Happy Surprise 40th to Me!

On Thursday September 24th I turned 40! The day was fairly quiet. I went to work where we had a great luncheon. All of my co-workers brought in food for a Nacho Bar at my request. Jeff came and ate with us. I got off work early to go to a volleyball game. My teams both lost which was a bummer. Then Jeff and the girls and I went out to eat at Texas Roadhouse. It was a late night to bed, on a school night!

On Saturday I cleaned up the house a bit, and got groceries and then from 2-5 Jeff and I had a meeting at church. When we got home and I walked into the house I walked in to a HUGE surprise! Jeff had planned and plotted and thrown me a huge surprise party. About 50 people were crammed into my living room and sun room and screamed SURPRISE when I walked into the house. I was truly surprised. Everyone kept asking me if I had any "inkling" and I truly had NO idea! I guess for over a week Jeff just plotted and planned to put it all together. It seems there was quite a lot of "lying" going on so I wouldn't know anything. He did such a great job. He thought of every thing: food, decorations, getting everyone here at the right time, hiding the decorations, even giving Mikayla the instructions to tell everyone to park down around the corner so I wouldn't see their cars when we drove up! I truly appreciated all his hard work! OH AND, he also put together (with help) a slide show set to music of my life, from my baby pictures to the present. It was really touching and wonderful.

During the hustle and bustle of my party I actually took some time to look around at the faces of those there. I had my parents there, my husband and children, friends from church, and the girls school and also work. All in all I just looked around the felt BLESSED with great people in my life no matter how or why they were there. All friends that I feel blessed to walk this journey of life with. Friends that I know have my back, and I have theirs. They all bring great joy and love into my life and I am glad they are a part of it.

Thanks to my husband for his love for me. I have celebrated 18 birthdays with him and look forward to celebrating many more.

P.S. "Jeff- you broke our promise that we made A LONG time ago to plan NO surprise parties for each other! Tsk, Tsk...." :)

Christmas Cookies

Tonight was our annual Christmas cut out cookie making night. It is always so exhausting and messy but we all enjoy it. We are trying to get together a couple large tuperware containers full of goodies to take to Florida with us so all of our family (there will be 15 of us) can enjoy some Christmas sweets while we are there. We leave in 10 day!

Thanking our Veterans

Today is Veterans Day and our school always has a wonderful program. The band plays and the choir sings and then there is a slide show where they show the pictures of servicemen and women that have or are serving our country to win or keep our freedom. These pictures are of those that are associated with the kids in the school. My girls had pictures of their grandpa T. when he was in the Navy and also their great, great, great grandpa in the Civil War. When that picture comes on the screen there are always a few whispers and ooh's because of the neat picture of him and just imaging the CIVIL WAR. It is really cool. All the service people in the audience stand and tell which branch they served in and how many years/what war. After a special speaker; a war veteran, all the service people (probably about 25) line the aisle and all the school children go through (from Pre-K through 8th grade) and shake all of their hands and say thank -you for the fighting for our freedom. It is a really touching and moving experience. In the pictures above Jenna and Mikayla shake the hands of some Veterans. Haley and her friend Dayna (who didn't have school today but attended in the audience) each take a cookie. I wish I could have gotten more pictures but the lighting is bad and so they don't turn out very good.

To all the Service Men and Women out there- We Salute You!

Make a Smilebox postcard

Mikayla's dream was to have a hayride birthday party. Because this can't happen in the middle of December we decided to let her have an early party with her friends. Everything was planned and the invitations were sent. Then...it rained! We decided rather than to cancel it we'd change the theme. She was disappointed but also excited to realize that her party day coincided with the opening of HSM3. (High School Musical 3- for those of you that aren't in the know!) We took them all to the movied and they had a great time. Maybe next year for the hayride and grandpa and grandma's.

Grandma's Big Day

Make a Smilebox greeting

Happy Birthday Jeff

Boy am I late! We have had a whirlwind week. I have either been working or away every single evening this week so here it is 2:20 a.m. Sunday and I am blogging. I wasn't able to sleep and so decided to be productive. Jeff's birthday was the 11th (My brother's was the 12th and I didn't get a card sent! I am a slacker! Sorry Doug! Hope you had a good one!) He turned 37. Friday night, the 10th, we went to Carlos O'Kelley's with my parents to celebrate. The girls enjoyed wearing the hat after the waitresses sang to him with it on. Then we went to the Iowa Volleyball game. I wasn't feeling that well, a bad cold, so I was ready to go home to bed.
On Sat., his actual, birthday, we just hung out, he watched football all day, and I made his favorite meal, chicken n dumplins, corn and pistachio pudding. We got his several shirts, Mikayla gave him $2 out of her piggy bank, and she dug around and found an old cd case and an old cd to put in it. It didn't matter that the cd was a very old Christmas one. She was thrilled to give her own gift.

WaterPark

After the wedding we stayed overnight again and went to a local waterpark. We had a great time although it was a little windy and sometimes chilly. We stayed all day and at the end of the day the girls declared that they actually enjoy a regular swimming pool more. The just like to swim better, and not do the slides etc. That is a much cheaper option we will have to keep in mind!

Putt-putt golfing

Our friends Shawn and Rachael, Shawn is our worship pastor and Rachael is a co-worker/Haley's pre-kindergarten teacher, got married the weekend of the 12th. (Yes, I'm that far behind!) After the wedding rehearsal dinner Shawn's parent's paid for us all to go to a fun park, there was putt-putting and go-cart racing. We had a great time. We got done around 9:45 and went back to our hotel, when the girls saw that the hotel pool was open until 11 they begged to go swimming so we let them. It was a late night.

A couple picture explanations: Jenna is standing with a few teachers from school, we had to split into two teams to play, she played with Miss V. her math and computer teacher and also with Ms. B. Ms.B was Mikayla's Kindergarten teacher and next year will be Haley's teacher. The bottom picture is of Haley and Mikki looking for their ball in the bushes, one of them hit it in there and couldn't find it for the longest time. I had to go and rescue the ball. We laughed pretty hard. The picture is blurry b/c my camera is so old that it can't focus right when the light wanes.

Shawn & Rachael's wedding

We had a great time at their wedding, it was the weekend of their 12th. It was in a beautiful setting, out in the country with a pond right behind the gazebo they were married in. Jeff performed the ceremony. She had kids that she has taught over the years walk down the aisle before her and wave ribbons, it was really cute. They walked in to the Shrek song, "I'm a Believer," (I think that's the title.) There is a picture above of Rachael with "her" kids. Mikayla and Haley walked in it. They a ferris wheel at their reception. The wedding party got to take the first ride, Jeff and I got to go on that first ride. Then the kids had free rides all night. I went on it so many times I got dizzy. (Yeah, I must be getting old to get dizzy on the ferris wheel!) I told a co-worker that I was going to go home from the wedding and tell people,,,"yeah, at that wedding I had a few too many!" (ferris wheel rides! :) )

Wedding Dance

Anniversary Party in Illinois

Here are some snapshots of our trip to Illinois for Jeff's parents anniversary party. We met at a restaurant for supper and then back to his parents house for chatting and cake. It was a nice evening. All of his 5 siblings were there.

Top row: Jeff and his brother Edwin discuss their "play" for the backyard football game. Jeff is "drawing" the play out on his shirt. The game didn't last too long as Edwin and his other brother Jimmy hit heads and both split their heads open, like almost taking them to get stitches! Edwin woke up the next morning with his eye all black and blue and almost swollen shut. These men need to realize that they are in their 40's (except Jeff) and stop being so competitive. Mikayla with her cousin Ryleigh. Ryleigh is Wayne's daughter (Jeff's brother). His parents with their cake.

2nd row: Wayne and Ryleigh. She is THE cutest and sweetest baby around!
Jeff, Edwin, Brawson (Wayne's step son), Wayne and Ryleigh shoot the breeze. Haley and Mikayla and their Aunt Teresa (Jeff's sister).


3rd row: Haley and Edwin swing and shoot the breeze. Haley wanted to sleep in the crib at her grandparents, she slept "like a baby" all night long.
Ryleigh gives Daisy a hug. Daisy didn't have a moments peace the whole time we were there.

(Not pictured but present are his sister Katie and husband Ken, Teresa's husband Darryl, his brother Jimmy, Wayne's wife Shelby, who had to work after the dinner, and myself. Lots of cousins were missing as they are all spread out now, one in in Pennsylvania and one is in England!)

Last Day of School!!!

Today is the last day of school and we are all ecstatic! It has been a TOUGH year but we are making it through with God's help and there is light at the end of the tunnel now!

I am behind in pictures. I have pics waiting to show you of Awards Day. My girls got some pretty sweet awards and also of the Talent Show that will be happening in about 1/2 hour. Hint...Haley and Mikayla are doing a duet!!! I hope they don't freeze up there!

More to come...
Amy

Me and My girls!

Breakfast in bed

Although I don't relish showing you all pictures of myself after just waking up I did think that these were cute pictures. The first is of the breakfast the girls made me: eggs, toast and orange slices. The second picture shows Mikayla's wrapped present -in tinfoil, and her home-made card. Her present was soooo cute. She was soooo proud of her gift to me. She had found a chpapter book off her shelf - Ramona and Her Mother, by Beverly Cleary. She said that "she knows that I LOVE chapter books, and so I would love to read this book. Jenna shows me where she kept her card for me, down her pants. Her card was one of those musical cards with the song by Whitney Houston- Simply the Best. Haley drew a picture of her and I, and she also made me a bookmark. They were all so precious! The final gift was 2 white rocking chairs and a little table for our front porch. When it gets put together I will take a picture of that.

Mother's Day with Great Grandma

We were all invited to an Ice-Cream Social with my grandma, the girls' great-grandma for Mother's Day. So, after church and then lunch with my parents we all went down to her "house". While we were eating our ice-cream Mikayla said, "Ya call this an Ice-Cream party!?" I guess she thought that there wasn't enough "partying" going on in this nursing home with 90 year olds. Her great-grandma is 93! As you can see in some of the pictures their grandpa tried to spice things up with a spoon and his nose, he got the girls all riled up!

Top row: Us "pushing" grandma over to the nursing home side of the assisted living home for the "party." / Us all sitting around the table eating ice-cream/ Mikki after complaining about the lack of "party" at this "party"/ Jenna- acting silly.

2nd row: Grandpa Dale getting the girls all riled up and teaching them some "naughty" things/ The girls went around the table and gave us all back rubs, this is the 3 of them taking turns with great-grandma. Haley's weren't the best because she had a candy stick in her hand that she wouldn't put down, we could just see it getting stuck in great-grandma's hair!

3rd row- Jenna and Mikayla entertaining themselves up and down the hall in great-grandma's wheelchair/ Haley trying to escape from grandpa/ Jeff trying on great-grandma's glasses.

4th row: Us ladies with great-grandma- oops I guess my mom should have been in the picture and not taking the picture! Sorry mom!
Ok- now this next picture of my neice Madison and nephew Quinn and their puppy Cocoa, has a story. I saw this picture hanging up on my grandma's bulletin board and was not pleased that I didn't get one. So I decided that I would take a picture of the picture so I would have the picture!!!!! That'll teach you Leah for not sending me a picture!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday G & G!

This past weekend we celebrated my parents birthday, they are a week apart. They came over Saturday evening and we had supper and then we had cake and ice-cream and opened presents. In the first picture we made them "draw toothpicks" to see who got to open up their present first. This is what my mom used to do to my siblings and I if we were in an arguement over who got to do something first. Now this is the way I solve arguements with my kids. (If you have 3 toothpicks, you make 2 of them shorter, and the one to draw the longest goes first, the next longest goes second and the shortest goes third) The girls thought it was so funny to make them do this. We usually have to do this on Saturday mornings to see who gets the first pancake.

If you remember, back in October, the girls gave Jeff underwear for his birthday (yes, at Christmas too) and they wrapped candy bars in each pair and then wrapped it seperately. My dad thought that was so funny. So for his birthday we did the same. Mikayla is trying his underwear on.

More Easter Pictures

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL MOM TODAY! (I won't reveal her age-but its somewhere above 40! :) Thanks for being a wonderful, supportive, loving mom! I wouldn't be able to make it in this world without you!

Happy Easter!- I know its taken me a week to get these posted. Better late than never. We had a great Easter day-celebrating our risen Lord. Church was awesome! We have begun to go to double services from Easter until Mother's Day. A 9:30 and an 11:00 service. It is always very nerve racking to do this. Double the people to work in the nursery and back in Children's worship. We got it taken care of. Overall everything went great, and the total for both services was around 170! Probably about 15 of those were people that had to stay for both services so our total would have been 155 or so. We thought that was great! In the first pic in the second row you can see that Jeff has collapsed on the couch after lunch, people don't realize, including Haley-who jumped on top of him to eat her Easter candy, how much work a pastor does, in preparation for and on the actual day of any normal service, let alone double services on Easter.

After the service Jeff and Jenna went up to the airport to pick up my parents, they were flying back from San Antonio where they had been all week. Their plane was late etc. so we didn't eat Easter lunch until about 3:00. My parents stayed for awhile after lunch, in the very middle picture you can see all the girls piled around my mom and Jenna as Jenna works on her new paint by number.
She loves those things!

After a quick nap, we went up to the hospital to visit some friends that had a new baby girl the Friday before. We took their new little baby, Sariah, her first Easter basket. It was then time to go home and collapse after a busy busy weekend!

This morning I was up at 6:30-on a Saturday!!! Jenna pulled her first all nighter last night. The Middle School lock-in was last night. I was on the planning committee but I told them I'll plan,plan, plan but I am NOT spending the night! Jenna woke up Friday morning at precisely 6:15 because she wanted to stay up for exactly 24 hours, and 6:15 this morning was when everyone had to get packed up and get ready to go from the lock-in. I went and picked her up this am and she said she did it! Her first all-nighter! Oh to be young again!

I haven't included any pictures of the house lately because it doesn't look any different. For the last 2 weeks they have been working on the heating, plumbing, and all the wiring. All the boring work where you don't see much progress. They will be done on Monday with all that, the inspector will come on Tuesday, they will probably have to change a few things on Wed. and then they will start dry-walling Wed. afternoon or so. That should take them about a week to dry wall. Today we have to go and pick out the floor tile. We picked out the hard wood floors- THAT was a tough decision. After the tile, next is the carpet and the lighting. We have most of the paint colors picked out. Jeff's dad and brother are coming the second week in April to paint the whole house so we have our colors finalized and bought by then. To sum up this whole building process in 5 words: A pain in the butt! As of right now I wouldn't do it again. We'll see how I feel after we are moved in and are actually able to enjoy all our work. It truly is AT LEAST a part time job! Most of that has fallen to Jeff, which has added soooo much stress to his already stressful life. We are hoping that this last month and a 1/2 of the process goes smoother than the first 5 months or so. Normally it takes about 3 months to build a house, but with all the problems we had with our land-remember the dump underneath our back yard!- and also the TERRIBLE weather we have had- oh by the way, we had another inch of snow yesterday morning on the ground when we woke up- this building process has lasted WAY TOO LONG!

I hope you all have a great Saturday!

Easter egg dyeing

Happy Easter! We dyed Easter eggs today on our last day of Spring Break! Boo Hoo! It went waaayyy too fast. Jeff and I were up at the new house so much this week, especially Jeff, so many decisions to be made. Exciting things, like where we want the light switches, outlets and cable. Boring! I never realized that those decisions really are difficult and the electrician is like standing there waiting on us to make it! Scooby got a new hair cut yesterday and is a new man. He is all decked out in his Easter best from the groomer.

Haley celebrates 5 years!

Haley turned 5 yesterday! Our baby! We began celebrating the night before (the 18th). We were at the mall and we let her create her own puppy at Build-a-Bear. The first picture is of her getting her puppy stuffed. While she was stuffing her puppy Santa came up behind her. Ok, Ok...I know what you're thinking....Santa in March. But it REALLY was Santa. (or at least the santa that visits our mall) He was in "street clothes" and said that he was just down here making sure that kids were acting good after Christmas. He chatted with Haley and wished her happy birthday! Now I hate to admit this, especially since my sister will laugh and laugh but as soon as I pulled out my camera to take a picture of Santa with Haley MY CAMERA BATTERY DIED!!! Leah is ALWAYS teasing me about this. There is a commercial where a guy is getting ready to take a picture of a UFO and his camera battery dies. That is SOOOO me! So...I have no picture of Santa with Haley. (Leah, you can pick yourself up off the floor now!) My problem is this...I always keep my camera in my purse, so I always have it with me but...then I have a hard time remembering to recharge it! Ok-enough on that. Haley had a great time picking out her puppy-"Princess", she picked out a cute dress and purse to complete Princess' look. While she wasn't looking I bought her a Little Mermaid outfit for Princess, L.M. is her favorite movie. It comes complete with a red wig. Very cute. Jeff also bought her a "Beararmoire". An armoire for all her Build-a-Bear clothes. That was the main thing that she wanted for her birthday. When she opened it she was very excited.

Haley was awakened on her birthday (the 19th) to breakfast in bed from her sisters. (2nd pic) It was complete with toast, scrambled eggs and yogurt. I think she took about 2 bites. In the 4th picture she is helping mix the white and choc. cake mix to marble it. And the 5th pic. is the final cake. We went to the Par-Tee Zone with some of her friends. It's a place where they have all those climbing tubes type things. We had her party there. It was so nice to not have it at the house. They had a great time. We drove all the girls home and Haley spent the rest of the evening playing with all her new toys. All in all it was a great day for our Princess Haley.

Celebration!

Haley got to celebrate her 5th birthday with her grandparents and great grandma this past Friday night. All three girls stayed overnight with my mom and dad. They went down to Wellman to visit my grandma and have her 5th birthday party there. She opened lots of presents and played pin the tail on the donkey, which I heard was quite "wild". Grandpa had new baby lambs so they enjoyed petting and holding them while they were there.