Danelle's Diary

Quote of the Day

2012-02-13T21:03:00.002-06:00

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.

Braces

2012-02-06T16:39:00.008-06:00

Before Braces.
The doctor was pleased with her windpipe. Ya, that's what he said. I've never given her windpipe much thought before but happy that it's sufficient. This could help in breathless situations.

After jaw issues and headaches it was decided that Shelbie needed braces. Just like her mama did. Darn it. We were hoping the kids would get off without having these issues too. She has such a gorgeous smile already so it was hard to believe she needed braces. Seriously, she has the straight teeth and a glistening smile. Just beautiful. She didn't want me to take a before pictures but I insisted...just like any mom would. You can see in the x-ray that her wisdom teeth are thinking about what to do.Dr. Baker is a funny doctor. He cracks jokes and just is so personable. She was happy she got to have colored bands too so every visit she can change the color of her mouth. They didn't have these options when I got braces. No fair!
Here is the after picture. She did great. She likes her braces. She is pretty with them too. I just want her headaches to disappear. Go away headaches. Your smile will be even that much more beautiful after all this is done Shelbie!

Ice Cream Social - Summer 2011

2012-01-17T17:44:00.022-06:00

Silly fun group.

It's hard to believe Abbie will be going away to college before we know it.

We had a church ice cream social and it sure was fun. Friends are wonderful. Just wonderful. I seriously could not live without my friends. This picture of Linda laughing a priceless. This wasn't a very "churchy" thing for me to do..putting that on her boob and all...but it was funny. That's what we like. Funny.

The kids were requested to wear crazy hats and to bring an unusual item to eat their ice cream out of. That was creative and fun. Carrie always thinks of creative fun things. She's a crafty, creative person.

Wanda and Lea Ann are awesome friends to have. Peaceful and kind. That's them!

There was a game of kickball going on too.

We couldn't have ask for better youth group leaders. Carrie and Gary and true followers and they do their part in leadership. God has given them true gift of hospitality and teaching. I love these two people. They tug at my heart.

The three amigos. That's what we call us. Alicia. Carrie. Danelle. We have been friends for years and I know these girls are my friends for life. I am thankful for that.

The kids did a pyramid several years ago and we had them recreate it. Then, us parents decided to do our own pyramid. It wasn't has hard to do as we thought but the bottom row was surely glad when it was over. We weigh a little more than kids do.

Homecoming 2011

2012-01-09T22:02:00.004-06:00

Her first Homecoming dance. What a fun time for a girl! Shelbie got together with a couple friends and got dolled up. She looked absolutely beautiful.

Sick

2011-12-13T20:49:00.002-06:00

I've been sick for a week. Ya, a whole week. It started with body aches, headache, and fatigue. It lead into a cough. A barking, gross cough. I finally went to the doctor to find out I have bronchitis. I suspected so. I hate brochitis. It takes forever to get rid of it.

So, I've been out of the loop. The Christmas loop. I haven't been wrapping presents, baking goodies, shopping, etc. I really feel behind. I wish it were only November. Why is it that the older you get the faster the days go by? I remember hearing people say that but I didn't give it a second thought. Now...I'm living it.

At least I don't have the stomach flu. That would be way worse. Thank goodness I don't have that.

The house was a lot messier this week too. I just didn't have any energy to clean...or cook...or do laundry. I had to tell the kids "I NEED HELP". Can they see that I am sick? Can they see the messy house? Aren't they noticing? Well, maybe that's asking too much from teenagers. But, last night Shelbie did ask if I needed anything. She cooked rice a roni (her new favorite thing to cook) and she brought me a bowl. That was really nice. It made me feel better.

I had to go to work today. That's another subject to talk about. I tried to find someone to work for me. Did I find anyone? No. I went to work. It was ok though. I am thankful it was ok.

Lets talk about exercising. I haven't been of course. I have been 6 days without working out. To me that is awful. I feel so bad and I bet when I do try to workout it will kill me. Oh my gosh it will kick me in the butt. I want to run and be full of energy and have fun doing it. Illness takes the fun out of everything.

Ok. That's all the complaining I am going to do for today. Tomorrow I WILL feel even better. I WILL exercise tomorrow. I WILL be way better. Just watch.

Sk8r Boy

2011-12-08T16:00:00.002-06:00

He spent a lot of time this summer outside with his skateboard. He brought it inside on occasion too and would have to be reminded "not inside". He was really hooked to his skateboards. He seemed to bring them everywhere we went. It was fun to watch him but also unnerving at times...you know the mother in me. Apparently it's not cool to wear protective gear. That's not cool to this mom.

1st day of school

2011-12-02T23:29:00.004-06:00

This was the first day of 7th grade (Landon) and High school (Shelbie). I know, I know my 2011 blogs are all out of order but it's ok, really. I'm ok with it. Now, sit down and chill a minute.

These kids are growing so fast! Did you hear me say high school? Ya you heard me correctly. The whole idea of high school blows me away. She was so excited to have a new year, new beginnings, new school. I was happy for her too. Last year was just a stinky year for her. I just wanted her to be able to start fresh. And she did.

I was at work on their first day of school but Tim took them. Shelbie wanted him to walk her up to the school. That was sweet. I think she didn't want to walk into the school so early because he dropped her off before most kids were there.

Their first day went good. It's a great start to a great year.

Hairy

2011-12-01T22:09:00.002-06:00

This hair picture is too funny to not post. Can you guess who it is?

Landon 13th B-day!

2011-11-29T19:02:00.005-06:00

Chillin' with Gram !

My baby is a teenager. Wow. Where did the time go? I love this kid. Before I know it he will be taller than me.

He put a #9 candle on his cake just to be silly. Plus, we didn't have a 1 and a 3 candle.

He's a cool kid.
Just look at the shades.

It says it all.

C~O~O~L

Long time

2011-11-29T18:34:00.004-06:00

It's been a long time...a year almost...since I've blogged. I've missed it. I forgot about it after a while. I thought of it at times. And now I miss it again. I've decided to start blogging again. The whole reason I quit was because I was getting frustrated with the picture files being too large from our new camera to download. I will use the other camera, one of the kids cameras, or just wish for a new one for my birthday. Either way I will be blogging again!

Now I am on a mission to find out how to turn your blog into a book. Thats my goal for 2012.

Red Fox

2010-12-02T22:25:00.004-06:00

While driving around the cemetery one night the kids and I spotted these baby red foxes. They were adorable even though they were eating on what appeared to be a dead squirrel. There were at least 4 of them watching us as much as we were watching them.

Mom and Daughter

2010-08-25T15:33:00.002-05:00

She is really a lot like me and I love that.

Height

2010-08-23T21:43:00.000-05:00

Look who's taller than his Gram now?!

Summer ball

2010-08-23T21:34:00.001-05:00

Summer sports
I love going to the games even when it's scorching hot outside. The kids love softball/baseball and I love watching them!!

Gorgeous

2010-08-19T22:30:00.002-05:00

This is Kansas. Right here.

Update

2010-08-19T21:54:00.003-05:00

I haven't been posting much for quite a while. Mostly because my picture files are so large they are hard to upload and I get frustrated and then just don't do it.

Summer is over. It's a good thing but also a bad thing. It means the kids are older. New grades are approaching (tomorrow actually). Landon 6th grade....Shelbie 8th grade. They just keep growin and growin and won't stop!

It didn't seem like we did much this summer. But, here are a few things that happened. Not all of them are good but either way it's still things that happened.

We started to exercise more. I started to go to a personal trainer. Then, Tim started going. And now Landon also joins us for boot camp. It's fun and it's also work. I feel better about getting back into the swing of exercise again!

We went to Worlds of Fun. I only rode one roller coaster and that was plenty for me. Tim and the kids did more than that. They are daredevils. Not me. I don't wanna puke.

Speaking of puke...Shelbie did puke. Twice from being overheated. Poor thing.

We all got new phones. This was the first time in years that I did not get a pink phone. I love pink. It's kinda a big deal to not get pink. This was Landon's first phone and Shelbie's 2nd. We plan on getting rid of our home phone now since we don't really need it anymore.

We had Landon's air soft gun war for his birthday party. After an hour the lightning started and we had to stop. The boys wanted to keep going but I was playing it safe. I said "you could die". Nobody seemed to care about the dying part! Crazy kids.

Softball and baseball kept us so busy this summer, as usual. Landon's team went on to play in the state tournament. He played mostly catcher and some centerfield. He even got to pitch in an inning. Shelbie mostly played 2nd base again. They both love to play ball. They most certainly did not get it from me because I can't throw for anything! Serious. You should watch. It's BAD.

Shelbie and Tim and one of Shelbie's friends went to a concert in Kansas City area. Shelbie's favorite singer, Never Shout Never, was there. It was the highlight of her summer!

Landon got contacts for his handsome brown eyes. Shelbie even said he's cute with them. For a sister to say that in a nice way..WOW.

The house is a mess from summer. But, it's just a mess. And it will clean up. Eventually.

We got new mattresses for the kids beds. They are lovin' it. Now I have soft mattress envy goin on.

The worst part of this summer: 11 days before my nephews 21st birthday he died. That was really hard. Words can not fill this spot here to explain the hurt. But, we have a lot of memories to hang on to.

Ok, those are a few of the things that pop in my head about this summer. It doesn't seem like much but it felt like a busy summer.

He is 12.

2010-07-20T15:56:00.002-05:00

Wow.

He is 12.

Where did 12 years go?

My oh my he has grown up.

He's still my little boy but on the other hand I look at him and he is so grown up.

12 things about Landon at age 12

1. He loves playing with Air soft guns.

2. He loves baseball. He is an awesome catcher and sometimes plays centerfield. He can throw really far which makes him good at that position too.

3. He loves to eat crawdads, chicken wings, and ribs.

4. He got his first cell phone.

5. He rides his bike all over town.

6. He just got contacts for the first time.

7. He hates video games.

8. He thinks facebook is a waste of time.

9. He likes SouthPark. (As his mother I have to say that I am not proud of this. I didn't want him to be allowed to watch it.)

10. He loves rollercoasters.

11. He loves playing ice hockey.

12. He loves fireworks and won't stop talking about M80's.

2010-07-03T17:13:00.006-05:00

Being in 7th grade Shelbie decided to take track. She didn't want to run because that'd probably be too much work. Although, she talked about running the mile but never followed through with it. After encouragement from one of the coaches who happens to be my best friend (insert Alicia's name here), she decided to try throwing. She loved throwing the discus. Who knew? She ended up being pretty good at it too. I think more than anything I think track was a social event for her though. She enjoyed being around friends. Yes, she is our social butterfly.

2010-05-10T22:00:00.002-05:00

Shelbie made me this video for mothers day. She spent quite a bit of time working on it. When she came in to show it to me I cried. Like a baby. She held me and said "don't cry mom, santa clause is coming." Of course this made me crack a smile. This was such an awesome gift. I will replay it and cherish it forever. What a talented thoughtful girl I have!

Landon was the first to wish me a happy mothers day and offer me a hug and kiss and an i love you. This was just as special.

On our way to Wichita we stopped at Walmart so he could run in and get some football cards. He came out and said, his exact words "I was going to get you a pack of gum for Mothers day but gosh, have you seen the price of gum these days?!" I didn't get any gum but it was funny.

I've been blessed to have these two wonderful kids. I love with down my my bone marrow. They are everything to me.

Guess what I learned?

2010-05-02T21:22:00.003-05:00

This guy taught me how to play Checkers.

Ha, ok I'm kidding. Did you seriously think I didn't know how to play Checkers? Doesn't everyone? But in all seriousness, we really did teach me how to play Chess. I've always wanted to know how to play. And how on God's green earth did he know how to play and I didn't? Isn't he younger?

I'm very new to the game so anyone can beat me. But, it's so fun to learn something new.

Messy fun

2010-05-02T21:07:00.003-05:00

I love gingerbread house building. It's messy. It's fun. And, there is candy involved. Things are always good with candy. We built a gingerbread house, just the kids and I on one of my days off. They each worked on their own side and I did the doorway. I started it anyway. We ended up just gettting sloppy and messy towards the end. I think we all lost interest in it by the time it ended. The candy kept falling off. But, the important part was that we had fun and we were together doing it.

For the record, we of course did not eat this. Therefore, I didn't mind Fisher (the cat) on the table at the time. If this was something we were going to eat I wouldn't have allowed him up there. Ick. Unsanitary. But, he just wanted to watch. He's a good cat.

Valleri is 16

2010-05-02T20:49:00.005-05:00

In January our niece, Valleri turned 16. Sweet 16. She is a sweet girl too. We enjoyed a meal out at Red Lobster with family to celebrate.

Lasik Eye Surgery

2010-01-05T18:46:00.002-06:00

Yikes! I can't believe I'm putting this picture on here. But, I'm keeping it real here. Just keeping it real.

In November I had Lasik eye surgery. Tim had it done a year ago and now it was my turn. I was not real sure if I wanted to get it done because of my freak out eye issues that I have. But I decided to suck it up and be brave and get through it.

Tim said it was no big deal and it was pretty painless and that it just felt wierd. I was still very nervous. They give you valium to relax you and have you wait in a recliner in this room with other people in recliners trying to relax. After I took it I was waiting for it to calm me down. I really don't think it did anything for me. My stomache was a nervous wreck and my legs would not stay still.

Once I got back on the table and they started on the right eye they give you this little pillow to hold. It was really a lifesaver for me because I kept concentrating on the pillow to take my mind off my eye. My biggest fear was passing out. Those that know me know I have a history of passing out when it comes to eye exams. The nurse told me I needed to keep my feet still. I guess I was moving them back and forth. The right eye was uncomfortable but it was just a lot of pressure. The left eye though really did hurt and I had to use lamaze breathing to get through it. I know thats funny but I really did. No joke.

After the surgery was over I could see. Just like that. Things were a little blurry but I could see without my glasses. Wow. We got home and by the time we got home I thought I was gonna die. Well, maybe not that bad. But, my eyes stung so bad. All I wanted to do was to fall asleep and get it over with. The sleeping pill helped. Once I woke up a couple hours later it was better.

The most annoying part was those eye shields that you have to wear. It makes it hard to see when you have eye shields on. I had a lot of haloing at night and sensitivity to light but other than that my eyes are fine. I'm still not used to not wearing glasses. I find myself reaching for them in the mornings and going to push them up when they are not on. I guess old habits stick with ya.

I feel blessed to have good eyesight now. Something I always wanted. It's something we take for granted. Can you imagine not being able to see at all? That's my story and I'm stickin to it. My eye surgery. Thank goodness it's over and I survived without passing out!

Mom

2010-01-05T18:28:00.002-06:00

I know it's been forever since I've posted a blog and so now I'm finally gonna do some catching up!

Back in October my mom came to visit for a week. It was a wonderful week. I can not tell you how nice it was to have her here. I still had to work my regular days but while I was away she was like an elf..cooking, cleaning, organizing. She did so much to help out around here.

One of my days off we used as cooking day. We cooked up pounds and pounds of hamburger and put them in individual containers to freeze. So, later all I had to do was pull one out for chili or whatever I needed it for. Then we made up 5 pans I think it was of chicken enchiladas for the freezer. Mmm..our favorite. Then we whipped and up a chicken pot pie for the freezer too. We also made a peanut butter dessert and a jello dessert.

My kitchen cabinets were organized. The kids rooms were cleaner. The dusting was done. The vaccuming was done. The coat closet was organized. The curio cabinet was cleaned. I'm sure there was more that she did when I was gone but she did a lot. I appreciated it so very much.

I really loved having her around to chat with. One evening we rented a movie and snuggled on the couch. She was able to go with the kids and I to Judgement House too. She got to watch Landon play a football game also, something she'd never been able to do. It was absolutely WONDERFUL that she was here and it was sad to see her go. I hope she can come back and spend time with us again real soon.

Please read this

2009-11-11T15:58:00.004-06:00

I have so much respect for my father in law. He was a man of honor. Cancer took his life Dec. 26th, 1998. He was exposed to raditation in 1962 while serving in the US Navy. We have always believed that this exposure was the cause of his cancer. It was a quest of my mother in law's to hold those accountable for this. She went through great trouble to do this. Not only do I think my father in law, Gary Young was a hero but I also think his wife, Nancy Young is. She followed through on this mission and stuck with it until the end. Gary would be so proud of her just as we are.

Please take the time to read her Quest for Justice and take the time to remember all atomic veterans that had to suffer for the duty to their country.

Thank you to all the veterans that have served our country. Thank you to all those that are serving now. These people risk their lives more than we may ever know.

Concert

2009-11-11T15:36:00.005-06:00

Watch this!

The kids and I are excited to go see Jingle Ball 2009 concert. Several singers will be there that we like but here is one that I love and can't wait to hear.

I have this on my iPod and love to workout to it.

Proud

2009-10-20T21:10:00.002-05:00

I'm just saying that I'm so proud of Shelbie's grades for the first quarter of 7th grade. Her GPA is 3.875. Apparently she is 48 out of 117 in her class. She said her goal is to bring this up.

This is so awesome. Way to go Shelbie! Keep up the hard work.

Ok...now on a funny note. Here was a funny that Landon said this weekend.

We were talking about how women find comfort in chocolate when they are dumped by a guy.

I said "just get her ice cream and she'll feel better".

Landon said "just get her a casserole".

Just the way he said it was hilarious. We are still talking about it and laughing.

Tennis

2009-10-08T15:47:00.002-05:00

Tennis season is over now. This was Shelbie's first year to take tennis. I was proud of her for wanting to try something new. I have to admit that at first I didn't think it would involve much exercise but I was wrong. They ran at each practice and after trying it myself I realize that it's harder than it looks and you do in fact get tired.
She improved throughout the season and I could tell a big improvement from the first match to the last. It was fun to watch her. I enjoyed watching singles matches the best but she did have doubles matches each time too.

She said she's going to take it again next year. I'm hoping that this summer she will get to the tennis court and practice. I plan on going with her. It's a good workout and she can teach me a thing or two. Good job Shelbie on your tennis season!

Nature's Beauty

2009-10-08T11:25:00.002-05:00

One evening in September there was a gorgeous full rainbow. Then a beautiful sunset followed it. Right after the sun set the lightening started. What a perfect picture opportunity. But, I was not fast enough to get the camera for the rainbow. We rushed in the car and drove out 12th street to get shots of the sunset. Gosh it was stunning. I was excited to then get some lightening shots but then the battery when dead on the camera. So much for that. Anyway, I just had to share these shots that I was able to capture.

Grandma/Shelbie day

2009-10-08T11:07:00.003-05:00

What fun! Gram took Shelbie on a girls day for her 13th birthday.

Check out those nails! This is so "Shelbie". She loves these wild colors. Everything that reminds me of the 80's.

Her day included the manicure (which was her favorite), her hair appointment, and shopping. It's hard to tell by the pictures here but her highlights in her hair turned out so good. They are bold and beautiful. She had wanted colored streaks in her hair but settled on the bright blonde. She loved it. I did too. It's so "Shelbie".

She didn't do a whole lot of shopping which doesn't surprise me a whole lot. She's not into spending much money, especially if it's someone else's. She has a guilt about it. Gosh...that's so me. I guess she's her mother's daughter.

She had an awesome day. What a special treat to receive from Gram for her birthday. You only turn 13 once!

Teenager

2009-09-28T22:16:00.006-05:00

I am behind but I have had so much happening. Most importantly, Shelbie turned 13. Oh my goodness...a teenager. I have some great pictures of her "beauty day" with grandma and of her party. I will soon post these but for now I want to talk about Shelbie Lou.

Things about Shelbie at age 13

She is a sweet girl.

She loves the color lime green.

She is an awesome softball player.

She is a non-conformist.

Her bedroom is messy.

She always has her radio on in her room.

She loves to listen to music.

She paints her nails practically daily and in funky colors.

She loves funky colors that remind me of the 80's.

She has a lot of friends.

She takes really long showers.

She plays tennis.

She is a master text messager.

She is 5'4" and that seems so tall.

She loves yogurt.

She is really wierd, in a fun way.

She can dance really well.

She would go crazy without her cell phone.

She is money smart.

She talks fast.

She has a lot of math homework.

Math is her favorite subject (this year, so far).

She is an excellent student.

She likes to get to school early to socialize.

She loves to play soccer.

We call her nicknames like "Louie, Lou, Lou-Lou, Loumeister, Loulimaid".

She wants to start babysitting.

She has a funky style.

She loves facebook and is glad to be 13 to join.

She likes to watch YouTube.
She is sensitive.

She is really nutty fun.

She wants to be a cake decorator.

She likes boys now.

She sleeps backwards with her feet at the headboard.

Her goofiness makes me smile regularly.

She is a sweetheart full of love.

She is my favorite girl in the whole wide world.

I love you Shelbie. I love you at age 13!

WOW!

2009-09-10T22:54:00.001-05:00

Look who's turning 13 tomorrow. WOW. Where did the time go? She will be a teenager. Double WOW.

I have a lot of posting I need to do here.

It's happened again...

2009-08-30T23:26:00.002-05:00

My laptop.

Well, it was Tim's old laptop that turned into my laptop when he got a new one. Then, the kids took control of it and I never really felt like it was mine and mine only. So, it turned into "our" laptop. "Our" laptop pooped out. Remember when my laptop died and it stressed me out? All my pictures are on there! Ugh. Well, now I feel that same stress because this laptop died too.

It didn't actually die. But, the charger died. Why do we go through chargers like they are candy? It just won't stay charging.

All my pictures are one there. My favorite blogs that I read are on there. Links to my favorite websites. I'm lost without it.

Did I mention my pictures are on there? Oh ya, I think I did. I had some good ones to add to my blog too. Some really cool action shots, a rainbow and sunset picture, football pictures, friend pictures....**sigh***. I guess for now all I post is whining and complaining.

I miss my laptop. Oops..I mean "our" laptop.

P.S. I think the kids are the ones that ruined it too. I'm blaming them anyway. Someday they can get their own computers and I can have my own!

Weeehawww!!!!!!

2009-08-23T23:49:00.008-05:00

I had a ton of pictures of the kids jumping out of the swings this summer evening. It was so fun to go through them all. You can see in one of the pictures that Shelbie forgot to let go and she landed splat in the sand. The expression on her face is priceless. I really love Josh's hair in that last picture too. The kids got some good height on a lot of their jumps. It was cool to capture these moments.

Thank goodness no one got hurt. I kept imagining a broken wrist the whole time. Tim told the kids that they could not participate. I didn't really understand why (maybe he was thinking the same thing). But, I said ok, just a few jumps. In my mind I was thinking that they need to be kids and jump. What fun is it to just watch? Participate!

The Clan

2009-08-23T23:40:00.002-05:00

They are the best of friends and may as well be siblings. Even though school activities and social lives send them in different directions they can still meet up and it's like they were never apart.

Friends for Life

Spit!

2009-08-19T23:47:00.002-05:00

The other night we went to the Watermelon Feed with church friends. It was a perfect night outside and great to talk to friends.

There was a seed spitting contest. Say that 3 times fast and I bet you say speed sitting contest like I do.

Anyway, this is a fun picture of Barry and Roy spitting. I'm not sure who won but they sure put effort into it. I saw spit fly not to mention the seeds!

Wrestling Party

2009-08-19T23:32:00.002-05:00

For his birthday he wanted to have friends over for the WWE pay per view. I'm clueless about this stuff but we made it happen. Just so happened all the boys showed up in the wrestling t-shirts. They were giving some wrestling signs here in this picture. I will not mention any names because I didn't ask their parents if I would put them on my blog. So, I am not disclosing any info. Do not ask me to. Ok, I'm kidding. I know you don't really care anyway.

Who knew that sitting on a trash can would be a good place to open gifts?

**P.S. I (a.k.a. Mom) don't like this wrestling stuff. It's like a mens soap opera from what I've seen and it's violent and dumb. In my opinion. Please don't judge me as a parent for letting him watch this yuck. His dad started it. Not me. For the record.

P.S.S. I do feel normal though for having a kid that likes this stuff. I think a lot of boys this age like it. Well, the ones that are allowed to watch it.

11 years old!

2009-08-19T22:53:00.003-05:00

11 candles to blow out. 11. My baby is 11 now. 11. That's all I can say. I'm speechless.

This is a "Young" man thing. Don't ask questions. Do look at it and laugh. Landon is still learning proper technique. He needs to improve on his tongue sticking out ability, apparently it needs to get out there further.

Things about Landon at age 11:

He is a sweet boy.
He loves to watch You Tube videos about people's collections of wrestling toys.
He is a good athlete. He gets frustrated when he doesn't win.
He loves to cook and is good at it!
He has a box turtle named ElDorado.
He wants a dog.
He has a fear of strange dogs.
He likes to go on bike rides.
He likes to do chores for money, of course.
His money burns a hole in his pocket and he always knows what he wants to buy.
He loves to go to Walmart.
He begs to always have a friend over to play.
He loves to jump on the trampoline.
He can do a front and back flip on the trampoline.
He is a messy eater, still needing to be reminded to use his fork!
He has a messy bedroom.
He wants to grow his hair long in preparation for Halloween.
He still believes in Santa Clause (and he should because he is real).
He loves to eat lemons and limes.
He also loves to eat chicken wings, spicy or honey bbq.
He sleeps with the blankets over his head.
He plays football and enjoys a good tackle.
He fights with his sister but loves her oh so much.
He likes to antagonize his sister.
He likes his jeans baggy.
He loves to look in the creek for snakes/turtles/minnows.
He can "roll" his tummy and I ask him to do it a lot because it looks cool.
He has a tender heart.
He has a girlfriend (I can't tell anymore than that or he will shoot me).
He likes to listen to his radio to fall asleep.
He has neat cursive writing.
He likes to "debate" and "negotiate".
He has the cutest dimple.
He whines and complains frequently.
He has more positive qualities than negative.
He is my favorite boy in the whole wide world.

I love you, Landon. I love you at age 11.

First Day of School 2009

2009-08-19T22:42:00.005-05:00

Last Thursday was the first day of school for Landon. Shelbie's first day was then on Friday. He was not very excited to go back to school but she was. They both were looking forward to seeing friends again though. Of course, you know, school is all about being social. Uh...ya.

So, it's Landon's last year in elementary school. That made me teary. And, Shelbie is no longer the "low man on the todem pole" in middle school. 5th grade and 7th grade. Wow, where did the time fly?

Yummy

2009-08-16T21:11:00.003-05:00

Who says siblings don't love each other? Shelbie made this turtle out of cupcakes. The cool part is that she made it for Landon's birthday. She got the idea off the internet. She says when she grows up she wants to have a cake business. She wants to get a scholarship to WSU to play fast pitch softball. She wants to get a business degree. Then, she wants to open her own cake decorating business. These are her goals. So, she watches cake decorating on the internet for inspiration. That is where she got this idea.

Catch Up!

2009-08-16T21:04:00.003-05:00

I know softball has been over for a while but I was going through all the pictures from summer than I had not done anything with yet and I came upon this one. I love this picture. When a father coaches his daughter it creates such a special bond. I'm so happy for this.

Summer Shots

2009-07-28T00:26:00.003-05:00

You can see Shelbie and Lindsey up high getting ready for the slide. It's a funny face but the picture turned out sharp.

The All Star Team met up at the swimming pool for a day of free swimming. The best thing about the summer sport is all the friendships that are either gained or built stronger.

It was fun that Landon and Josh both played Babe Ruth. They didn't get on the same team but they did play against each other. That was fun to cheer for both kids on opposing teams. It was especially fun to sit with Alicia to do so.

Here was one of several hits to the leg that Shelbie got. This particular one though left the ball thread marks on her. Ouch!

Looking back...

2009-07-27T23:30:00.006-05:00

These are just a few of my favorite pictures from the softball/baseball season. I'm relieved the season is over and things can slow down for a while. But, I'm also sad it's over. It's so fun to go and watch the games. There is such a high in watching your child play a sport they love so much. I'm proud of the way the kids played. There were so many practices, hot sweaty practices and games, ball bruises and broken egos from lost games...but despite all this they both kept their chin up and loved it. I'm so proud of them.

Busy and Behind

2009-07-13T23:17:00.003-05:00

We've all been so busy lately. Just in the middle of summer busy busy time I guess. Baseball and softball are now done. There are some changes at work, nothing major but just more work for me. There are other things going on that I'm not going to blog about. But, bottomline, it's been crazy.

This weekend was the state softball tournament. Shelbie did awesome. I have pictures to post and I will do that later when I find some more free time. She got the S.H.E. award after one of the games. That stands for Sportsmanship, Hustle, and Enthusiasm. I was super proud!

I've been really proud of her dedication to the game. All the hours of practice out in the terrible heat and sun, without complaining one bit.

My update here is pretty short but I do plan on posting more later. With pictures too!

The Aunts

2009-06-28T17:52:00.002-05:00

Aunt Sherry and Aunt Marie

These are two special ladies. I hope they know how much we love them!

Goodbye

2009-06-25T23:32:00.003-05:00

Goodbye Michael Jackson. Farewell.

When I heard today that he died I was shocked. Although he turned out to be well, lets just say "odd" I still was sad. He was a part of my childhood. I LOVED him. Yes, I had a big crush on him. I could not stop listening to his music and watching Thriller. I also remember watching him in the "We are the World" video. I had this pink crop shirt that said "Pretty Young Thing" on it. When he died today it was like a part of my childhood died. Hey, no joke. Stop laughing.

One other thing that sticks out in my mind that I was forever looking at the album cover with him in all white. I noticed his one wrist. It had a wierd bone looking thing on it and I was fixated on trying to figure out what was wrong with that one wrist. Anyone else ever notice that?

Anyway, I guess I still have my memories of the original Michael Jackson. Pre-surgery and Pre-NeverNeverLand. Or whatever it was called.

Goodbye Mike (ya, we were on a first name basis back then). I'll miss ya Mike.

***Oh ya, in another note.....I guess Farrah Fawcett died today too. Her and I weren't as close.

Her future's so bright...

2009-06-22T19:22:00.002-05:00

She's gotta wear shades! Check it. These are her prescription sunglasses. She loves being shaded by the sun.

Fathers Day

2009-06-22T18:54:00.004-05:00

Dad. That's what the kids call him. It used to be Daddy. And, long ago it was Dada. Tim is a really good dad. There are so many things that make him a good dad.

*Coaching every sport imaginable

*Going to concerts

*Getting WWE tickets

*Royals Games

*Chiefs Games

*Dressing up for Halloween

*Playing catch in the front yard

*Making music cd's

*Late night ice cream

*Fishing

These are the things that I know the kids see but there other things that make him a good dad that they don't see.

*Going to work every day

*Being a responsible person

*Paying the bills

*Making sure they get to school

*Looking out for their best interest

*Doing what's best for them

These are just a few of the things. There are more that just aren't listed. Anyway, thanks Tim for being a good father to the kids. They are so lucky to have you as DAD!

My catcher

2009-06-11T22:24:00.003-05:00

Baseball is going good. Landon is now catching which is a new experience. Last year he was catcher once and got hit in the shoulder with the ball. That scared him away from catching until now. Now, he thinks the catchers gear is cool and he wants to do it. And actually, now that he's done it a couple games we can see that he's pretty good at it. He's the the speed and he's limber and that helps. I will be taking many more pictures!

Softball tournament

2009-06-08T22:39:00.004-05:00

This was a long weekend but fun! The Aftershock tournament team went to Hutchinson to play Saturday and Sunday. The sun was hot but I didn't hear complaints. The girls went through so many bottles of water it was crazy! We got smart the next day and brought a cooler and cups. Duh...why didn't we think of that earlier?!

Sliding. She slid a lot this weekend. There were a few that made me hold my breathe and I totally feared that some bone would break.

My First Base girl.

We were really proud of her playing!
I really love watching her play. My heart races like crazy. I took so many pictures it's ridiculous. But, you have to take a ton of bad ones to get one good one ya know.

Fans

2009-06-01T23:12:00.003-05:00

This kids have fans. Grandma loves to come to their games. She is a fan. She even has shirts to support their teams. I didn't get a picture of the shirt she made for Landon's games but it's equally as cool.

Aunt Sherry is another fan club member. She enjoys the games too. She can get a tad bit goofy as you can tell by this picture but we love it!

If anyone else wants to join said fan club just let me know and I will get you a ball schedule! Baseball and Softball are in full swing. It's such a perfect summer activity. The kids are loving it!

School's Out

2009-06-01T22:21:00.003-05:00

Remember I talked about the Gold Rush day at school? Well, this was Landon getting ready to leave for school. He was supposed to dress like he was going to be gold rushing. That explains the hat (although it's a WWE hat) and the hanky hanging on his belt loop.

This was a picture that I "forced" Shelbie to take with a few friends. The chorus class sang for the 6th grade orientation night for the new kids next year. They sounded great singing songs from the Lion King movie.

So, school is out. It's been out for a while. I'm still adjusting. Can you tell? I haven't blogged in so long. I'm still trying to adjust to the new schedule for summer. This school year was a good one. It was a new experience to have a middle schooler. The year went by so fast and I can not even believe it's gone.

Some things about 6th grade that I want to reflect on:

1) I remember the 1st day. I think I was more nervous than Shelbie was. I think she was a little nervous about finding her classes and her locker combination but most of all she was excited. She could not wait to see all her friends again.

2) Something new this year was all the school dances. She DID NOT want to miss any. We had to plan our schedule around the dances. Highly important ya know.

3) It was really nice to have one of Shelbie's friend's grandma give the kids a ride home everyday. This eased my mind because originally I thought they were going to have to ride their bikes.

4) I had not forgotten but I was reminded this year that 6th grade kids have drama. Boys cause turmoil and heartache and girls sure do get dramatic about it all. Boyfriends/girlfriends change weekly and I could barely keep up with it all! Shelbie had a "long term relationship" though and had the same boyfriend for a few months. It was sad when it ended. My heart broke when hers broke but they are still friends and all is good now.

5) Grades. Shelbie had awesome grades this year! Gosh I was proud of her. Her report card was saturated in A's. She had more responsibilites with schoolwork and she managed it very well.

6) I've heard about a lot of pressures that kids have now days. Things I never worried about when I was a this age. A bomb threat during a school dance? Kids claiming to be bi-sexual at this age? It's really heartbreaking to hear of these things. It saddens me that it is this way. These are not things that kids should worry about.

This 4th grade year for Landon was pretty much the same as last.

1) He always enjoys the kids he's around. Although sometimes he did say that the girls should not be allowed to play recess soccer because they ruin the fun for the boys.

2) He did not like the mexican food at school. I heard about this several times.

3) His grades had room for improvement. Academically it was fine but the behavior grades were lacking. His teacher said the he likes to talk a lot. Standing in lines he would talk. Sitting by his neighbors he would talk. He didn't always listen well either. Of course when you're talking so much who can listen?

4) He wanted to give his teacher a hockey puck from a Thunder game and he was so proud to do so.

5) His teacher also said that he was fun to have in class because he always had comical comments. She said he always was making her laugh.

6) Next year is 5th grade for him. Wow. His last year of grade school. Hard to believe yet at other times it seems like he should be going into middle school too.

Gosh, this was a lengthy blog. I was just rambling. Sometimes I do that.

Special Visitor

2009-05-17T22:05:00.002-05:00

We had a special visitor this weekend. She doesn't like the internet/blog stuff so I won't mention who it is. But, most of you know anyway. It was so nice to have her here. She was able to attend the kid's ballgames. I had to miss them both because of work..dang it. She's a neat person, kinda like a neat freak (I mean this nicely). She organized my pantry while I was at the store and she cleaned up my kitchen. That was sweet. We went to the movie "Obsessed" and pigged out on popcorn. Of course you need popcorn when you go to the movies! Anyway..it was a great time and I {heart} this visitor.

Mothers Day

2009-05-13T22:39:00.002-05:00

I consider my self lucky. The luckiest mom ever. I have two wonderful kids. They are both healthy. I was blessed with a girl and a boy. They really are good kids. I am so blessed.

They are so precious to me.

3 guesses

2009-05-12T13:47:00.002-05:00

You'll never guess what I started this week. Here are 2 hints.

1) It's something I always wanted to do.
2) It will take practice.

Let the Planting Begin!

2009-05-07T23:01:00.004-05:00

I love planting flowers. I love the end result of seeing a pretty flowerbed. After work this weekend Landon and I ran and bought a few flowers to plant. I had been itchin to do some planting and I had to at least do a few or it was gonna drive me nuts. Oh duh..I'm already nuts. Well, it was gonna drive me crazy. Oh duh...I'm already crazy too! Well then, it would drive me bananas. Ya. I'm not a banana. I'm not tall and yellow. Anyway, where was I? Oh ya, the planting. Here is a small start to my flowerbeds. Oh so pretty!

Funny story about this day......I did not recognize something growing but knew it wasn't a weed. My neighbor looked and said it was pumpkin. I forgot that we'd throw pumpkin seeds there when we cleaned pumpkins in October. Wow. The kids thought that was cool too. So, I dug them up and moved them to the backyard. We'll see how big they get. I think it's funny that they grew since that was not our intentions.

We've Struck Gold!!!

2009-05-05T23:50:00.002-05:00

We went diggin' in the backyard and lookie here...GOLD!!!

Ok, I'm totally kidding. You knew that. I volunteered to paint gold for the Gold Rush coming up at school. It was fun yesterday spray painting all the rocks. It's still not done yet but we'll finish it tomorrow.

Contacts

2009-05-05T23:40:00.003-05:00

Take a look at who got contacts!

Here she is with friends sporting my sunglasses. The contacts went great at first. She had no problem putting them in or taking them out. Life was good. She wore them for a week and then her eyes started to get red and irritated. I thought maybe she had an infection. So, she stopped wearing them. Well...fast forward to the eye doctor appointment. He gave her the sad news that she is not going to be able to wear them anymore. Her eyes are just too dry. We knew they were dry and it was a possibility that it wouldn't work before she got them. So, it wasn't a huge surprise.

Anyway, she's back in her glasses which she says is totally fine with her. The only problem is that the sun bothers her eyes so bad. Doctor said it's all linked to the dry eyes. We'll be ordering her a pair of prescription sunglasses soon so she can wear them especially on the ball field.

Bye bye contacts. Thanks for trying anyway.

Conferences

2009-05-05T23:31:00.002-05:00

Not too long ago we went Landon's 4th grade student led conference.

I love these because the student leads you around the classroom to different stations and you get to see all they have been working on.

We got to see his writing, his plant he is growing, and an experiment with batteries among other things. I am so proud of him. He's learning. He's growing. He's my boy. I'm proud to say it too.

My latest book

2009-05-04T22:33:00.003-05:00

I loved this book!

This book was on my Christmas wish list. In fact, several of Oprah's book club books were on my wish list. I got the books I wanted (thanks Nancy!) and I've been reading.

I was in the middle of another book when one day decided to start this one also. Now, that's not something I usually do, to read 2 at a time. That just gets to be too much for my attention span. I can't get into it as much. But, this particular time I started a 2nd book while not done with the 1st.

So, I got into the 2nd one and have not returned to the 1st one yet. Go figure. Anyway, I loved this book because I love the idea of Midwives. I think I would love to be a midwife. Or, I would have loved to have had a home birth with a midwife.

It took me quite a while to read this only because every stinkin' time I sat down at night to read a while I'd fall asleep. No kidding. In fact, tonight when I sat down to read Tim said "enjoy your nap" or something like that.

This book kept my attention the whole way through. And folks, let me tell you..the ending is awesome! I highly recommend this book.

Conversations with kids

2009-05-03T22:25:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Landon and I were in the car and drove by some beautiful tulips. Of course, being the tulip lover that I am, commented on how much I love them, they are beautiful, gosh what pretty colors...etc..etc.... You get the picture. Here was Landon's reply:

"Mom, when you die I'll premate you and tulips together so you can be together."

It took me a minute to understand what he meant. "Premate" was supposed to be cremate. Yes, it's amazing that a kid of age 10 would even know about cremation. I guess he listens to adults sometimes. Anyway, it was a funny thing to hear him say despite the morbidity of it.

Here is another funny conversation that happened today...

While sitting in the car at the Arbys drive thru Landon was in the passenger front seat and Shelbie was in the back.

Landon: Hey, Shelbie. I heard that if you hit someone in the arm pit hard it will make them poop.

Shelbie: No way.

Landon: Ya, really!!

Shelbie: Ok, Landon. Lift up your arm and let me hit you.

**This is where I chimed in and said don't hit, blah blah blah and I said I don't want Landon pooping in my car. This was followed by laughter and more talk of poop.

Shelbie: Ok. I won't hit you hard. Just let me hit you a little and you see if you get the urge.

The poop talk, the hitting, the laughter went on for quite a while along with them wanting me to raise my arm to see if I would poop my pants.

Gosh I love these silly kids.

Blog post

2009-04-18T22:13:00.001-05:00

This girl.

She made my day today.

Emily!!!!

2009-04-18T17:48:00.003-05:00

5 Things that make Emily Special

1) She has a heart of gold.
2) She loves to dance and play sports.
3) She is a "best cousin" to Shelbie.
4) She is loving and gives hugs.
5) She is now a teenager!

Happy Birthday Emily!

Eggs

2009-04-15T23:15:00.002-05:00

Coloring Easter eggs. You're never too old for it. In fact, I think I want to color eggs even when I'm old. Until I'm no longer able to. Like if someday I'm so old that I think the egg is my baby or I think that the egg is a bomb or some hallucinating thought like that. Then, if that happens I guess it really doesn't matter if I color eggs or not.

But, for now I am glad the kids still love to color eggs because it satisfies my need to do so.

Soccer

2009-04-15T22:57:00.002-05:00

Soccer is going great. The kids are having fun and playing hard. Shelbie is particularly good at the sport. I told her she needs to try out for the high school team when she's in high school. One thing she doesn't like to do though is play Goalie. I don't blame her. There's a lot of pressure there.

Her strength is playing defense. That ball just doesn't get by her and she has such a hard kick.

It's so much fun to watch and I know she loves it so that makes it so much fun!

Out of words

2009-04-08T21:58:00.002-05:00

I've been out of words lately for my blog here. I need to go look for them in the lost and found. I've taken very few pictures. We tried to get some soccer pics but that gym is so dark and they never turn out. Darn it. Anyway, we've been busy with soccer games and practices. And now....baseball and softball are getting ready to start. Teams are chosen for the girls. We are waiting to hear who will be Landon's coach. Our schedules are just getting ready to rev up even more. Hang on for dear life!

Work is going good. Everyone is staying healthy. Spring is here. I hope it stays.

Girls weekend

2009-03-30T23:27:00.002-05:00

Our plan was for us 3 sisters plus mom to have a girls weekend again. We had it all lined out to have the hotel room, to go shopping, to go to the Melodrama, to eat out, to catch up with each other. Well...the weather did not cooperate.

In the end, my sister Pam was the only one that was able to make it because of the snow and sleet. She's the crazy one too because she drove down in spite of it all.

So, her and I trecked on to the hotel for Friday night. We ventured out in the snow and sleet to shop at Target. That's what you call serious shoppers.

Saturday morning was interesting. We got up to hit the mall. When we went out to her vehicle we could not believe the ice. It was so thick that the passenger doors were too frozen to open. Pam realized that she did not have an ice scraper. Luckily, the front desk let us borrow two to get to scraping. Long story short, we scraped for what felt like hours. The tires were even frozen with inches of ice. A nice gentleman helped push us out and we were on our way.

We spent the day at the mall and when we came out we were pleasantly surprised to find the snow melting and the sun shining. The roads were better and we were happy.

It was an awesome weekend with my sister. We laughed so dang hard. Seriously. Hard laughter. I don't know how many times we had to stop walking to laugh for fear we'd pee our pants! It felt so good to laugh that hard. I can't tell you how much I needed that.

We got lucky and hit some really good sales. Our time was short but I cherished every minute. We were sad that mom and Angie could not make it though. We missed them.

I'm so lucky to have had such a great time with such an awesome sister.

WWE

2009-03-30T23:20:00.003-05:00

So, Landon and his dad went to WWE a couple weeks ago. It was much anticipated and talked about for weeks approaching it. I was glad the day finally arrived just so we could move on to new conversations!

Despite my dislike for that fake wrestling mumbo jumbo, they had a great time. I just set back and shook my head and kept my comments to myself about it all.

This was the shirt he got there along with the accessories. Rock on dude!

Ice Skating

2009-03-18T23:16:00.002-05:00

Today we went ice skating. Just look at all these pictures! You can see how much fun we had. The kids picked up on it quickly. I went around the first lap holding on to the side but then it got easier. Gosh it was a really fun time. My ankles were killin me by the time we were done but I will definately do that again. The kids wanna go back too.

Insert picture here

Landon immediately took off and was dangerously all over the place. He enjoyed falling down and seemed to do it a lot on purpose. He liked being wild and free. He was doing turns and acting crazy. Shelbie was like me and was more cautious to begin with. But, she was enjoying herself and was doing great.

Insert pictures here

They each took a friend with them which made for an even better time. You can see in this last picture their excitment.

Insert picture here

Ok, I'm totally kidding about the pictures. I took no pictures. Zero. Ziltch. Nada. I wish I had taken some but somewhere between here and there I seem to have lost the camera. My bad.

Playing Catch

2009-03-17T23:31:00.003-05:00

Music

2009-03-17T23:24:00.003-05:00

The music program at the middle school was not that long ago. The kids all looked sharp in their black and white. The music was great and the actions were my favorite part.

Spring Break

2009-03-16T22:04:00.002-05:00

It's Spring Break this week.

Let's all do what the cat does so well.

Relax and Take it Easy.

from Shelbie

2009-03-13T22:48:00.002-05:00

I got this in an email from Shelbie today.

i am who i am
i look like i should
i don't try to be fake
and i'm not ashamed
of who i am
God made me
who i am
and who i am
who God made me
and this is me!!

I typed it in green because that's her favorite color right now.

Yes, she is who God made her and I pray that she will always feel this way. I want her to love who God made her inside and out. I know I do!!!

A sure sign

2009-03-08T18:36:00.002-05:00

Tim cleaned out the leaves today and look what he found! My crocus!! The daffodils were also coming up.

Unfortunately, I don't think the tulips are going to make it this year. I could be wrong but I think they were damaged last year when it froze. If that's the case I will have a major tulip depression.

These are a sure sign of spring approaching. My favorite season of the year!!!

Some things..

2009-03-05T22:30:00.002-06:00

5 things I wish I could do.

1) Play the piano. I have always wanted to play. When I'd go with my mom to clean the church (this was a job she did weekly) I would go sit in the classroom with the piano and fiddle around. I would pretend that I could play. Good times at the Palco UMC.

2) Play the guitar. I just think that would be cool to sit down and pick up the guitar that just happened to be laying there and to play a song.

3) Sing..really good. Do you see a musical trend here? I wish I could sing beautifully at the top of my lungs and people liked it. Oh sure I could and have at times sang at the top of my lungs, but for some reason people cringe.

4) Lose weight. Ya...this is always on my list. I try. I go through ups and downs. I exercise and love it. But, I don't do it often enough. I eat. Apparently I eat often enough and that's the problem.

5) A backflip. I always thought that'd be cool. If I tried I'd probably break something. I'm kinda older and stiffer that I used to be. Never too late? I dunno!

2009-02-28T11:34:00.004-06:00

Here's a toast....

To another year of living life.

It was a surprise. And it worked. She was surprised!
I love this picture. That happiness. The delight. The laughter.

It was Nancy's surprise birthday party. She's 65! She should be proud of herself.

~Her independence
~Her strength
~Her big heart
~Her put together style
~Her knowledge
~Her experiences

Double bonus on that day....it was also Tim's birthday! He is 41 now. He wears it well. Just look at his smile. Happy birthday to you both. Cheers!!

Conversation

2009-02-24T21:30:00.004-06:00

Landon took a ride with me to Wichita tonight. Oh how I love to converse with him. He has such cute thing he says. Our conversation started out tonight about football. He's how it went....

Landon: "I don't want to take football again this year if all we do is lose."

Me: "I know it was rough to lose games but it builds character."

Landon: "Ya, but some of us already had character."

Of course our talk was way longer than this and we talked about why they lost so much, and about teamwork, and sportsmanship, blah blah blah. But, the highlight of the conversation is as mentioned above. How cute is that? "some of us already had character!"

I never in a million years thought I'd ever hear him say he doesn't want to take football. This is just something he's tossing around in his head. The boy is thinking ahead. Nothing wrong with that.

Anyway, here's a picture from my archives. Look at that smile. That's a smile of a boy with character I'd have to say.

You are older

2009-02-16T22:45:00.004-06:00

Mark is older than me. Did you know that? Well, he will be when he wakes up. I sure love rubbin' that in.
Happy Birthday Mark. I wrote you a poem.

You like to talk with your hands.
Because you think you have fans.

We really do like what you have to say.
So keep on talkin..ok!

You like to talk politics.
While I'm day dreaming about movie flicks.

You are so dang smart.
And you sure know how to fart.

You like earthy clothes.
Everyone knows.

This poem is pretty dumb.
But it sure is fun.

You're a great brother.
Word to your mother.

I can't believe you're still reading this.
None of it you want to miss.

I really do love you man.
I'm secretly your biggest fan.

Have a happy birthday.

I hope your day is as fun as this dorky poem!

So cute

2009-02-12T21:40:00.001-06:00

Just try to watch this without smiling. It's impossible!

Update

2009-02-12T19:13:00.002-06:00

I know..I know. It's been a while. I am just stopping in to give a quick update on what's been a'happenin.

School conferences are done. Both kids are doing great. It was nice to hear how well they are doing. Landon's teacher said "he's going places!". And Shelbie's math teacher said "she's a joy!". Yes, both kids can be too social at times but hey, look at their mom!

My job change still feels odd. I do like to get off early afternoon and have the rest of the day available. Getting up so dang early isn't too bad after all. I really don't mind. My body still wants to stay up late but I guess if I don't have a problem getting up then it's ok. Except today..after work I fell asleep at 4 and woke at 5:30. Big nap. I guess it catches up to ya.

I've also been passin medications at work. The adjustment to this change has been smooth. It's nice to do something new too.

We're going to Missouri for the weekend. We'll see the whole family. That will be nice and cozy and familyish. I can't wait to see my new niece!!!!! I hope I'm up to par. I feel something coming on. My throat has that ticklish odd feeling that you get before you get sick. I wish it away.

Happy Valentines Day everyone. Feel the love.

Love it!

2009-02-03T23:15:00.000-06:00

I totally love this song. I can't stop listening to his cd.

It's official

2009-01-29T23:43:00.002-06:00

I start working full time next week, first shift. I weighed the pros and cons of doing this. Yes, there were both. The BIG pro was being home in the evenings again. I won't miss out on the kids and their activities. This is the most important.

I will miss working nights. I LOVE 2nd shift. I love helping everyone to bed and wishing them sweet dreams and knowing that I was the last person they spoke with before falling asleep....there is something special about that. I love getting off work and heading straight to the gym. At 11 pm there is hardly anyone there and you don't have to wait for anything. I love coming home to a quiet house and finding everyone sleeping soundly. I love night time. I am a night person.

So, wish me luck with this new shift. I hope my body adjusts well. One great thing is that when you work first it flies by so fasts. And then I will have the rests of my day ahead of me! This will be great in the summertime.

Random

2009-01-27T22:48:00.001-06:00

Aren't pink flamingos pretty?

The real ones.

FINALLY!

2009-01-22T15:37:00.002-06:00

I am FINALLY done with my CMA class. My state board test was on Tuesday night.

I passed!

I am so relieved.

At it again

2009-01-12T00:10:00.003-06:00

Do you remember last year's post about doing a puzzle at my mom's house? Well, this Christmas we did it again. It's tradition. We got the whole thing done in a day. It's because of our puzzling personalities we could do it so fast ya know. Ha ha...hardy har har. Funny stuff. Well, not really but when you're doing a post on puzzles you have to jazz it up a little. How much excitement in a puzzle is there?
I do enjoy this tradition. I enjoy talking around the table, teasing each other and laughing. I like to put a piece where it doesn't belong and just see how long it takes for them to find it. Now, that's fun right there.

Retired

2009-01-10T22:30:00.002-06:00

My mom retired. She was so thrilled and so ready to finally retire from the banking business. She put in many (I need to ask again how many) years of work at the same bank. I know she loved her work and she was good at what she did. The bank will miss her for sure. And they will see how much work she actually did now that she's gone. Congrats Mom! Oh ya, I just remembered that she does not read my blog. She has no idea that I talk about her on here. muaha ha ha ha

So, along with retirement came the question for her "where should I live?". She's been living in the same house for many years (I need to ask again how many). ****do you see a pattern here? I don't remember details very well*****. On with my story.... I know it has been AT LEAST 37 years because they lived there my whole life, plus some.

She is ready for a change. A big one. So, right after Christmas she moved. The house is on the market. She moved to Missouri where my oldest sister is. The lil bitty town that I grew up in just doesn't have anything to offer for her. She needs activities, friends, excitment, hobbies, etc. etc. This was her reason for moving.

I'm so excited for her! She will be in a much bigger town and there will be so much more opportunities for her there. But, on the other hand I am sad. This was the house I grew up in. All of my memories of growing up are in this house. It tears at my heart a bit to know that it will be sold. My memories of my dad are here. I can just walk into the house and feel his presence. i have my moments of tears just thinking that it will no longer be available for me to get this feeling anymore.

I can only imagine how my mom feels now. Wow. What an adjustment. Yet, I am excited for her change and I wish total happiness for her.

**before the house sells I WILL get pictures of the house..every nook and cranny...I'm sure I will share more later on it**

Cousins at Christmas

2009-01-07T00:40:00.003-06:00

Jared has always been Landon's most favorite older cousin. He's taken to him like a bee to honey. It's "Jared this, Jared that". He absolutely idolizes Jared. So, when he gets to see him it's heaven.

Hayley and Shelbie. Once we get to their house we don't see these two until it's time to eat. They have a close bond. I'm so glad. I always wanted a cousin that I was close to. Shelbie has several and she's so lucky.

It's happy times when the boys get to play. Landon and Tyler are only a couple of years apart so they enjoy a lot of the same things. Landon's been begging to go to Tyler's house for a long time. Ya, like Tyler pays the mortgage!!

I just love to mess with Jared's hair. It's naturally wavy and so thick. He lets me mess with it too. I just love this guy.

The girls and I had fun doing a quick "photo-shoot". We did a ton of crazy, silly photos of them doing crazy, silly things. This one is normal looking but I thought it turned out kinda cool.

Monkey Bread

2009-01-07T00:06:00.003-06:00

While at my sister's house over Christmas she decided we should make monkey bread. When she went to check on the dough it was about to bust a seam in this bag. Wow. It was gonna explode any minute! It was way funnier in person than in this picture but we laughed pretty hard.

We made two pans of it. Gosh it's so yummy.

Two minutes later this is what it looked like. And then three minutes later it was gone. Poof. Just like that. Do you think I should have shared it with the others? Oh gosh you know I didn't eat it all myself. You are so gullible.

Funny story about monkey bread. One year the guys were all hunting and us girls made some of it. We sat and played cards and nibbled on it. Before we knew it the whole thing was gone. It just disappeared under our noses. So, we cleaned up the evidence and then didn't even tell the guys that we made it. How cruel is that? So...now we make two loaves. One for us and one for the others later. Smart, huh?!

Here's to happy calories! Cheers!

Valleri

2009-01-06T23:29:00.006-06:00

Guess who's birthday it is!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Valleri!

You've always been full of smiles.

Keep on smiling in all the years to come.

Christmas Eve (part 2)

2009-01-06T22:42:00.005-06:00

To not overload you all with the Christmas pictures I tried to keep it to a minimum. We took so many pictures since it is a new camera and all. Have I figured all those buttons out on it yet? The answer is no.We had a great holiday. Before heading to Bill and Carla's house we celebrated wtih Tim's mom. She always has a gorgeous tree up with all these beautifully packaged gifts underneath, all neatly organized and labeled. Sometimes they are too pretty to open. But, does that stop us? No!

I have to say that Gramcracker has such good taste too. In addition to other way cool things she got me this shirt and matching necklace. When I opened the necklace she said that it would make more sense after I opened the other gift (which was the shirt). And then yet, it made sense. They match perfectly.

The kids each got one of these cool chairs. Lime green for Shelbie (her favorite) and navy blue for Landon. They are big saucer chairs. Gram sat in it to test it out. Since Christmas the kids have been siting in them all the time. Landon sleeps in his almost every night, curled up in a ball. Very cute but gosh...can that be comfortable? I let him do it. Why not.
One unfortunate thing is that we did not get to see M,M,V,E for Christmas. We missed it too. The kids were disappointed and it's just not the same when we don't get to see them for Christmas. Tim got this cool BBQ KC Chiefs utensil set from them. Pretty cool.

Can you tell she's happy in her new chair?

This gift brought big smiles. GreenBay Packers pj's. Way cool to this young boy. He loves the Packers. For the first few days it was hard to get him to take these off.

We received MANY wonderful gifts this year.

I am thankful.

From the bottom of my heart.

More important than gifts was the time with family. It makes me realize that we do not spend enough time with family. Our lives are so busy and rushed and jam packed with stuff. I know it's normal for families with kids these ages but still. I just want to sit back and soak up the time we do have.

Christmas Eve (part 1)

2009-01-04T22:49:00.006-06:00

Family

Baby Alyssa (my first time to see her!)

Smiles

Tradition: Christmas Eve soups

Hosts

AKA: Bill & Carla

**He looks onery right here because he was squeezing her butt when I took this. Don't tell him I told you that. Keep it on the down low!**

Years we are not traveling we go to Bill and Carla's for Christmas Eve. It's tradition. I love traditions. They are so predictable. I like that. Anyway, we had a great time once again seeing family, young and older. YOUNG. Get it? HA HA HA!!

Oh, I can't forget this picture. This was Tim's contribution to the alcohol consumption. Ok, just kidding. It's just a box. Ok, kidding again. He did bring in a couple of bottles of who knows what but seriously it was just a big box.

Birthday lunch

2009-01-04T00:15:00.003-06:00

This is totally posted late but hey, I'm a procrastinator. Get used to it! So, way back before Christmas it was my birthday. Alicia and Kris took me out to Applebees for lunch. They are 3rd shifters so they were tired but still they were wanting to take me to lunch. How sweet is that?

Soup

Sandwich

Ice Cream

Laughter

Stories

More Laughter and

More Laughter

I have not known Kris for very long but ever since Alicia brought her around I knew I'd like her. She's just as goofy as we are so she's a hoot to hang around. So, she's my new friend. (doesn't that sound cute?) We had funny CNA stories to swap and it's funny how so many of them center around poop.

Funny thing about my birthday. I kept telling people I turned 36. Until today. I realized after a birthday conversation with someone that I am 37 not 36. Oh my gosh. How did I lose a year? This whole time I kept thinking 36. 36. 36. But, the math says 37. I don't like math anymore.

So, this is me. At age 37. I didn't really love myself much at 36 so my new years resolution this year is to grasp who I am at 37. To embrace how God made me. To love me, flaws and all. To love my good qualities and to improve my bad ones. This is me. 37

Happy Birthday Michelle!

2008-12-29T23:23:00.002-06:00

That's Michelle under that hair. You can't see her because she's playing with Landon. She does that ya know. Plays. Laughs. Has fun.

When I asked Shelbie what she likes about her Aunt Michelle she said "she's a kid on the inside". And I think that's a perfect quote.

I hope your birthday was as great as you are Michelle!! I love you.

My new niece!!

2008-12-23T23:57:00.004-06:00

Leah Nicole

Born: December 22, 2008

My first great-niece has entered this world! And..we share the same birthday!!!

This makes her so extra special to me. I can't wait to meet her.

Proud Parents: Nathan and Nicki (my oldest nephew and his wife)

Another year older..

2008-12-22T12:52:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday to lil ole me. Ya. Another year's gone by so quickly. They just keep getting faster and faster. Did the earth's rotation get faster and nobody tell me? I dunno. It's been an interesting year. New job, more school, older kids, weight gain (yikes), the usual stuff and some not-so-usual stuff. Either way I have to admit now to being a year older. I really don't like it. I've never really liked my birthday much and I think a big part of it is that it's so close to Christmas. That's a bummer. As a child and even as an adult it stinks. But, what's a person to do? You can't be re-born.

Anyway, the GOOD NEWS! My nephew and his wife went in this morning for a childbirth induction. I may get a great niece today! I will let you know. It will be a special day to share a birthday with her. I hope, I hope.

I worked this weekend. 26 hours in 2 days. Wow. I work again tomorrow and then I'm off for a week!! I still have shopping to do. I am running out of time. Why, oh why, do I procrastinate? I always have.

Similiarities

2008-12-20T10:41:00.003-06:00

I've been watching Jon & Kate plus 8. The main reason I enjoy this show is because of one of the sons; Collin. I swear that boy has so many similiarities to Landon when he was that age. They look so much alike. They sound alike. I just like to watch it because it brings back all the memories of Landon toddling around.

This profile picture shows him but I see more similitaries when I watch the show. Has anyone else noticed this?

iPod

2008-12-18T23:58:00.005-06:00

I've been loading songs on my iPod tonight. You can never have too many songs. Tim bought me this iPod a couple of years ago for Christmas. It was a total surprise and the best gift ever. Seriously. I have used this iPod pretty much every day since I've received it. I use it when I work out, when I clean houses, to fall asleep at night, and at other musical times during the day. I'm using it right now as I surf on the internet too. Good example right there, huh!

Anyway, I just thought I'd share a couple of my favorite songs right now. Click on these links if you wanna listen!

a favorite song of mine - I love, love, love the sort of gravelly (is that a word?) sound to her voice in this song.

another favorite song of mine - This song is just a fun, light hearted, easy listening song. It's kind of relaxing to me.

yet another favorite - I like the lyrics to this song. Kinda a unique thought "If I Were A Boy".

Ok. That's enough sharing for one day. I LOVE music. I have tons and tons of favorite songs. I think i tend to radiate towards women's vocals. And I also lean towards acoustic guitarish songs. When I look through my iPod I see a lot of Alternative genre songs. Actually, come to think of it I pretty much like it all. All except the classical stuff. What are your favorite songs? Isn't it so interesting how everyone has such different taste in music? Cool beans.

1st basketball game

2008-12-13T20:46:00.002-06:00

I stole this picture off of grandma's blog. Thanks Grandma for bringing your camera! It was his first basketball game and he did great. He is aggressive and a good ball handler. He admits he needs to practice his shooting. He shot a ton of times, making one basket. I think he has some basketball in his blood even though he says he's ALL FOOTBALL.

testing

2008-12-12T21:22:00.003-06:00

I'm testing out the new camera. I need to take the time to figure it out. My camera skills that I learned in high school is foggy, pretty much obsolete actually. I have a ton of memories with my best friend, Michelle and I in the dark room developing film. Gosh we had fun. Some of my favorite pictures to take were sports shots. I loved getting pictures of the boys basketball games. Do you think the cute boys had anything to do with it? Possibly. Anyhoo...I guess I need to learn what all these buttons are on this camera.

Sometimes..

2008-12-11T12:15:00.002-06:00

Sometimes when Mark farts it smells so bad even he covers his nose! HA HA HA..ok, I'm kidding. He really didn't toot but that's the first thing I thought of when I saw this picture.