Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Emily is 14!!



It was bound to happen. My little girl isn't quite so little anymore! She is now 14.

On Saturday, Steve & I got to take her out to breakfast. It was nice to sit and visit with her at a charming little place "downtown" (if you can call our small little town that :). There are painted murals of Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine & Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Lucille Ball, Elvis and probably more than I've forgotten. They have a working jukebox, so I filled it with 4 quarters and let her select. It is a fun place, and their food was great! Chicken fried steak, biscuits & gravy, hashbrowns, pancakes, eggs.... YUM! We shared food with each other an enjoyed it a lot. :)

Then we went to Walmart and got her presents while she looked at books and video games. Peace sign earrings of every color, cutesy socks, a bracelet.... and an umbrella was what we chose for her. The umbrella was a little out of place now but used to be her favorite item when she was a little girl. She always had to have an umbrella, and she would walk around with it like a parasol. She loves her new umbrella and is looking forward to a rainy day to use it (she is more practical now :). Then she got some balloons sent to her from the front office from us on Monday. :)

She loved receiving birthday cards from grandparents through the mail. :)

We had her birthday cake on Sunday while Josh, Karen, and Aiden were here.

We are slowly getting back to normal after celebrating for three days. :)

She is a sweet, funny, and precious daughter and is such a gift to our family. We love you Em!

Friday, September 24, 2010

{this moment} Sept 24th


inspired by SouleMama: {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.



I know this is supposed to be a pic sans words, but I really must tell you why this picture speaks to me so.

This man has been my love for 15 years now. He was my knight in shining armor, the one who came a long not a moment too soon and without a minute to spare. As we go through life side by side, this is the side of him I see more than the back of him or his face: his profile. As we walk together in the evenings, take Sunday drives together, lie in bed and watch tv; this is the side of him I see most (and I love it and happen to think he is extremely handsome :). What a lucky woman I am to have him! Okay, back to the silence. :)

Have a great day and weekend! :)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Season Premier Week - What's your favorite?

Ahhhh. Chuck. House. and I just finished watching Grey's Anatomy. Tonight is the finale to my tv watching week. I feel like life is getting back to normal. :)

My family loves to watch Chuck and Warehouse 13. We also love Dr. Who when we can find a new episode. Only Steve, Amber and I watch House and Grey's Anatomy because I don't trust the subject matter to be appropriate for all 60 minutes for my younger kids.

Out of all of them though, Grey's Anatomy is my favorite. I love the characters. The writers are incredibly talented! The characters are fleshed out and totally believable. When I watch I feel like I am among friends. That is saying a lot for a tv show!

Over the years, Steve & I have found the complete seasons of several shows to fill out our summers with.

About Four years ago it was "Mad About You". Paul Reiser is an excellent storyteller. In fact, if you haven't read his book _Couplehood_ you really should. It is as funny as "Mad About You".

Three years ago was HOUSE. Amber discovered the show first and highly recommended it. When Steve & I watched it we fell in love and had to start at the very beginning and catch up before the next season started.

The next year it was Grey's Anatomy. I was pretty repulsed by all of the sex in the on-call rooms in the early episodes, but loved the situation drama and the humor of the show, so I kept watching and MAN! am I glad I did! The writers have created totally believable characters and have tamed down the sex in these later seasons. There is still the occasional on-call room trash, but for the most part it is a great show. I have to say that it is my favorite show right now and is one of my favorite of all time.

Last year we didn't watch anything over the summer, which I see as a huge mistake. I'm sure that we felt overwhelmed with my mom's situation and with Josh and Karen getting married and having a baby, but sometimes a tv show is the perfect diversion.

This year was LOST. I really enjoyed it, and if it was still around I'd love to continue watching. Sawyer has got to be my favorite character of the show. :)

It is interesting to me how attached I get to the characters. I have a hard time getting into a new series, but once I do I am a permanent fan. In fact, Steve has often wanted to start a new show, but I just want to go visit old friends in the shows I already know. :)

So what about you? What tv shows have you watched and loved, either in the past or this week? Anything else good on the boob-tube that I'm unaware of? I'd love to hear your recommendations! (A new addiction is just what I'm looking for! haha! :)

Monday, September 20, 2010

Sunday Drive in Pictures


These pics were taken at the end of our ride just as the sun was setting. The sunset was even more spectacular because of the haze from a wildfire about 60 miles away (We weren't in any danger at all. The fire was on an entirely different mountain.)



My Sweetie.



Little Baby Aiden is 9 months old now, can you believe it?!



(I'm not sure why Michael was twisting his shirt today. :)



He just had to be fiddling with his shirt in every pic I took. hahaha! Oh well. :)









Ahhhhh. God is an extraordinary artist!

The ride was a wonderful end to a busy weekend. There is nothing like driving less than 20 mph up a beautiful canyon road.

We passed by cows that were so close that we could have reached out and petted them from the window. (Free ranging is allowed in our mountains. :) The air was so fresh and clean with just a little nip in it to make viewing the changing colors perfect.

Sunday rides are my favorite thing. What was your weekend like?

Friday, September 17, 2010

Wanna hear a joke?: Cakes and Ale


from GCFL.net:
Here is a purported-to-be-true story someone found regarding exams at Cambridge University. It seems that during an examination one day, a bright young student popped up and asked the proctor to bring him cakes and ale. The following dialog ensued:

Proctor: I beg your pardon?

Student: Sir, I request that you bring me cakes and ale.

Proctor: Sorry, no.

Student: Sir, I really must insist. I request and require that you bring me cakes and ale.

At this point, the student produced a copy of the four hundred-year-old Laws of Cambridge, written in Latin and still nominally in effect, and pointed to the section that read (roughly translated): "Gentlemen sitting examinations may request and require cakes and ale." Pepsi and hamburgers were judged the modern equivalent, and the student sat there, writing his examination and happily eating and slurping away.

Three weeks later, the student was fined five pounds for not wearing a sword to the examination.
Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

Have a great weekend! :)

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Wanna hear a joke?: Don't Eat the Forbidden Fruit


Whenever your kids are out of control you can take comfort from the thought that even God's omnipotence did not extend to God's kids....

After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. And the first thing He said to them was:

"Don't."

"Don't what?" Adam asked.

"Don't eat the Forbidden Fruit." God replied.

"Forbidden fruit? We got Forbidden Fruit? Hey, Eve, we got Forbidden Fruit!"

"No way!"

"WAY!"

"Don't eat that fruit!" said God.

"Why?"

"Because I am your Father and I said so!" said God, wondering why he hadn't stopped after making the elephants. A few minutes later God saw the kids having an apple break and was angry.

"Didn't I tell you not to eat that fruit?" the First Parent asked.

"Uh huh," Adam replied.

"Then why did you?"

"I dunno," Eve answered.

"She started it!" Adam said.

"Did not!"

"DID so!"

"DID NOT!"

Having had it with the two of them, God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own ... thus the pattern was set and it has never changed.

But there is reassurance in this story. If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give them wisdom and they haven't taken it, don't be too hard on yourself. If God has trouble handling His children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you?

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Our Week (Sept. 6-12)


This week:

my mom was in the hospital from Sunday thru Wednesday and then...
she moved nursing homes (she hasn't decided that she likes the change though. pray for us, okay?)

Matt's team won both of their soccer games

Matt got some Webelos activity badges at pack night

my cargo trailer sold even before we put it on craigslist :)


Other than that we just lived normally... as normally one can when their mother's stuff fills up their living room and the stuff from the cargo trailer is in the driveway.

We made lots of no bake cookies, and not enough bread... I need to work on that this coming week! (baking more bread, not making less cookies! :)

We worked in the yard this Saturday, and we got bicycles in working order again.

I have a big pile of stuff to donate. I need to call and schedule a driver to pick up the stuff. I love that place!!

Michael had a seizure yesterday. It was the first one since the one back in March that we took him to the ER and the neurologist for. We gave him the medicine prescribed (valium) and he slept through it. I have a SAT monitor (to monitor blood/oxygen levels) from when he was a baby and needed oxygen 24/7) and an oxygen concentrator, so I hooked him up. His SATS were a little low (about 85-88) so I put a nasal canula on him and hooked him up to the oxygen. It took about 2 hours before he could hold his own with just room air, but his heart rate stayed low and he was able to just sleep through it. Michael doesn't have typical seizures: he can walk and talk during them, but they scare him silly. He has yelled, "I'm gonna die!" before, which really freaked me out. Sleeping through it seemed to work well, so we'll do that again next time. Tomorrow I have to call and report about his seizure to the neurologist so that they can update his file and add the response to the medication.

Other than that, not much has happened. Hahahaha! Looking over the week and then seeing myself type "not much has happened" was ironic. Maybe since these are my typical weeks lately, it explains why I feel the need for a vacation every evening.

I hope that everything is going well for you!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Labor Day Weekend in pics



Amber playing the guitar


Michael wasn't thrilled about being camping; in fact, he kept saying, "Let's go home!" In this pic, he was in the van and couldn't be swayed to come out... so I took his pic while he was peeking out the window. :)


just hangin' out


My cutie doggie, Meg. :)


This was part of our camping spot. The hammock was where many relaxing hours were spent. :)

Monday, September 6, 2010

Our Labor Day Weekend


I was gone camping from Friday afternoon until late Sunday afternoon. Did you miss me? :) I missed all of you, and this morning turned to blogs to catch up with all of you.

We went camping with some good friends of ours: another couple and their kids. Their kids an our kids are about the same age, so it was fun seeing them venture off together to do some hiking, splashing in the water, and sitting around the campfire sharing stories and helping each other with projects.

Since I was the mama, well, and me being me I suppose, I puttered around a lot getting things ready for the next thing and tidying up from the last thing. In school, when Matt has a hard time sitting down to do his work, I jokingly threaten to duct tape him to his seat....I think the same could be said for me when we go "on vacation". Maybe I get it from my dad. When he was visiting us in Kentucky, I noticed one morning he sat at the table and read the paper for just a few minutes and then asked for the lawn mower. He did lots of small jobs around the house for us. He isn't a sitter either. :)

Just a recap of events:
Friday:
packed up and got ready to go, which always takes a lot longer than planned, doesn't it?!
We got up to our spot about 5 pm and had just enough time to set up camp and get supper ready. Amber had made wonderful tinfoil dinners for us before we left... but they got burned. To a crisp. It was a great plan though: make a fire. wait for coals. put the dinners under the coals and set up camp while they cook.

Josh, Karen, and baby Aiden came up and shared some campfire time with us. After they left, Michael was antsy to get to bed. At first Steve laid down by him, but I knew that Steve would appreciate some time at the campfire, so I sent him back out and I laid down by Michael. The guys sat out at the campfire long after everyone went to bed and they played some music for us. Diego (the dad from the other family) played his Native American flute, Steve played the guitar, and Diego's son drummed on a 5 gallon bucket. It was a nice way to end the day.

Saturday: There was:
splashing in the creek,
hollowing out tree limbs with hot coals... just to say they could (Jared made a "cup" that I'll have to post a picture of), so lots of campfire on Saturday,
Steve & I came home to feed our animals (my brother had already done it. What a great guy!)
and take a shower and pick up some forgotten items,
apple cobbler dutch oven style for lunch and hot dogs with pickle chips (my new-found-fav!) for supper,
swinging in the hammock,
playing in the tent,
laughing, and shouting, hiking (the kind of hiking that moms and dads don't really want to watch: kids in slip on shoes trying to scale a rock wall WAYYYYYYY up there), sliding down the mountain on loose rock when they couldn't find a way down, exploring, making friendship bracelets (such a great idea! Thanks for bringing & sharing the materials April!), roasting marshmallows and hot dogs and whatever else the kids could find to roast :).
Then Diego and April decided that they'd rather sleep in their own soft, warm beds and went home for the night. About an hour after they left, the wind began to gust. I was laying down with the kids and Steve was out by himself to tend the fire and wait for Amber to come up after work. He ended up putting the fires out when embers started blowing out of the fire ring. Then he chased around trying to put chairs away and secure anything not heavy enough to keep itself in place; the wind was strong and threatened to blow away everything in camp. Amber got up to camp safely (that was a huge worry for me. So glad she was safe!) and slept in our van. The next morning...

Sunday:
I went for a walk by myself to take some pictures. It was such a pretty spot, but it only gets a few hours of sunshine since it has so many big trees around it, so I took advantage of the sunshine to get in a few pics to show the camps true beauty.

The kids sat around and talked, and then listened while Amber played the guitar and sang. Baby Aiden slept over on Saturday night, so Jared fed him breakfast.

A while before lunchtime Diego, April, and their kids got back to camp. The hiking, splashing, laughing, and playing resumed. Steve took all who wanted to explore with him and went to see a cave a little ways away. After they were all back from that adventure, I gathered up those who wanted to go for a long car ride to come with Steve and me to go and see the sites.

We got back later than we'd planned, and when we pulled up Jared told me that my sister had been by a bit earlier to tell me that my mom is in the hospital. It seems that her congestive heart failure is acting up and she is having a hard time breathing. They will give her dialysis to draw out some of that fluid. It was time to pack up anyway, so we packed up and left. You'd be AMAZED at how much stuff I can fit in my van! :D Steve says it must be genetic, since my dad was a load master in the Air Force. :)

We got home and unpacked the van, I called my sister to see how my mom was, and then I called my mom. She was feeling better since they were dialysing her; we will go over and visit later on this morning.

So that is my weekend in a nutshell. Today, Steve and I are taking an all day date. We are planning on taking baby Aiden home, going to a couple of dollar movie movies, maybe get a bite to eat, and just "be". Sounds lovely!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Soccer



(Matt is the one kicking the ball)

Matt had his second game and second win yesterday. Congratulations, Matt!