2009

What a year, filled with highs and lows. Moving is always rough, but this time it has been rough in ways that I was not anticipating. We thought we were moving for a more stable job, but it turned out to be the total opposite. I still think Craig regrets it all and then I know he regrets selling the house. I wonder if at some point these feelings will change, time will tell.

The kids transitioned well into their new school. Cade and Reid made friends and Trey loves Sonshine preschool. (He has finally stopped saying, "me miss my house" and making me cry.)

We had many bouts with illness. I got to know the attendance secretary by first name. Stomach flu, respiratory flu, mono, strep, eardrum rupture and H1N1... Reid had chest x-rays and blood work, Trey had blood work, and Cade made a trip to the hospital. We found a new doctor very quickly.

Cade and Reid made new friends through sports. They both played basketball at the Y. Cousin Jaxon was on Reid's team. Then Spring soccer, Cade's team made it all the way to the championship game. Baseball and T-Ball overlapped soccer. It was a very busy few weeks. We had some time off during the summer. Then fall soccer started up the same day that school did. The last sport of the year was volleyball for Cade. His team was undefeated and he absolutely loved it.

We took a family vacation during Craig's summer shut-down. We traveled to Tennessee and Georgia, visiting Uncle Don, Uncle Todd, and Uncle Brad (and their families of course). It was a blast and the kids traveled great.

Since we don't actually have our own house, we spent a lot of time at Grandma and Grandpa's. It's been really nice now that their addition is finally finished. I don't think the chaos ever bothered the kids though. They still were able to get lots of attention from Grandma and Grandpa, and the got to know their Uncle Bob and Aunt Judy even better. (Side note..... 99% of Aleah's wardrobe comes from Grandma and Aunt Judy's trips to Michigan City)

Trey's speech has improved greatly over the year. He was able to qualify for a summer study and that led to a big burst. Praise God for that. If there is one fact that makes me glad that we have went through this move, it is that.

All three boys are doing well in school. Aleah is growing up and definitely has her own opinion about things. Fun and exciting to see her growing, but also hard and exhausting.

It's been a hard year, but it's still easy to see all the blessings.

"Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" Job 2:10

Farewell to 2009

After a very rough year, 2009 had to go out with a bang. It just wouldn't have made sense any other way.

We had just pulled in the driveway, after being at my parents' house for a few days for my Grandma's funeral. The kids were still loaded in the car, but I jumped out to get the mail. I looked up at our front door and saw something hanging from it. When I got close I could see it was some big packet of papers. WHAT??? As I started to glance through them, I quickly realized what they were. The owners of our rental are being foreclosed on and we are named in the process. This is not good. I could quickly feel the tears swelling up, but you know I am a mom. I pushed them back, because I don't want the kids to worry. Craig and I looked through the packet of papers in disbelief.

Sidenote.... not total disbelief. A couple weeks earlier I had received a notice that there would be an appraiser coming through to inspect our duplex. I had red flags go up then. Not because of an inspection, but an actual appraiser. hmmm. So I immediately called the office and point blank asked them. ARE YOU FILING BANKRUPTCY?
They immediately said no. Maybe I should have asked are you making your payments?

We moved on, rather shaken. But Craig's entire family was waiting for us over at Tim and Melinda's. So we packed the kids back up and headed out the door.

Isn't 2010 going to be a little easier?

Christmas Morning

Santa had left the kids a note, thanking them for the milk and cookies and for leaving carrots for the reindeer. Reid read it to all of us. It was really kind of nice because nobody minded waiting while he read Santa's letter. Look at those muscles.

 

That clever Santa. We did not have stalkings, so he used candy canes and hung Pokemon cards and glue sticks from the tree.

 

Aleah was very cute. She made a bee line for her new Robeez shoes. (No, they weren't wrapped.) Santa was very tired and he knew she would not mind.

 

Pokemon, Bakugan, Bionicle is this a foreign language. No it's Christmas morning with three boys.

The final damage from tearing open gifts.

 

We had a quiet afternoon. The kids we playing with their new toys. I made the super delicious ham that Craig had got with my dad. It was a simple and very sweet Christmas, a perfect day to celebrate the blessing of Jesus.

Dad for The Day

Craig had to go back to work on Monday, so he left Grandma and Grandpa's Sunday afternoon. So come Monday I had to step up my game and be daddy for the day. Once I put Aleah down for her nap, we headed outside. First on the agenda was some sledding. Pulling kids down the driveway and trying to not get hit by the sled and then pushing them as they pulled one another. (Blast off, as we called it) The most dangerous was when I let them pull me down. The first time everything went smooth, but the second time they wiped me out. As my shoulder hit the ground, I was hoping that I just wasn't really hurt. Then we went for a walk to the pond. It was my excuse to have a break. So we threw snowballs onto the ice and tried to poke through the ice with big sticks. On the walk back home I decided that everyone needed to make snow angels. As I climbed the little hill to make mine, I fell flat. (Mom witnessed this smooth move from her living room window.) We ended with a game of hide and seek. Fun, but I did not realize I was going to freeze as I was waiting to be found. So I had to start making some sort of animal whoop sounds to speed up the process of being found. By the end the sun had went down and it was cold. My nose was dripping and I was wondering if I was going to be able to walk in the morning.

 

 

 

 

Just for the record, I could walk the next morning. However by the following evening I could feel every muscle in my body.

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's

We had Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa the weekend before Christmas. Don and Vicki flew in Friday and then we drove up Saturday. It was a beautiful weekend with snow, but it was not too cold. Perfect to be opening gifts and celebrating Jesus' Birthday.

Aleah is checking out the loot, ready to eat and open gifts.

 

Trey and Grandma are working on the giant pan of mashed potatoes. Yummy!!

 

Daddy and Reid are getting the turkey ready.

 

Aleah is really catching on to this gift thing.

 

Now she's getting a little carried away. She was laying on top of the gift and ripping the paper off. What technique.

 

Uncle Don passing out gifts.

 

What was your mother thinking? Saying it was a good idea to get you nerf guns. You'll shoot your eye out. Isn't that how the line goes?

 

One of Uncle Don's favorite stories from the weekend involves Tasha. Here's how the story goes. We had just arrived. Let's be honest, it's just chaos when we arrive. Unloading the kids and then unloading the bags and unloading Tasha. Well, Craig always gets Tasha out and takes her to go potty. (Do you have an idea where this is going?) The kids and I were in the NEW family room bouncing off the walls and talking to everyone. Tasha came in and was prancing around. It's my fault... I admit it. I was just ignoring her, because she had just came in I thought she had just went. I was WRONG. She proceeds to poop in the middle of the room. Craig came quickly and ran her outside to finish her business. Mom is picking it up and spraying lysol. But Cade is famous for coming up with some of Don's favorite lines. Reid was right next to the poop. And Cade says, "Reid, that's probably bad luck." So for the rest of the weekend Uncle Don was quoting, "That's probably bad luck."

A few years back, when Cade and Reid were both into Dora the Explorer. Uncle Don became Swiper. He would sneak their toys away, hide and scare them, and just cause craziness. So now whenever the boys are with Don they expect him to play Swiper with them. So Saturday night we had a good hour of Don hiding and scaring the kids and everyone running around SCREAMING. I think Grandpa especially enjoyed this game, I am being sarcastic. But the kids were so happy and it was one of their favorite parts of the weekend. It was one of mine too.

Christmas Party One And Christmas Party Two

Cade and Reid had their Christmas parties at school today. So I packed up Trey and Aleah and we were off to yet more festivities. Just for the record I tried to take pictures of Trey, but he did not want to get in any of the pictures. Reid and the friends at his little table were happy to have us and talked to us the entire time.(Funny, how that changes by 4th grade. They like you, just not as excited to have you around.)
Reid had a candy cane made into a reindeer, always a cute item. Oops, I cut off the reindeer, well, that's what he is holding.


Mrs. Merkel brought us a couple chairs to set in, how nice.
Wait, I thought it was nice until I found out the chair Aleah was climbing all over belonged to the little boy they sent home sick. GASP...


Reid was so excited to open his presents. He even asked Mrs. Merkel when they got to open them. Always a proud moment for a mom, when your child has the "gimme's". The entire class got little Teddy Bears. Reid was VERY happy. Then they all went around telling their Teddy's name.



Next we moved on to Cade's party. I was glad they overlapped. Trey, Aleah, or myself would not have survived two whole parties. Cade was diligently making an ornament when I got there. There was a little drama over this ornament. He came home last night wanting to know where his packet of pictures were, because he was sure the little sticker pictures that come with the teacher's pictures was in his packet. When I told them that they weren't, he actually started to cry. I got out one of the smallest pictures I did have and trimmmed it down for him to use on his ornament. When I spoke with Mrs. Krynak, she told me that she even asked the office if they had them by chance. Do you know where they were? Did you guess Cade's desk? He is so much like his father. His poor wife, she will blame me but I swear it's just in his blood.

Cade wanted to hold Aleah to get his picture taken. He is so proud of his little sister.



My arm was ready to fall off shortly after getting to Cade's party. It was not as interesting for Trey and Aleah and not as little kid friendly. So I was holding Aleah the entire time. Trey did get a little attention from the 2 girls sitting with Cade. They loved Trey's Christmas shirt with the Rudolph on it, its nose actually lights up.

Cade next to his buddy, Brock, watching the game up at the front of class.

When did I turn into my Mother?

As I stood outside this morning watching Cade and Reid get on the bus, I had this thought.

Let me paint the picture for you. I had showered, but my hair was still wet and just combed back. I was wearing my bright red robe, the one that makes me look like Santa. I don't particularly like, but my husband and kids got it for me. My very white legs were sticking out. Looking very much like it is the middle of winter and not just the beginning. I had Tasha on her leash in one hand and a walmart bag in the other, ready for the inevitable pile of poop. It goes without saying, I had no make-up on my face. And just to complete the picture for you, I had my lovely brown-mom shoes on my sockless feet.

So when did this happen? I've always acted silly like my mom and enjoyed my crafts. (Although I lack her natural talents in this area.) But now, I am completely turning into her. No, I might be worse. She at least lives in the country, but I live with many close neighbors driving by to see me. If I am turning into her, maybe I am suddenly going to develop her patience with kids.

I guess it could be worse. I could have had black socks on and be turning into my dad.

Big Red

 

Yes, I know given the fact that I am a mother of 4 now, I should be better at going through everybody's pockets before I start the laundry. But honestly, at this stage I am just struggling to stay up with laundry. So when I opened my washer to discover an entire pack of Big Red gum mixed in with my clothes. Well.... I was slightly annoyed. I spent the next 30 minutes going through everything picking little pieces of gum and wrapper off of all the clothes, then I sent them through the wash for a second go. But I evidently did not do a thorough job, because when I went to get the clothes out of the dryer there was gum melted on things and my dryer.

People really don't know how frustrating it is being a mom.

The BFDG's

The Blue Fire-Breathing Dragon Goldfish, this was Cade's volleyball team secret name. Not sure how they came up with that one, but they chanted BFDG...BFDG. It scared the other teams. (maybe not) Cade had his last volleyball game on Saturday. It was an intramural team through his school, 4th and 5th graders. He ended up just having so much fun. I have to admit when I went to the first game I my expectations were pretty low. But they played pretty well. They could all serve the ball and actually there were quite a few volleys. So other than trying to get everyone out the door and down to school by 8:15, it was a lot of fun for all of us.
His team ended up being undefeated. They were a power house. Well, they were consistent anyway.

 

 

Bears and PJ's, Don't you wish you were in 1st Grade?

After visiting Cade's project, we walked by Reid's class. Mrs. Merkel was reading the class a book and all the kids were sitting and listening in their PJ's. They are learning and reading all about different BEARS. Reid was supposed to take a stuffed bear to class, he took his Build a Bear Dog instead.

Indiana Birthday Celebration

Cade had a big assignment for school and he chose to make his about the Indiana State House. He did a great job. And he thought his mom was very handy. (I have him fooled.) It involved many coats of white paint, cutting a lot of little black rectangles, and some tape and hot glue. Then he also researched the state house and wrote a report. Today the whole class was giving presentations. So different groups would go through and each child would have their turn telling about their projects. Aleah, Trey, and I went down to see the projects. Cade tried to tell me that we needed to go back through and listen to all the presentations, but I told him that Aleah and Trey would not go for that. He, Carson, and Tayson were all together. (his buddies) So I got to see their projects and then we left. I wish I would have taken a picture of the three of them. Next time.

I was back at school a week later for the Christmas parties and Cade's project was front and center in the display case. (12/18/09)

A Sonshine Christmas

Yesterday was Trey's Christmas party at Sonshine preschool. I truthfully did not want to go out and go, because it was absolutely freezing. But when he asked me the night before if I was going to come, I could not say, "no". So Aleah and I bundled up went to the party. We missed the crafts and games, okay so I went really late, but I went. They were decorating cookies and eating them when we arrived. Trey quickly decorated 2 cookies, because he wanted to eat them.


Then we moved on to the basement where they have their gross motor time. (This is Trey's favorite time of the day.) It was not part of the party, but I was so glad I finally got to see these bikes. Trey talks about the bikes almost every day. One day he even had a bloody nose when I picked him up and after seeing these boys in action it's easy to see how that happened.

Trey and Caleb... a blurrr... they were going sooo fast.


But this was my favorite. Brady and Trey flying around with Nathan in fast pursuit.

The teachers had to keep telling Trey to get off the bikes, so other kids could have a chance to ride. But the second somebody would stand up he was back on one.

We went back up and the kids gave the teachers a gift and the teachers gave each child a gift. It ended up being a very fun time.

We Wish you a Merry Christmas Part 2

Alright, although my previous post painted a rather negative view of putting up the tree it was actually quite the opposite.  We had a great time.  It started a little rough, because Craig and I did not agree on where we should put it up.  But once that was settled and I got my way (hey-it does not happen very often so I had to make note of it)  things went really well.  We cleared out a space in the basement and let the festivities begin.


Trey had a hard time reaching in to put the branches on, but that did not stop him.

The supervisor.


Reid always loves a project. He wants to take charge, hmmm wonder where he gets that from. Any ideas Mr. Supervisor?


Aleah just enjoyed getting the ornaments out. (good thing I just got some cheap shatter proof ones)

Cade was done helping with the tree, he moved switched to basketball while we decorated. I made him put up a few ornaments.


Aleah was very excited and clapped when we celebrated turning the lights on.