Braces

Emily had a new occurance on Monday. She got braces on her top teeth. She also was fitted for her bottom bracket. They will call us when that comes in & then they will put spacers back into her mouth and then schedule a visit to put the bracket in. With the holidays it was difficult to guess when things would be back. She has a sore mouth for now. I keep telling her in time she will get used to it. Until then it is jellow, pudding, yogurt, noodles, ... soft foods. Hopefully she will be able to eat turkey. Otherwise it will be more potatoes & pumpkin pie :)

Veterans' Day

In recognition of Veterans' Day - November 11th I had a Veterans' Day open house today. I had 7 different Veterans who shared with my class about their experience in the military. I also had 2 students who brought in items from family members who were unable to attend. What a great day to celebrate the wonderful country we live in and to thank our Lord for giving us people to fight for our freedom. I praise the Lord for all the members of the military - who helped to make America the country it is today. Thank a Veteran - and make Sunday a special day for them!

More about Indy

On Saturday we also went to the Children's Museum. Michael was a little disappointed - as they had a Star Wars show in the planetarium. We had tickets and were seated waiting for it to start. They tried to start it twice - and had technical difficulties. Due to the All Pro Dad activity he and Doug were going to later int he day - we were not able to attend a later show. He was sad, but I told him we would try to go again over Christmas break.

Andrew loved the trains and Emily and Michael loved dressing up as scuba divers and sea creatures. I enjoyed watching them play and have fun being a kid.

After everyone was back home the kids all enjoyed climing on and wrestling with grandpa. No wonder he has back trouble sometimes - what a load he had on his back.

Michael and Doug

On Saturday Doug and Michael had a wonderful bonding experience. They were able to attend a ProDad event at the Indianapolis Colt's practice field. Activities were done at stations - and they came home with free stuff. Michael got an autograph of a previous player - as well as a picture with an autographed helmet. They were two numbers away from winning an autographed football helmet. Dad and Gene were "volunteers" for the event - and did not enjoy it as much.

pictures from the zoo

Emily & Michael at the zoo!


Noah as a frog


Let's smile - Noah, Michael, Emily & Andrew
(Noah was asleep when we took the one on the rhino)


Let's all go trick-or-treating

Fall Fun

Michael and Emily by the camp fire. Michael is "belly dancing" while Emily is just dancing cool!



We climbed up this tower. Michael was freaking out the whole time - as he is scared of heights. He made it - but did not want to look down.


The view!


Saturday Gene, Holly, Andrew & Noah came down. We played Mexican Train, watched Andrew and Michael play trains (Andrew loved Michael's choo's choo's), played canasta, watched Happy Feet on a large screen in the back yard & went trick or treating at the zoo. Wow! It was a filled Day. They left after Church and lunch on Sunday.

On Sunday afternoon we headed up to Brown County and camped for the night. We enjoyed the park - and the leaves. The kids took their bikes and they rode them all over the camp site area, we hiked, and we enjoyed a nature talk about turles & snakes and hybernation (we really learned a lot about snakes and turtles).

Hello Fall!

Well, it seems fall has officially hit us - we are not having 90 degree weather anymore. We also got 3 days straight of rain :) We did need it. In those 3 days we just about caught up on what we were behind upon for the last 3 months. Kind of crazy that after 3 days of rain they can say a 3 month drought is over.

I just finished 2 days of Parent/Teacher conferences. They all went well. I am glad they are over though. It is something that I really do not enjoy, as you write comments to parents all quarter - send a written progress report every 3 weeks - and talk to them - and it still seems they are surprised about some things. Oh well - one tries.

Two weekends ago on Sunday we went to a Pumpkin Patch with our friends Chris, Sue & their two boys. It was a great time. The kids loved jumping on the hay mountain as well as swimming in the hay pool. They also brought home incrediblly large pumpkins - 27 lb. and 21 lb. They wrote on them with washable marker and we will probably carve them on Monday (as we don't have school on Monday :)

On Saturday of that weekend was our fall festival at school. The kids had a great time and got all kinds of goodies (A.K.A. junk) to bring home. Luckily not too much candy as they will not be able to eat a lot of it this year due to their mouth expanders. After the Fall Festival we went to Chris & Sue's house for Ben's 4th birthday. Since Michael had just gotten a bike - we took his old one to Ben for a birthday present. He seemed to enjoy it - the only problem was we left it in the van and when we got it out it was too dark for him to ride it. That was a little dissapointing for him.

Last weekend I worked on report cards & Doug went up to fix a garage door opener for Gene & Holly. The kids stayed in there with Gene & Holly over night - and had the chance to go to an orchard & pumpkin patch. Talk about lucky kids - two pumpkin patches in a week. I did tell them to make sure they got small pumpkins - as they already had their big pumpkins. They did listen :)

This weekend Holly, Gene and the boys are coming down to go trick-or-treating at the zoo. It should be a great time. This is Andrew's 3rd visit - and he will be mobil this year. Should be fun to watch him see all the characters. Hope to get some good pictures. My "good" camera has been on the fritz - so I am using our old one (which the screen magically works now) and I can't find the cord to connect it to the computer. After I buy a new one I will get some pictures posted. Until then just imagine all the events I have written about.

Enjoy the fall leaves and great fall weather!
Have a great day everyone - God bless you all!

growing up

Last night we got Michael a new bike. A red & blue 20 inch two wheel bike. Tonight we took Emily's and Michael's bikes to school - for them to ride before handbells. Michael took right off and only wobbled over a few times onto the grass. He grinned from ear to ear and loved it. He felt like a big kid (which he is quickly becoming).

Last week he lost a tooth on his own (the other two he lost we had to have pulled by the dentist) at Steak & Shake last Friday. That also made him feel like a big kid.

My little boy is growing up quickly right before my eyes. I get to see him grow up 24/7 since I have him in my class this year. It is hard to see since I know he is my baby boy - and I won't have another one to see grow up like this.

American Girl Fashion Show

This afternoon I went to an American Girl Fashion show with Emily & two friends from school. One of the mothers went also. It was fun to see all the outfits and dolls as well as hear the stories of the dolls. A student from school (and whom I taught) was in the fashion show so that was neat to see. It was a fundraiser for the children's hospital in Louisville & it was at Churchill Downs in Millionaires Row. Wow! What a wonderful setting for a mother/daughter activity. They had fine china out and the waiters all served the food using coreography. What a memory. It was fun to see all the girls & their dolls. Although at first I really hated the idea of spending so much on a doll - the memories it has created and the fun Emily has had have been worth it. She takes her dolls on all kids of adventures - both real and imaginative.

games

Well, here it is a Tuesday evening. Doug is out of town so it is just the kids and I at home. Tonight the kids actually sat down and played a game on their own. Wow! They instigated it, set it up, and played it (almost to completion). They played a game of checkers. Of course, the checker board is in storage so they used the othello board instead - it works except is difficult to king. Then they played a game of othello. Kind of odd as I really did not need to help them. That is one of the first times that has happened with a "real game" and not a early learning game (like candyland, hi-ho cheerio...). Emily ended up winning othello - but Michael put up a good fight. Of course, they did not understand all the nuances - like getting sides and trying not to give up the corner. Oh well - that will come in time. They did think it was cool that I played the game when I was a kid with my grandpa in Minnesota. Hopefully this is just the first of much more game playing by the two of them(real games that is - not just on the computer/video games).

Tiger Cub Michael

Tonight I sewed on the patches for Michael's Tiger Cub scout uniform. Hard to believe that my baby boy is a cub scout. He and Doug are going camping this weekend with the cub scouts - should have a good time.

Boo update

Just got back from our evening walk with Boo. While Emily and I walked - Michael stopped off at a neighbor boy's house to play football. He had a good time while Emily and I got the chance to talk.

We are working on Boo not going bezerk when a dog is in it's front yard or on a leash. He does not seem to mind a dog behind a fence or in a house - but if there are no barriers between him and the other dog - watch out. He jumps and barks like crazy. We are working on saying shus and giving him a treat when he shusses. He barked like mad at a dog on the first leg of our trip - but the dog was closer to the house and on a leash on the return leg of our walk - and Boo only whined at him. That is progress. Hopefully it will continue. If you have any advice or tips please pass them on.

Boo really likes stuffed toys that squeek. He is not into the laytex rubber toys that squeek - except for balls. We have gotten him all kids of toys - but he seems to love the stuffed squeeky one. The hard part is keeping it inside - and not letting him take it outside.

Yeah Michael!!!

Tonight we went to our friend Greg and Juanita's house. They have 3 boys - two of which are close to Emily's age and one in 8th grade. Our two kids took their bikes. Michael was riding his and we suggested he just try Austin's bike (one Emily's bike size - and it did not have training wheels on it). He took off and rode across their yard and back without even hesitating (after getting started with a little balance help). With a little assistance getting balanced to start he rode all over the yard. Of course the camera was at home - so we have no pictures of this monumental occasion. Now that he discovered he could do it - I guess we will take his training wheels off. The only problem is his bike is too small for him - so it looks like we will need to go bike shopping. Walmart did have some for around $50. Hard to wait for Christmas for something that he can use right now.

Friday Night - Movie Night

Tonight we went to Tumbleweed for dinner. After that we went to see Evan Almighty at the cheap theatre. Although we are probably the last to see this movie - it was great! The kids enjoyed it and Doug and I also really had a good time. The theology in it is off, but if it gets people looking up Genesis 6:13 and other verses it is a good thing. Making disciples of all nations needs to be done in creative ways at times.

Hello from Michael

I met my A.R. goal. I earned 12 points. I almost have 13 Accelerated Reader points. I like to play basketball at school. I like to read. I like mystery books best. I can read whatever I want now that I met my A.R. goal. I want to read some science books from the library that are not A.R.

hello from Emily

Hi! We went for a walk tonight with Boo. He was barking a lot. I am doing good in school. I just finished a good book - Room 1 by Andrew Clements. I am now reading These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder & Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes. My teacher Mr. F. is reading a good book to us called Number the Stars. We are almost done with it. Tomorrow we are having genre day. We dress in a color that represents our favorite kind of books. I am going to dress in red for mysteries. I need 4 more points to meet my A.R. goal - I am almost done!

Last night Michael put on pajama bottoms and came into our room just laughing. They were about 3 inches too short - but had fit him last year. Emily decides to say pull them down - so he does which left about 3 - 4 inches of his underwear sticking out (he was sagging - what a comfortable way to go to bed). All the while Michael is just laughing and laughing.

We just passed Andrew a bunch of clothes - and I guess he grew more than I thought. We will likely be ready to pass some more things on to Andrew. The fun part comes now - checking his clothes each day or trying on every pair of pants he owns at one time.

100th post

This past weekend mom and dad came down. They arrived around 10:15 on Friday evening, due to dad having to work until 8:00 with one of his clients. Saturday we had planned to go to HolidayWorld, but due to the kids and myself not feeling on top of things all week, as well as being tired, we opted to stay in town. We went to the Gaslight festival - a small town festival with crafts, booths, freebies, bounce arounds... for the morning. Then we ate a CiCi's (after watching them race remote control cars in the parking lot of CiCi's) adn went home to rest & play games. After dinner we went mini golfing.

Sunday we went to Church had lunch and then loaded up mom and dad's van. They were delivering lots of hand-me-down items for Andrew. Michael handed down books, stuffed animals, his electric car, his pooh playhouse & pooh animals, his pooh stuffed animals (which were Emily's when she was little) and lots of clothes. This was hard for me - as it showed me even more that my little boy is growing up. In addition to the hand-me-downs to Andrew, he donated most of his stuffed animals to my prize box at school. He did keep his build-a-bear animals, his talking polar bear, his Webkinz, and some baseball/Cardinal stuffed animals.

After mom and dad left Doug ran to borrow a saw from a friend, and then he and Michael hit the backyard and started trimming trees. You should have seen Michael carrying limbs across the back yard. boy was he a big help! We have a stack of limbs as big as the swing set to get rid of now. This is in preparation of us taking out our "bamboo forest". We need more sunlight - in order to have grass grow in that area - so we had to trim the tree back. Once it gets cooler we will start taking out the ivy & bamboo in the back of the yard. We will transplant the hostas, but get rid of the rest. Will take pictures as we begin so you can watch our progress.

99th post

I guess I have been teaching first grade too long. The number 99 and 100 feel like such big accomplishments. At school we celebrate both the 99th and 100th day in various ways (mainly the 100th, but we do note the 99th day also). Wow! If you have been a reader for the last year and a half, you have read 99 posts. Wow.

Anyway, just got home from the grocery store. Kind of weird - here it is September (apple season) and oranges and grapes are on sale cheaper than apples. Very odd. I guess it may be due to the drought we had this summer.

weepuls and all that stuff

Well, magazine sales have kicked off again at our school. The kids would like to go on a limo ride which requires them each to sell 12 magazines. So far each has done 4 so we have 16 total to go for our family. For each magazine they sell they get a little fuzzy weepul. There is also lots of other prizes that come along with it - the highlight being a limo ride.

On Tuesday Michael happened to be the daily prize winner. He got to bring home an "annoying singing thing" It is a blue creature which makes a whining anoying sound when its belly is squeezed. Oh boy, I am sure glad I had him turn in magazine sales on that day.

On the bright side, because they each turned in 4 by today they will get to see a BMX bike show. It should be a fun time. Michael is especially excited to be able to see this.

I sure feel old ...

Today Michael sure made me feel old and out of it. He has this thing about leaving his dark church socks on after church and putting on shorts. Boy does he need a fashion consultant. Anyway... today he had on velcro shoes, dark socks (pulled up to almost his knees), jean shorts and a t-shirt. He was getting ready to go to the store with Doug and I asked him if he really wanted to wear those socks & shoes. He said, "why mom?" to which I replied, "So you don't look like a Geek!". He then said, "what is a geek mom - that sure is a funny word."

I guess that is how mom and dad felt at times when I did not get their lingo from their childhood. I guess there must be a new word for geek in today's lingo. If you know it - please fill me in so I can communicate effictively with my son next Sunday when he tries to wear dark socks with velcro shoes. :)

trip to St. Louis

All 4 of us in the Cardinal dugout

Emily and Michael with the World Series Trophy

Michael eating Ted Drews - YUM, YUM!

Emily eating Ted Drews - Good to the last drop!

The kids at the Magic House playing Ring Around the Rosey

Well, for this past weekend we were off to St. Louis. We camped at our favorite KOA just on the Illinois side of St. Louis. We have been there 3 times now. After getting in late Friday night we set up and ended up with two tent sites as our reservation was lost in computer land (was on one screen, but not the other) and we really did not have a camper/RV spot assigned to us. Oh well, it was nice as we were right next to the covered patio so we used that as our private patio. We were also the first site next to the horseshoe pits, basetball court, pool, and bathrooms. :)

Saturday morning we went to wait in line for the Cardinal's Kids Crew party at the stadium. Michael played ball with some kids while we waited for a few hours and then we went to wait in more lines. Lines for autographs, lines for dugout tours, lines for games, lines for bathrooms, and even lines to leave. Then it was back to the van to wait for a while before we could go back into the stadium for the game. We ate in the stadium and found our seats - section 265 - not too bad. The cardinals won 11 to 3. The kids got to see 2 of the 3 players they got autographs for play.

Sunday we took it easy, ate breakfast and then headed to the Magic House for an afternoon of hands-on fun. After the kids had their full of fun (and going down the slide about a dozen times) we headed to Ted Drews & then back to the campground for swimming & dinner.

This morning we packed up, let the kids swim for a while & then took off. On our way out we ate lunch at Chevy's as the kids had cupons for free lunches from the Kids Crew Party. We arrived home about 5:30, got unpacked, did laundry, set out stuff for our "dump week" (as this is our free week to have bulk stuff hauled away), got he kids to bed, made lunches and now am sitting down.

Day # 4

Today was the 4th day of school. Wow! Today a miracle happened. All the kids were more settled, less talkative, and really were productive. Wow! I plan on praying for more days like today. Please do the same ... of course I know they are just 6 & 7 year olds so the likelyhood of a repeat this early in the school year is very slim.

michael's birthday party

Since Michael's birthday fell both over vacation & summer vacation, we finally made it around to having a birthday party with his friends. He wanted to go to Putt-Putt for his party - which we were first apprehensive about due to all the heat we have been having. But, after checking prices around town, decided to go for it. Putt-Putt was only $8 per child, where other places were $15 - $20 per child. Parties are getting so expensive. Anyway - we had 8 first grade boys and 3 4th grade girls (two boys have sisters in Emily's class so we invited them along so she would have someone to hang out with). It was great! They played 1 round of putt-putt and it was actually comfortable outside - it was only about 90 :) instead of the 100 which it has been lately. Then we went inside for cake, ice cream, & drinks. After ooling off and eating up Michael opened his presents. They we let them loose in the arcade they had connected to the putt-putt place. They had a blast - and 120 tokens actually lasted quite a while.

A new boy walked into the party and took one look at me and said, "Mrs. N_ what are you doing here?" I then said, "You did not know I was Michael's mom did you." He just looked at me and said, "Wow".


Michael got 3 new webkinz which made him very happy as well as some legos, a t.v. plug-in video game, $15, a remote control car, and a gift card to blockbuster. He enjoyed all the stuff and has played with everything this evening.

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school. What a great day! It was only a 1/2 day so I finished up quite a few odds and ends this afternoon. I feel good about what I accomplished today - especially since my aide was not here today. She started back to college and will be there 3 mornings per week instead of 5. Emily is in 4th grade and Michael is in 1st grade. Wow! They sure are growing up!

first day of school

Anticipation,
Fear,
Excitement,
Tired,
Oh - No!
Yeah!
Jittery,
Groggy,
Joyful,
How do (did) you feel on the first day of school?

Tomorrow is the first day of school for us. Pray that we have a great day! Although, if it is a terrible day, at least it is only a 1/2 day. :) And, after that, only 174 more days to go :)Praise the Lord for the gift of learning.

sick or not to be sick - that is the question

Well, it is time for back to school, so it is also time for little bugs to be going around. Emily complained of a headache on Saturday & Sunday off and on. She also looked tired. Sunday evening she started running a low grade feaver. She had one also this morning and off and on today. Of course, no other realy symptoms. She said her throat hurt some (possible strep?) but not too bad. Her nose is a little stuffy -so that could also be the source of the sore throat. Will see what the morning brings. With school starting on WEdnesday, I need to go to school tomorrow. I plan on taking her no matter what and just lysoling my room when I go to leave. Hopefully it is just a 48 hour mystery thing.

school around the corner

Yesterday we had a work day at school. Flower beds were weeded and remulched, the playground got a load of woodchips, the whole grounds were spruced up. What a big day. There were about 35 people there to help. Since we were in the mood, we had a work day at home after dinner - trimmed hedges, pulled weeds, weed eated, and mowed the lawn.

School will start on Wednesday. I am ready for it according to my plans, but not really ready to go back mentally. I have gotten used to sleeping in and taking it easy in the morning. Getting up by 6:30 each day and leaving by 7:30 is not going to be fun after not getting up until 9:00 or so each day. Oh well. I guess I should be thankful for the break.

Emily and Michael are both ready to go back to school and see their friends. Emily got together with all the girls in her class on Friday for a High School Musical 2 party. It was a fun time for her. Michael and myself watched it at home and enjoyed the time together (Doug watched a baseball game in the other room). Tonight while Doug and I are at our Christ Care meeting, the kids plan on watching High School Musical 2 with the babysitter.

Tomorrow we plan on going to the state fair and then to the Mercy Me concert. Doug has a soft ball game, so it will just be the kids and myself. Should be a good time.

uniforms & school prep

Today I got into the atic and went through school uniforms. Getting Emily out new pants and skorts in size 10 really made her feel grown up. Michael stayed with his same ones for now (of course he will probably have a growth spurt right after I put all the hand-me-downs in the attic). While I don't really like uniforms and would rather allow some freedom of expression in clothing, I do like the fact that Emily can pass her clothes down to Michael. There is little difference in girl and boy uniform pants & shorts. In fact, I can't tell which kind are which. It does cut down on the cost of clothes for school.

It also helped that today I found $10 shoes for both kids - Michael got some nice basketball type tennis shoes and Emily found Sketchers with charms on them that she really liked at this shoe store that was going out of business.

With finishing up school supply shopping last week, I feel I have all the stuff the kids need for school.

orthodontist update

Well, Monday I took both Emily and Michael to the orthodontist. Both will need mouth expanders - Michael on the top and Emily on top and bottom. Right now they have spacers in to spread their teeth apart. Monday they go back to get bands fitted for their appliances, and then the mouth expanders are put in place the following week. I feel like we signed our life away, but yet this is minor compared to what braces will cost (Emily will likely have them, but the verdict is out for Michael). Oh well, they will have a great smile right? Right now we are buying stock in orajel, as Emily is pretty uncomfortable with just the spacers in. I told her she will get used to them - but they will likely be the most comfortable thing the orthodontist puts in her mouth.

High School Musical

On Sunday evening I took the kids to see High School Musical at the outdoor ampitheatre here in town. It was incredible. Every summer the theatre does a local talent nigh school production, and this year it was High School Musical. We were there on a sold out night, the last night of the production, and it was exciting. Afterwards all the teenagers stood around and signed autographs for the young kids who were there. Of course Emily and Michael had to get as many as they could. Wow! What an evening. We did not get home until 11:30, but it was worth it.

That leads up to this Friday night when High School Musical 2 is on Disney Channel. Both Emily and Michael are really junkies for this - Emily got backpack for back to school with a picture of Troy on it (Troy is the main male character). A girl in her class is having a High School Musical 2 Viewing party on Friday evening so it will be a great time for her. Michael and I will view it together and have a good time - of course Doug is not into this and thinks it is all crazy. I just tell him the kids are growing up and will be into many more things after this :)

Boo Slide Show

orthodontists

Well - today I took the kids to the dentist. A second year in a row the kids were told that they needed a visit to the orthodontist. I went on-line and found orthodontists who were in-network for our insurance. Then, I scheduled appointments with one who had two offices - one near home and one near school. Wow! Works out well - now we will see what the verdict is - how much it will put us in the hole. Pray that it will not be too bad.

is it hot enough for you?

Well, here it is 102 today. It was 102 yesterday also. YUCK! Makes it difficult to even go outside. Driving from home visit to home visit has been misreable at times as the car is heats up pretty good while I am in one visit. Oh well. I guess I can thank the Lord for air conditioning, for ceiling fans, and for refrigerators & freezers. Praise the Lord for modern conveniences. :)

How hot has it been where you are?

BOO

You will now hear the word BOO in our house more than just at halloween. We have a new dog - a 2 year old begle. We had been thinking about getting another dog for a while, but knew our summer schedule would not make one possible. This past week the humane society had waved adoption fees and we found a clearance sale on dog houses ($10 instead of $50) so we decided to go for it. Boo is a sweet dog and is well trained. He is not too overpowering for Michael - and has enjoyed playing fetch. The only issue is he loves running out the front door. Twice today he got out the front door and took a run for it. For those of you who have been to our house - the street out front is really busy - so this is an issue we will have to remedy, especially since STanley (our previous dog) died when he got out and was hit by a car.

Summer has gone by quickly!!!!

Wow! It is hard to believe that it is already the beginning of August and I am in the midst of home visits. We have been all over the country - from North to South over the summer and now it is almost over. We have been as far North as Wisconsin for Greg's ordination and as far South as Galveston Island, Texas. In between we visited ST. Louis, Frohna MO, Joplin Mo, Fort Smith AR, Monine IL, and Indianapolis IN. Wow! We were home only one weekend during the months of June and July - July 15th. It was great to see friends and family and see parts of the country we had not seen in a while. Now it is back to work!

I will have 18 first graders this coming year - one of which is Michael. Emily will be in 4th grade. We had her home visit today. My little girl is growing up - wow! She will be in for a lot of hard work, but I am sure she is up to it. She is a little nervous, despite knowing her teacher very well. We have been over to their house and they over to ours much over the past year.

Hopefully now that all our summer traveling is over I will be able to spend more time on my BLOG.

Vacation

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Here is a photo montage of our july trip. Doug put this together at work and figured out how to put it on utube. I will have him show me how to do this in the future so I can post more video on my BLOG. Until then, pictures alone will have to do. It is a little long, but worth it as there is a video clip of Michael on the beach which is just priceless. He loved feeding the seagulls and the video shows his joy.

St. Louis and the farm

Emily, Michael, Grandma & Grandpa
Leyna reading to Naomi
Leyna & Michael
Michael, Naomi, & Mom playing patty cake

swimming at Dawn & Craig's house
Emily in the cellar - mid process
Emily & Michael in the creek
Emily, Michael & Lynn on the John Deere

Yesterday afternoon the kids and I arrived home from a trip to St. Louis and grandma and grandpa's farm. It was a great time!


We left last Sunday afternoon after Michael arrived home from camp. He was exhausted, but has lots of stories to tell about his 24 hours at camp. We arrived in St. Louis around dinner time. After dinner with Aunt Dawn, Uncle Craig, Justin & Leyna the kids went downstairs to play with Justin's new Wii. How great that he was so willing to share it and show it off. The adults sat around and visited and just took it easy. It rained, so the kids were unable to go swimming like they would have wanted.


On Monday morning we went to pick up Naomi as Greg and Jamie were loading up their moving van and preparing for their treck to Texas. Naomi was such a sweetie. She was very happy to be with her Aunt, Grandma, cousins, & Great Aunt that she only took a 30 minute nap. Wow! Greg & Jamie came over after loading everything up and the kids went swimming with Greg. What a great way to relax.


On Tuesday morning we said our good byes - that was hard as other than the short visit at John & Jamie's wedding in July, we are not sure of when we will see Greg, Jamie & Naomi next. After that we went to the farm. Bonnie had fixed lunch - so we enjoyed lunch over at Lynn & Bonnie's. The burgers were gigantic - I couldn't believe that Emily and Michael ate a whole one. It rained so the kids were not able to play outside much - but they needed rain so it was great for the crops. While it rained we defrosted Grandma and Grandpa's freezer and cleaned out their cellar. The cellar contained jars, and jars of canned goods done over who knows how many years. We threw out about 20 jars of stuff - and some were really smelly!!! Both Emily and Michael were a big help with wiping off the jars and moving the jars around. We could not believe that we got it all done in a matter of a few hours. The hardest part was dumping out the rotten jars of stuff. Michael actually helped me with that. I took the kids into Dip & Deli for ice cream as a reward for being such good sports.


Wednesday was more of a fun day. The kids and I went down to the creek & went walking in the creek. That is always a fun thing to do. Michael found an old fishing pole - thought it was a golf club at first. After heading back and cleaning up we went over the Grandma & Grandpa's to visit for a while and then went to Dip & Deli for lunch. Grandma had invited Great Aunt Ruby along also, so their were 9 of us to go into lunch. It was a good lunch - the girls in that cafe sure work hard. There are only two girls to cook, serve, take orders, and bus the tables. Wow! They sure earned a gold medal from me. We then went swimming in Lynn & Bonnie's pool & then ate dinner at Grandma & Grandpa's house. After dinner the kids played outside for a while and I visited. Then we played one round of Aggrivation and headed to bed.


Thursday morning Michael & Emily went on a tractor ride, we loaded up some beef which we will enjoy - nothing tastes as good as farm meat - and we got ready to go. We arrived home Thursday afternoon which gave me enough time to clean out the freezer so I could fit the hamburger into it, got laundry going, and defrosted some soup for dinner. Mom stayed the night so after dinner we played 4 or 5 games of Mexican Train.


While we were doing that Doug had to go to work and get the computers going as they had lost power, and was working some on the camper. While we were out of town Doug put an airconditioner into our camper, reinforced the roof, oiled the bearings & got 2 new tires. Wow! We have it ready to go for next weekend and for later in July.