Happy Birthday To My Big Guy!

Will back in the day!

Will's favorite gift from his loving brother.

Birthday pizza at Bubby's!

Blowing out the 9 candles on his chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, made by Nana.

Wow! Will turned 9 while we were in Ohio last week. I can't believe it has been 9 years since.....

• Allan and I asked each other, "what do you want to do today?"
• We slept in past 8:00
• The house felt empty or was quiet
• I packed on an additional 40 pounds
• I worked at a paying, full-time job
• We lived in MS
• I laid eyes on the most beautiful baby ever
• Our whole world changed for the better

Will gave the words "us" and "we" a whole new meaning. I am so thankful for Will. He is a one-of-a-kind, awesome person. Happy birthday, Will! I love you!

Halloween 2009

One of our carved pumpkins

The soldier, the werewolf and the hippy chick.

Bella and Edward

Jack with his loot - notice the BIG smile

Halloween was a ton of fun this year! Jack's excitement was ridiculously contagious. We pulled out EVERY Halloween decoration that we could find and I even bought a few new ones (scarier ones, with Will's prompting). We had yellow crime scene tape around the tree house, skeleton heads hanging from posts and creepy rotting cloth hanging from doorways. I have to say, I was happy to take down the cloth because I had to duck to go through the doorway and I would sometimes forget at night when the lights were off! We also carved pumpkins and then toasted the seeds for the first time. It was a hit with everyone. And if I do say so myself, we had some pretty awesome looking pumpkins!

On Halloween night, we ordered pizza and then hit the streets of our neighborhood for trick-or-treating. Since we live in such a small neighborhood with only a couple of houses, we left candy on the doorstep and Allan and I dressed up to walk the kids around. What a hoot! It was a really warm night with mist in the air, so it was a perfectly creepy Halloween night. The kids hit the mother load. Neighbors gave them treat bags filled with every kind of candy imaginable. When we got to the last house, it started to pour down rain. Thankfully, it wasn't far from home, but we still got a bit wet. The minute the kids were in the door, bags were dumped and assessments were conducted. Jack was running through the house screaming, "I got a HERSHEY bar! Can you believe it?! I got a HERSHEY bar!" It was hysterical and we were all laughing. Clearly, my kids don't get much candy.

We raked in so much candy, that as of today (11.21.09), we still have three buckets sitting around and I think I have gained 10 pounds from eating it everyday.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Happy Veteran's Day! Thank you so much to all of those who have made the sacrifice to protect our country. God bless the USA!

Jack's First Day of Fours

OK. I realize this is late, but Jack started preschool after Labor Day. He was extremely excited for his first day with Ms. Nancy. Fortunately, his best friends from the threes are in his class again - Charlie and Parker! Although he can go 4 days a week like all of the other kids in his class, I have opted to only send him 3 days. That is a big step for me as it is. I love spending time with my little guy and I don't want to give up any more time than necessary. Soon enough, he will be going all day. Boo! So, for the time being, we are all comfortable with 3 days a week at Preschool. And thankfully, there were no tears this year. Just lots of smiles and excitement - for Jack anyway!

Thank you, Uncle Steve and Aunt Sharon!

Last week, Aunt Sharon came for a visit to help celebrate Emma's birthday. While here, we went shopping (imagine that!). Jack found some pirate shoes at a store and actually fussed when I told him that I would not buy them for him. Aunt Sharon was in a spoiling mood and decided to buy them as a surprise. What a great surprise! They fit perfectly and Jack has worn them to school everyday this week. He LOVES them! I had to share some pictures of these cool new shoes. Thanks again, Uncle Steve and Aunt Sharon! Jack says he loves you!

Spiriti Week!

This week was spirit week at Will and Emma's school. Being true to form, Emma has thrown herself into each day's activities with lots of spirit. Surprisingly, Will has even shown a little spirit. I had to share pictures from Tacky Day and Decade Day. They were cracking me up! Poor Will even had a field trip on Tacky Day. The Moravians probably didn't know what to think when they saw him coming!

The Last Hurrah Before School

Days before school started, in August, we decided to spend our time visiting some new museums as well as a few favorites. We explored a new place that allowed the kids to make whatever they wanted, using different mediums such as clay, finger paint, yarn, markers, blocks and wallpaper. It was very cool and a perfect activity for a rainy day. On a nice day, we went to the zoo. We have an awesome zoo that has something new almost every time we visit. This time, they had a platform that we could be on to feed giraffes. Unfortunately, they weren't hungry when we were there, but it was still neat. Seeing the animals and visiting the zoo is something that never gets old. We have fun each and every time! The zoo also offers a great backdrop for taking pictures. Here are just a few.......zoom in and notice the screen on Will's camera and see what he was taking a picture of. Pretty cool!

Our Jack-O-Lantern

A lot of fussing went on before she finally pulled the tooth out.

She did it once again! Emma's two front teeth were loose. And I knew it wouldn't be long until she wiggled them out. I asked her to wait until after school pictures though. They really weren't THAT loose! Well, while tousling with Jack (an almost everyday occurrence), she hit her mouth on his head and ta-da, one became very loose. It was so loose that it was driving her crazy and she was unable to eat comfortably. After fussing about it for a whole day, she let Dad tie fishing line around it and pulled it out herself! She wrote a full page letter to the Tooth Fairy that night and left her tooth in a glass of water. The next morning, she was up at 5:30 to find out if the TF had written her back. Thank goodness, she did! Emma discovered a big secret - the Tooth Fairy's best friend is the Dream Fairy! And she was wearing a blue/purple dress because it dyed the water that color.

Basement PROGRESS!

With the recent rain activity, and lack of sporting events, Allan and I were able to get back down to the basement. In a matter of days, Allan hung 8 out of the 9 doors and put up baseboards in the "bedroom". What remains? Not much, in comparison to the whole project, but given our schedule for the next four weekends, it will probably be another couple of months before it is D-O-N-E! The good news is that what remains are mostly things that can be done in short bits of time. In other words, Allan can get some things done at night after the kids go to bed.

The Other Part of Labor Day

Goofy Grandpa!

Will enjoyed every heavenly bit of his chocolate ice cream

Trying to get the hang of eating an ice cream cone

DQ fun!

Grandma Grace and I with the "wine"

The cousins

Emma and Evan - she just couldn't get enough of him!

I haven't even said everything there is to be said about Labor Day weekend! On Saturday night, Nana decided to have a sleepover with all of her grandchildren. This was not only spectacular because our children rarely get to spend time with their cousins, but there were NINE children there ALONE with NANA! Good God, what were we thinking?! Better yet, what was SHE thinking?

So, things weren't as bad as one would imagine. Jack was the youngest there, at four years old. Nana started the night with a bonfire and roasting hot dogs. Big hit with the kids. I left before the bonfire even started, so I don't really know what all went on. I do know that they all camped out in the living room together and were definitely not ready for me to arrive the next morning when I did. Given the cold reception that I got, I headed across the yard to visit with Mary Jo. It was so nice to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee while chatting. A rare treat for me.

I then got the kids ready and we went to visit Grandma Grace. She was so happy to see us and just chatted away. I am not sure if the kids had more fun exploring her room or playing with her walker. Nonetheless, it was a great visit. Grandma even mentioned that she would like some wine. Teasing, I asked Will and Emma to go find her some wine. When they didn't come back, I sent Nana looking for them. Then, Nana didn't come back! Finally, they all three came back with a glass of what appeared to be wine. The kids had found some nurses and sent them on a wild search through the nursing home for "Grace's bottle of wine", only to discover that there was no bottle of wine that belonged to Grace! Nana set them straight and we all had a big laugh over this one. Grandma said that the "wine" was good, but would really enjoy a bottle of wine and some cheese the next time we visit. Who would have guessed?! I love that we were able to find something that would bring her joy! I think we also need to replace a few stuffed animals......

We left the nursing home and stopped at the Dairy Queen for a special treat. I really think my kids thought they were in heaven.

We ended the day by spending more time at Uncle Jeff's and then stopping at Nana's for a drink with MJ and Grandpa Allan, Uncle Steve, Danielle, Alicia, Brittany and Sonya.

It was a quick trip to Buckeyeland, but we sure had a great time.

"Labor" Day

EVERY "working" picture of Debbie had this same expression. Let's think about that.

Godmothers shouldn't be a bad influence

Emma loves to pick on Aunt Janet

Chico, barking out the orders

Go Bucks!

Sharon would be ashamed. Dennis CAN'T work and talk at the same time.

Amy making the most delicious egg rolls ever. But where's the friiirice?

Some things took a bit more work. Notice Debbie's face?!

My hard-workin' man!

Ready for the siding!

Labor Day in Ohio this year gave a whole new meaning to the holiday's name. Some of us actually did some manual LABOR over Labor Day weekend. Allan took half a day off and we yanked Will and Emma out of school an hour early to hit the road for Ohio. We arrived at Mom S.'s house just in time for a cold beer before bed. Those are the best beers.

First thing Saturday morning, Allan hit the road for Chico's to start yanking off old siding and preparing for some new Certainteed fiber cement siding. Ahhhhh!!!!! I think I saw the house tremble with excitement at being covered with such a fine product. Mom, the kids and I arrived a little later - just in time to help make egg rolls and visit with Jill, Wyatt and Evan. Yeah!!!

I have to admit that it was a bit frustrating, sitting around watching the work being done and not being able to contribute. I'm pretty sure no one reading this has EVER seen me with a hammer in my hand, so I think you understand what I am saying. I can do my fair share of work, but construction is the one activity that you won't see me involved in. Nor do you want to!

Nonetheless, it was wonderful being to catch up with the girls. It was just good to be with family again after such a long time.

And it made me happy to see Allan with his brothers. They really love to work together. It was great to be able to give back after all that they have given to us.

The kids had a great time playing with Wyatt while he was there, playing on the skateboard ramp in the barn, peeing in the corn field (inside story) and picking tomatoes. A good time was had by all!

Just the Two of Us

Jack and I have been having so much fun together since the big kids have gone back to school. If you talk to him, he will tell you that I work too much and don't play with him enough. Of course, there are always two sides to every story. I have been enjoying the one-on-one time with him and the ability to carry on a conversation without interruptions. It is seriously a battle in this house to be heard!

Yesterday, Jack and I mowed, planted flower bulbs, jumped on the trampoline and played in the tree house. It was such a beautiful day and I was so fortunate to be able to spend it with Jack. Here are some pictures of my big guy.