Life just IS

Life has been uninteresting and abnormal all at the same time this past week. We got about an inch of snow on Tuesday so schools were closed Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. While I love having the kids home during the summer, I really don't like having so many unprepared for days off during the school year. In the summer we have a routine and expectations etc but during the school year they go to school so what little routine we have only needs to come into play in the morning and the evening. They eat twice as much when they are home and they make twice the mess.
By Wednesday I knew that I couldn't last another day just "hangin". So I did the dreaded mom thing and made them all job lists. It definitely made a big difference. The other thing that I HATE about snow days is the hats, coats, boots, gloves, scarves, snow pants, etc. First we have to get it all OUT, then it has to go ON, then it comes back IN, soaking wet and dirty. Then a few hours later after we are warm again the routine starts over again. Luckily they are getting older and can do a lot more themselves.
We also went through all of what I call kids hot chocolate (the kind that is a dollar and has the cheap little marshmallows) and they started in on MY hot chocolate (the expensive flavored kind that you make with milk).
I do have to admit though that I LOVE not having homework on those snow days!!

Joseph's First Soccer Game

You know those moments when you just have to bite your tongue and use all control not to laugh or scream? Well our first forray into Joseph "playing" soccer was one of those times. Poor thing was sooooo nervous that he just didn't even know what to do. He had been talking about it all week and how excited he was to play and then once we got there he just kind of froze. He went in to play and just stood in the middle of the field (it is actually more like a court because he is playing indoor soccer) He refused to move. The ball came right to him and he watched it as it hit his foot and kept on going. He then walked over to the coach. The coach put someone else in and gave him time to just watch. When he went in the second time during the second half he at least moved in the general direction of the ball, but still would not run and got out of the way when the ball even began to come near him. We cheered him on and made a big deal out of how the ball was kicked at him and his body stopped (without any effort at trying ) the ball and then his team made a goal. We then let him go to Mickey D's for lunch to celebrate. If he would just realize how much more conspicuous he is just standing there and that he would really blend in if he would just run around a little bit. SIGH. You almost just had to laugh out loud watching him. Hopefully next week will be a little bit better. We have been trying to bribe him ever since the game ended with wonderful prizes if he will just participate. Though bribing seems so negative lets just call it positive parent reinforcements. (LOL)

2008- Where did it Go?

I was reading Emily's year in review and thought it was sooo fun that I started thinking about my year last year. I admit that it wasn't one of my favorites so far. But here it goes.

January-
*Steve got a call that his company had gone bankrupt and we now didn't have a job and we weren't getting paid the next day either.

*Many great moments provided courtesy of WV unemployment center. (Quote of the month-"If I have worked in different states is that considered international" Think of the quote with a twang accent.)

*Looking for a new job and STRESS!!!!

February

*Still looking for a new job
*Finding a new job (with a very stinky commute and very expensive benefits)

*Steve turned 36 (old man!)

*Todd turned 12 and started passing the sacrament (definitely the highlight of the month/year)











March
Ummmmmmmm.... must have blocked this month out

I guess that Easter did happen this month though I only remembered that because I was looking at the calendar

April

*Can't remember exactly when, but became utterly and totally addicted to Twilight thanks to casually borrowing the book from Emily. I then had to run and buy the next two which were not at Walmart so I read Twilight again just to soothe the anxiety. I then had to plan a trip into civilization to get the next two. I made a call to Steve and suggested that we meet him half way home from work (near a Borders) and just have some dinner and spend nice family time. I also just needed to make a quick run into the bookstore while we were there. Bought the next two books!! Spent the next two days reading them and then panicked again at seeing how much time there still was to go before the 4th book came out.


May
*Another month of total blanks, but spring had arrived and everything was in bloom at our house.













June

*Seth turned 3-He had a speed racer birthday. We went to see the movie and while we were there the fire alarm went off. That was his highlight of the day. We then got to go back in (armed with free movie passes for next time we come) and finish the movie. (Free movie passes was my highlight of the day)
*Went to St. Louis to see my nephew Zach be baptised.

*Todd got pneumonia (yes in the summer!)

*Hannah got pneumonia (while in St. Louis)

*Joseph got pneumonia (do we see a trend yet?)


*Julie got pneumonia (apparently it IS contagious)

July

*Still recovering from pneumonia

*Matthew came for a visit


*4th of July fire works (while still recovering from pneumonia)

*Girls camp (even though I was still in the primary they called my to be Branch girls camp director) I didn't have to go on any of the hikes though because I still wasn't able to breathe well (you guessed it) because I was still recovering from pneumonia

* Steve started a new job with a much better commute and great benefits. He started this job on the same day that I left for girls camp. What a completely crazy week. (Thanks to Steve's mom who watched the kids that week.

August

*Joseph turned 6
*Hannah turned 10
*I turned 21 again

*Breaking Dawn FINALLY came out. I spent 2 days in isolation in order to read it LOVE IT!!!!

*School started with three kids at three different school



September

*Got called to be 2nd counselor in the R.S. (over enrichment meetings) Just kind of relieved to be done with primary after almost 4 years.

*Hannah started playing the flute
*Started teaching piano lessons with only two students
*Lost one of the two students


October

*Went on our one and only camping trip of the year. The weather was absolutely perfect even though the nights were quite chilly


*Went with Joseph to the pumpkin patch on the absolute coldest day of the year thus far. We practically ran through the corn maze. School buses are not very comfortable I have decided.

*Halloween-Tami and Emily came to see kids trick or treat.

*Gained three more piano students
*Started watching Lydia every day


November
*Planned and carried out my first official R.S. enrichment meeting. Tons of work, but it turned out very nice.


*The last Thanksgiving at Tami's house.

*Saw the movie Twilight (hurray)
*Helped in Hannah's class making painted tee-shirts

December
Gained two more piano students. I now have 8 paying students while also teaching Todd and Hannah.

*Made a trip to NYC with Emily to see the lights and Rockefeller center. It was one of the funnest things that I had done in years. Definitely the highlight of the year thus far.
*Crazy Christmas preparations.

*Christmas miracle-After ten years my whole family was able to be together for Christmas. It will probably be another ten before it happens again. 17 people in one house! Very very much food eaten and lots of fun had by all.








*To end the year with a bang Steve got into a car accident and totalled his car. Luckily nobody was hurt.



After reviewing this past year I guess it wasn't really as bad as it first seemed there were a lot of up times, but there was definitely some stress. Again I guess my theme continues to be that we are truly blessed.

New Car

With the old car totalled and Steve driving a rental (that smelled like old cigarette smoke masked with new car scent from a jar) we needed get another car. With Steve's commute being what it is we decided that buying an older car wasn't really going to work, but we also didn't want to have a big car payment. So Steve started test driving and researching and stressing. He finally decided that he wanted a Honda Civic Hybrid. So that is what he bought. As of Tuesday evening we are the proud new owners of a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. The kids were so excited that they refused to go to bed until Dad came home with the new car. Then we all went out and sat in it (while in the garage) and pushed the buttons and ooohed and ahhhhed in all the right places. I am just glad that it is done and we can move on to a different life stresser. We are truly blessed.

The call nobody wants

Many of you already know, but Steve was in a car accident on Monday this week. Luckily he and everyone else involved was OK. My brother Todd took me up to the accident and it wasn't a pretty sight or site. I think I might have been better off not seeing it in person because I couldn't stop shaking or thinking of all of the what ifs. I just know that we have been so blessed and continue to be so. We have been waiting ever since to see what the adjuster was going to say, hoping that maybe by some miracle that it could be fixed so that we didn't have to buy a non paid off car. We finally heard from him this morning and Steve went down to the shop where the car had been towed. It was totaled. Luckily they gave us a good amount of money and so we are now on the quest to find a new car. Steve has put out the word that he is taking suggestions. My suggestion of a Cadilac Escalade already fell on deaf ears soooooo...... I guess we will have some decisions to make in the next little while. I am just thankful that my family is still intact and well.

The lovely kind of Chaos

Christmas was wonderfully chaotic. We had 17 people here. All of my siblings and parents. It had been a long time (about 10 years) since we had all had Christmas together and I will bet that it will be another 10 before it happens again. We all got what we didn't even know that we wanted which is the best kind of stuff to get. (I even got some stuff that I did know that I wanted) Since then we have been hanging out, playing games, eating way too much food, and just enjoying being together. More info and pictures are to follow, but too much is still going on to form much of a coherent thought. Happy New Year to all!!

My Amazing NYC trip

As many of you already know my sister Emily and I went to NYC last weekend to take in the sights. We had more fun than I have had in years. I was the absolute tourist. I kept saying things like --"OOOOHHHH look at that" and "I have seen that on TV." We stayed at Richard's apartment on Friday and then spent all day looking around on Saturday. The only other place that I have seen that many people was at a concert mosh pit. It was still a blast.

We started out a little bit shaky after literally sprinting down the streets of DC in order to catch our bus, and realizing that I had brought the portable DVD player, but no movies to watch. Everything else just got better from there. The bus ride went quickly despite the fact that we were sitting right next to the bathroom door and had to keep informing people that you must PUSH the door open not PULL. When we got to NY we got on the subway and headed to Richard's place. (After seeing a huge rat run down the train tracks) We crashed at his place and got up the next morning to begin our adventure.

Time Square was our first stop. It was everthing that I hoped that it would be. There were lights everywhere and all of the stores were ten times bigger and brighter than the ones at home. Toys R Us had a working full sized ferris wheel inside. What a rush! We then went to Hershey world and M&M world, took a million pictures, saw Rockefeller Center (along with two wedding proposals), Saks, Macy's, Fao Schwartz, and everything in between.

With plenty of time left we headed back to the subway to go and catch our bus. After buying a movie for the ride home and hot chocolate we somehow found ourselves again sprinting down the street to catch our bus.

Though I came home sore and exhausted (in order to speak in Sacrament meeting and teach RS) it was one of the best trips I have ever been on.

Thanks Em!!!