Charmed Conversations

Eye Opener

2010-10-19T16:31:00.003-05:00

Well...haven't been here in quite a while. But I have decided that I really need a place to vent. And Facebook isn't the place. If I wanted everything that I had to say out there then I would most definitely post it there - but some things just need to be said to make me feel better - to get it off my chest.

It has recently been brought to my attention that being my friend or husband or any other relation you want to throw in there is pretty much a hassle. I'm such a hard person to deal with. I'm superficial. I don't tell anyone how I really feel. I'm this. I'm that. Please - anyone feel free to jump in and read me my pedigree.

Newsflash! I'm not perfect! I try really hard to be a good person. To do what I can for others whenever I can. But that's not good enough. No matter what is said or done fault is found with it. I've screwed up somehow. I don't try hard enough.

I am smart enough to know when to say what I feel and when to keep my mouth shut. If I said what I really felt most of the time I would probably end up talking to myself because no one would want to deal with me. Most people want the truth but when you give it to them they can't handle it. And make no mistake - I include myself in that group. Sometimes I can't handle it very well.

So I've been "dealt with" and "put up with" for the last decade of my life. That's nice to hear. My feelings on that? I'm not holding anyone hostage in my life. You want out? You all know where the damn door is - use it. I've made it on my own before and I can sure as hell do it again.

NKOTB Live

2009-03-26T23:20:00.002-05:00

I just got home from a kick ass concert! I went with my bff Stacy to see NKOTB. It has been 19 long years since I saw them last but believe me it was worth the wait!

They put on a phenomenal show and they sounded amazing. I can honestly say that it was the BEST concert that I have ever been to. People can say what they want about them being almost 40 and still dancing around like they're teenagers. They do it because they can! Because they still have a huge fan base. They have made a rockin' comeback.

I know that come tomorrow morning I won't have a voice. I screamed so much and so loud tonite. It's starting to go now :) I was probably acting like I was a teenager because I was singing and dancing and screaming. But who cares?! I was there to have a good time and I sure did!

My favorite part of the nite was Jordan standing at the top of the stairs singing a solo wearing a white tee that was unbuttoned and blowing in the wind. Holy abs! Holy drool! I don't even remember what song he was singing. He did the same thing at their concert in the Dome in 1990. But it was much more impactful this time around ;)

They performed a few songs on this spinning circle in the middle of the crowd. It was really cool! They ended the show with "Hangin' Tough" and they were wearing SU tees - the ones that were made up for the game that went into 6 OTs. I thought that was wicked.

All in all it was a great freakin nite! I LOVE NKOTB!!!!!

My New Ride

2009-03-02T15:15:00.003-05:00

After years of driving around other people's pieces of junk I finally have a decent car! Not that I wasn't grateful for those cars I just was tired of pouring money into them. That and they were too small for my family.

Usually if we were all going to go somewhere we had to take two cars. Or if I had to go somewhere and the kids had to go they were squeezed into the backseat like sardines. Not anymore!

Thank God for my uncle. I'd probably stlll be looking for something if he hadn't helped me. That or I would have gotten something that would have blown up the next day. He found me a van and got me a good deal on it. He got the guy to come down on the price. It cost a little more than I wanted to spend but I needed a good and reliable vehicle. And it came with a 6 month warranty. It's not the color I wanted - purple - but at least it's not red. Most of my cars have been red and I hate red! It's a green that almost looks grey. I can live with that. If not then I'll spray paint it purple :)

It's not new it's used but it's like new to me. I really like it. I haven't had a chance to put them on yet but I have some Charmed stickers to put on the back window. Now if I could only find Charmed seat covers.....

NKOTB

2009-02-09T18:38:00.004-05:00

NKOTB here I come! My guys are coming back to the Cuse next month after 18 long years. I am so excited! I went to my first New Kids concert when I was 12. I had the best time.

Last time they were here they put on a kick ass show in the Dome. This time around the setting is the War Memorial. I think I'm going to prefer that much more. I didn't try for really close seats because I didn't want the floor. Too many people standing up and I probably wouldn't be able to see. I also wanted to have the stage directly in front of me so I opted for seats on the top tier. Besides,it's not like a Collin Raye concert where I have to have a seat close enough to the stage so that I can get sweat on :)

It's going to be pretty amusing to see a bunch of 25-35 yr old women screaming like a bunch of little girls. And trust me - I will be one of those women that's screaming like that especially when Jordan Knight takes the stage. Y-u-m-m-y!!

Welcome Tater!

2009-01-31T21:53:00.004-05:00

Kotah has wanted a certain pet for a very long time. So yesterday her wish finally came true. We went to the pet store and she got Tater - a Russian tortoise.

Tater is a land turtle and boy was she expensive. And by expensive I mean $120 expensive. I said that I wasn't going to spend that kind of money on a turtle but I did. And yes I know I'm a sucker. But after weighing the options between an aquatic turtle and a land turtle the costly land turtle won out.

I figured all you needed for an aquatic turtle was a tank with some water and a rock for it to climb onto. Yeah well I was wrong. The tank had to be at least 40 gallons. It needed a heat and light lamp and a water filtration system becuase they poop so much. Even with the filter the water had to be changed a few times a week. And their diet? Crickets! The cost of an aquatic turtle - approximately $20/$25. It's housing about $350. The cost of the turtle was great. It was the rest of it that bothered me.

Even though the land turtle was costly everything else was a better deal. Smaller tank,no water filter,no crickets. They basically have to have a heat and light source,food and water dishes and a log to hide in. Bark is used for their bedding. Their diet consists of fruits and vegetables. And the tank is only 20 gallons.

Tater is a girl - supposedly. How do you really tell? Kotah thought she knew and said she was a boy but the guy at the pet store said it was a girl. Whatever! Kotah has played with her all day today. She has brought her out a few times to roam around the livingroom. I thought that turtles moved very slowly but apparently no one told that to Tater. She can move! Kotah loves her. She's so happy to finally have her and I am happy that I was able to get her for Kotah.

No More Buick

2009-01-25T13:21:00.006-05:00

We recently lost a member of our family....my car! And before I go any further I want to clear something up for those of you who automatically thought that it was my fault. It wasn't! My hubby did it!!! Give me the benefit of the doubt please!

My hub had been driving my car for a while because his was shall we say illegal. The inspection ran out on it in October and we figured he could drive it until the beginning of the year when the sticker color changed. It didn't make it that long. The whole muffler system fell apart one day and that was the end of it. Let me back up and say that we didn't get it inspected because it needed an expensive brake booster put on and we were going to trade it in when we got our taxes and put it towards our new van. Therefore I didn't want to spend the money on it.

On January 4th he was on his way home form work. We had had an ice storm and the roads were literally sheets of ice. He was 2 streets away from home when it happened. He was coming down a small hill and the car started to slide. There was someone coming from the opposite direction and they were sliding around trying to get uo the hill. He couldn't get the car to turn and they hit - head on. The two driver's sides collided.

The other vehicle was a Ford F-150 and needless to say it won the showdown. Neither of them were hurt. Ironically the driver of the truck was a friend of his. Go figure right? He called me and I went over to check things out. I knew as soon as I saw my car that there was no hope for it. The truck only had a flat tire and minimal bumper damage.

We had it towed down the road to a garage to the tune of $145. Talk about a rip off! But at least I got the insurance to pay for it. And that's about all that they did. When I called them the next morning all they wanted to tell me was what they couldn't do for me. We didn't have collision on it because the car wasn't worth it so we were screwed there. I ended up giving it to the garage for scrap metal.

Now comes the fun with my insurance company. I turned my plates in and the same day went to them to have the car removed from my policy. I went in and told them why I was there. The agent was a total bitch. She took the paper from me and asked if I was going to add another car within the next 30 days. Uh not unless you want to give me one! So she set the paper on a stack of other papers and said she would take care of it and walked away. Strike 1. Like two days later I get a letter from them asking me if I was going to surrender the plates and remove the car from the policy or if was going to get it fixed. Seriously?! I was just there two days before to remove it! Strike 2. I had a bill that was due and I wasn't going to pay for a car that wasn't insured anymore so I called to find out how much I had to pay. She didn't know and said she would find out and DEFINITELY call me later that day. 5 days later I was still waiting. And while I was waiting I received the renewal policy for that car! Strikes 3 and 4. You are so out!

I had State Farm for over 10 years and never had any problems until now. But they really pissed me off so I went looking for a new company. I went with Allstate. The agent is an awesome guy. He spent an hour and a half talking with me and explaining things to me - something State Farm never did. I have to pay $5 more a month with them - due to the accident and my hubby's tickets - but I am willing to do it. The service is so much better. And his wife works with my kids at their school!

I guess when all is said a done it ended up being a bad situation turned good - for lack of a better word. Although his car is still here and it looks like it's staying. I have always hated his car and was so looking forward to seeing it go. It has become the bane of my exsistence!

And......I'm Back!

2009-01-24T23:32:00.003-05:00

Yes ladies and gentlemen I have returned! Apparently I have been missed :) After a few of my girls dropped hints to me I figured it was time to come back to blogland.

I guess I don't really have any one big reason for being gone so long. But I do have a bunch of little ones! Let's see if I can remember them all... birthdays, holidays,
anniversary, sick kids, sick me, crazy family members - none on my side of the gene pool, a totaled car and all the bs that goes along with that and people that suck at parenting - guess that's half my fault. I think that about covers it.

I must say that it felt nice to be missed. I promise I won't go away like that again. There has just been a lot on my plate these past few months. I will post some of the things you guys have missed within the next few days to kind of catch you up.

It's good to be back.....

Proud Mama

2008-11-15T00:17:00.002-05:00

The kids got their report cards today and I am so proud of them! They are doing so well. Not that that surprises me. I have a bunch of little geniuses :)

I must brag about my mini me first. Dakotah floored me with her report card. The school's grading system gives them number grades from 1 which is not so good to 4 which is outstanding. At the end of last year Dakotah had received four 4's. When I looked at her report card this afternoon there were thirty one 4's staring back at me. Over half of her report card was perfection. The comments from her teacher were just as wonderful. She said that Dakotah is on or above level in all subjects/areas. Her critical thinking skills in reading and her problem solving skills in math are fantastic. And she strives to go above and beyond what is expected of her. Seeing and reading all of that literally brought tears to my eyes. I can't tell you how proud I am of her - even though I'm trying :) She reminds me so much of me.

Shaelyn did very well also. Her report card was mostly 3.5's. She had some 3's mixed in there,too. Her teacher said that Shae is a role model for her peers. The one thing that Shae has to work on is that she needs to expect that she will make mistakes and to not be so hard on herself when she doesn't do as well as she expects to. Can't imagine where she gets that from :)

Skylar is doing better than we thought. She has had some trouble adjusting to the curicculum as well as with her attitude. The parent teacher conference I went to a few weeks ago was very enlightening. We sat down and had a chat with her about a few things and told her that there were some things needed to be straightened out. Needless to say we weren't expecting to see a good report card. So we were pleasantly surprised to see a mixture of 2's and 3's. Her teacher said that he has noticed a change since the conference so the talk we had with her must have sunk in. She is having a bit of trouble with reading so she has been put into a reading group. Hopefully that will help and we will see some improvement next time around.

With Jordan being in the big leagues now his report card is different. He gets actual number grades. He did pretty well for his first quarter. Math is his downfall so I talked with his teacher and had him put in an extra math lab to help with that. I'm thinking that by next marking period that extra help will pay off and his grades will show it. He must take after his father in that area because I never had a problem with math.

Kudos to my babies for a job well done!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T16:27:00.008-05:00

Do my feet hurt! We walked the entire neighborhood last nite! But it was so worth it. My little goblins made out like bandits. I have taught them well :)

Jordan went out to his dad's for the weekend so he wasn't with us. Dakotah wanted to go with her bff so she wasn't with us either. My mom brought my sister out so that she could go with us. I made my mom walk with us even though she was whining about her back and feet. Must suck to be old ;)

We have a pretty good-sized neighborhood. Our first leg of the nite was the few streets surrounding ours. My mom was whooped after that so we brought her home. That gave the kids a chance to go to the bathroom and grab a drink. Had to reenergize! I took them back out and we covered the other half of the neighborhood. We were out for 2 1/2 hours.

The husband had to work last nite. We thought he might make it home so that he could go with us for part of the time but he didn't. They were extremely busy. Halloween is the busiest nite of the year for the shop. Needless to say he didn't get home until 10 pm. He was a little upset that he didn't get to go out with the kids because he has every year. There's always next year.

As I said in the beginning the kids made out like bandits. I wish that I had a scale so that I could weigh their bags. Each of their bags was full to the top. I'm guessing that among the 4 of them there has to be over 10 lbs of candy of not more. And that's not including Jordan's bag. I love candy! Did I mention that I love Halloween? :)

After a crazy nite of trick or treating I was able to send a few of the kids off. Kotah stayed at her bff's house and Shae went to my mom's. It was pretty quiet with just Hadlei and Skylar home. I watched a little tv until my hubby came home and after he ate dinner we went through the candy to check it all over and taste test some of it ;)

The kids had a great time last nite. Hadlei liked it so much that when she got up this morning she asked me if we could go trick or treating when the sun goes down. She is something else!

NFL Weeks 7 & 8

2008-10-26T15:08:00.002-05:00

I didn't post about the game last week because I was a bit heartbroken. With Tony Romo out due to a broken pinky I knew there was going to be trouble. The back up QB was Brad Johnson and the guy is a senior citizen. (just a little hint Wade - use a pick in next year's draft for a back up QB that isn't eligible for Medicare!) Needless to say they lost to the Rams. My only saving grace was that the Giants lost to the Browns and they lost bad. Made me feel a little better :)

Add to Romo's injury the loss of Roy Williams from defense who will be out for the rest of the season due to a broken forearm. Then there's running back Felix Jones who is out for a few games with a hamstring injury. What the hell is happening to my team?!? Romo is said to be returning after our bye week. I am doubting that only because we have the Giants next week and I know he'll want to play - hurt or not. And if he doesn't play we're screwed.

I wish someone could explain to me how a team that is literally overrun with talent - 13 Pro Bowlers - can be in the position that we are now. Whether you like my Boys or not you do have to admit they they are Superbowl material. They have been right on the brink for the last few years but they just haven't been able to win that one game that is essential to getting them all the way. No matter what they look like I am still saying that this is their year!

On to this week's game...Victory!!! I had to watch the game online which is no fun at all. I guess Johnson must have taken his geritol because he actually helped take the team to victory. I just hope that he heads back to the senior home - I mean bench - real soon. A 13 -9 win is still a win and I'll take it.

I think I am going to go watch the Giants-Steelers game and root for the Steelers ;) It's high time the Giants started their downward spiral.

A Nite with Collin

2008-10-20T23:07:00.003-05:00

What a nite! And it was over so quickly. I love going to see Collin at the Turning Stone. It's something that I look forward to every year.

I ended up going by myself and had a blast especially because I was seated 10 feet from the stage. I ran into a couple of my son's aunts that I haven't seen in a while. I chatted with them for a bit before the show started.

Collin was phenomenal as usual. He never fails to put on a thrilling show. And as always he sounded spectacular. His shows are solid proof of the exceptional talent that he possesses. He was cracking jokes left and right tonite. He's a pretty funny guy. Lucky for him I'm married or I'd bag him and take him home - regardless of the fact that he is old enough to be my father - he is one fine man ;)

The only let down to the evening was that the use of cameras was not permitted. WTF! I finally have a camera that I can take killer pictures with and I can't capture that gorgeous man on film! Figures. Such an injustice.

On my way out I bought a picture of Collin that will be framed and then hung up on my wall - whether the husband likes it or not. Once I got on the road I called gram to let her know that I was ok. She has been fretting for weeks over the fact that I was going alone. She said there were plenty of crazies out there that could kidnap me or worse. Trust me - they'd give me back :) I told her that I was a big girl and I was more than capable of handling myself. I guess to her no matter how old I am I'll always be her little girl.

Now I must somehow make it through another year before I get to set my sights on Collin again. Why must all good things come to an end?

Reconnecting

2008-10-17T23:58:00.006-05:00

I had a jam-packed day of reconnecting with old friends. This morning I went to see Emily (hi Em!) and her darling little girl. We had a great time catching up. Hadlei had a fun time with Em's mom. She even got a manicure/pedicure.

Em and I got to reminiscing about our days at FHS and we were wondering about our friend Ama. So we googled her. And we found her! Em being the crazy chick that she still is thought that we should call her. So we did! When Ama got on the phone Em said,"This is going to sound really strange but do you remember Emily Oakes and Jessica Caughill from Faith Heritage School in Syracuse,NY?" Ama said she did and we both said,"Hi! It's us!" She was so shocked to hear from us. We swapped emails and phone numbers and all that good stuff. Hopefully we'll be able to keep in touch. Shelle let me know if you want Ama's email. I know she'd love to hear from you,too.

Can't wait until you come back in December. We'll have to go out to dinner!

I also got to go out for a GNO with a friend that I hadn't seen in an obscenely long time - like 14 years! We were best friends when we were in our early teens but stupid things got in the way. Thank God for maturity. We tried to go to the diner but it was overrun with teeny boppers and there were no tables available. So we headed up the road and ended up at Chili's. We spent hours talking about the past decade - man that sounds like forever. We had so much to catch up on. We probably could have talked for a few more hours but it was getting late. That's ok because that will give us an excuse to go out again.

Stacy - I am so glad that we were able to reconnect again. We were the best of friends when we were younger and it would be wonderful to get that back. You know I'm here for you whenever you need me - day or nite. Can't wait to get out and do it again!

I have learned quite a bit in the last few months about friends and friendship. Whether you guys are near or far - Stacy,Shelle,Emily,Sheri,Lisa and Nic - I am thankful to have all of you back in my life. You guys are the best :)

NFL Week 6

2008-10-15T09:10:00.003-05:00

I'm a few days late with this post but I've been busy. Anyway I thought that I was watching a high school football game on Sunday! It sucked! What was going on with my Boys?! It was turnover after turnover for both teams in the first half. The Cardinals pulled ahead and were winning until the last two minutes when the Cowboys made up their 10 point deficit. Game went into overtime. Then what happens you ask? We blew it! Cowboys had the ball and could've taken it down for a TD or field goal but no we had to kick it away. For some unknown reason the defensive line didn't hold the Cardinals and they blocked the kick and returned it for a TD.

As if all that wasn't bad enough some of my players got hurt in overtime. First and most important Tony Romo broke his pinky on his throwing hand. That equals 2-4 weeks out! Just friggin' great! Then running back Felix Brown ended up with a partially torn hamstring. He's out for a few weeks. And our kicker Mat McBriar broke something in his foot when that kick was blocked and he's out for the season! Seriously?!? This was suppposed to be our year! I know that there is still plenty of time but come on!

My only saving grace this week was that the Giants lost to the Browns. And they lost miserably. Did I mention it was to the BROWNS?!? Knowing that they pitifully lost took the sting out of my loss. And it took the wind out of the sails of a certain Giants fan that I live with :)

The hubby and I were joking that Eli must have been hanging out with Tony and the loss rubbed off on him. Yesterday's NY Post confirmed it! They actually had a pic of the two of them together. How ironic! Here's the proof...

Priceless!

NFL Week 5

2008-10-05T20:34:00.002-05:00

Not much to report this week other than my Boys won 31-22. The game wasn't aired on tv so I had to check the score online. From what I read they almost blew it but somehow pulled off the win in the end.

Apparently T.O. is still whining about not getting the ball. Someone needs to remind him that football is a team sport and it isn't about how many times he gets the ball passed to him. I guess he doesn't watch game tapes because if he did he would see that ever since the Philly game he has had crazy coverage on him. He would also see that he is having a problem catching the ball. Watch the tapes T.O.! I hope he is done throwing his fit soon or I have a sick feeling that my team will suffer for it this season.

Next week is an away game in Arizona. Not sure how good Arizona is but I think it can be another win for us if a certain person can grow up and be a team player. Only time will tell...

NFL Week 4

2008-09-28T18:25:00.002-05:00

How pissed off am I? Very! This entire game vs Washington was unreal! From the lousy calls of the refs to the even worse non-calls and Dallas not giving their all to the final straw of taking a knee with well over a minute left in the game?!?!? Come on!!!

It seemed like Dallas didn't show up for this game. What's the deal?! Thinking this was going to be an easy win wasn't the way to go. A team should never go into a game thinking that even if it's true. Nobody expected Washington to come in and play the way that they did. That was their downfall.

There were some blatant penalties that the Redskins had against us that weren't called and the refs were right there. What the hell were they looking at?! Not the game that was going on in front of them!

Let me voice my opinion on how unfair I think it is for a team to be able to take a knee with so much time left on the clock. Under 10 seconds is one thing but over a minute thirty is ridiculous. There is so much game left to be played. It's the cowards way out - period.

Ok - breathe - I love me some football and get very passionate about it. It is only one loss and I have no doubt that my Boys will be back on top next week. They only had one loss during the season last year against New England (other than the win we handed to Washington at the end of the season)and it was later in the season. So we took it early,whatever.

I am not the only person that thinks that Dallas is the #1 team in the NFL. I have heard that many times since football season started. And whether he will admit it to anyone else my hubby has even said that to me. Must suck to have to make a concession like that :)

Next week - Cincinnati. There should be no problem there. Watch out Bengals - we're coming for you!

Missing my BFF

2008-09-23T07:56:00.002-05:00

Today marks 13 long years since I lost a very good friend. He felt the only way to solve things was to take his own life. I still wish that there was some way that I could have saved him all those years ago. I held myself responsible for quite some time. I know that even if I had stopped him he probaby would have tried again. It's a double-edged sword no matter what way I look at it. And it's been a bitter pill to swallow.

I still think of him often. No amount of time will ever change that. A song will come on the radio and I think about what life would have been like if he were still here - what might have been. It's not as bad as it used to be but it's still there and it always will be to some degree.

It still hurts like hell sometimes because I miss him so much. But I take comfort in the fact that I know that he looks in on me from time to time. No matter how much time passes,Dan,I still miss you...

I Still Miss You
by Keith Anderson

I've changed the presets in my truck
so those old songs don't sneak up
they still find me and remind me
yeah you come back that easy
try restaurants I've never been to
order new things off the menu
that I never tried cause you didn't like
two drinks in you were by my side

I've talked to friends
I've talked to myself
I've talked to God
I prayed liked hell but I still miss you
I tried sober I tried drinking
I've been strong and I've been weak
and I still miss you
I've done everything move on like I'm supposed to
I'd give anything for one more minute with you
I still miss you
I still miss you baby

I never knew til you were gone
how many pages you were on
it never ends I keep turning
and line after line and you are there again
I dont know how to let you go
you are so deep down in my soul
I feel helpless so hopeless
its a door that never closes
no I don't know how to do this

I've talked to friends
I've talked to myself
I've talked to God
I prayed liked hell but I still miss you
I tried sober I tried drinking
I've been strong and I've been weak
and I still miss you
I've done everything
move on like I'm supposed to
I'd give anything for one more minute with you
I still miss you yeah

I've talked to friends
I've talked to myself
I've talked to God
I prayed liked hell but I still miss you
I tried sober I tried drinking
I've been strong and I've been weak
and I still miss you
I've done everything
move on like I'm supposed to
I'd give anything for one more minute with you
I still miss you yeah

I still miss you
I still miss you...... yeah.... yeah.....

NFL Week 3

2008-09-23T07:34:00.002-05:00

No surprise that we stuffed a win down the Packs' thoat. The game started out pretty slow. I thought my Boys played like crap in the first quarter. It was nothing like the Monday nite game vs the Eagles. I was starting to think Jessica Simpson was lurking about somewhere.

Marion Barber was his usual animal self. He rushed for 142 yards. It wasn't much of a passing game and I think that was because GB had seen the Monday nite game. TO only had like 1 catch for 5 yards. He didn't really do much during the game. He did get in a great tackle which is something he does very rarely. Miles Austin caught two amazing passes for TDs. His name doesn't usually come up but because TO was covered so well Romo had to go else where.

The end result - Dallas 27/Green Bay 16. Favre or no the Pack can't hang with the Cowboys. Try as they might they are simply just not good enough. Next week the Boys are back at home for a division game with Washington. Shouldn't have a problem getting another win.

*** I have to comment on the fact that the Pats LOST to the DOLPHINS! Who loses to the Dolphins?!? They suck!! They've won only 3 of their last 25 games! Guess it goes to show that if you don't cheat you can't win. Tough break New England ;)

NFL Week 2

2008-09-15T23:28:00.003-05:00

OMG - what a freakin' awesome game! Lovin' me some Monday Nite Football! I don't think I have ever watched a more exciting and intense game of football. I almost had a stroke for crying out loud!

I was worried about this game all week because Jessica Simpson opened her big fat mouth on national television and said - and I quote - "We're going to kick your butts!" She isn't part of the team so there is no "we". Romo needs to put a muzzle on that girlfriend of his. Go ahead and give Philly more of an incentive to come into Dallas and win. Idiot!

Impressive first half for the Cowboys. TO ended up getting two touchdowns and breaking the record for second most receiving touchdowns of all time. He only needs 66 more to beat Jerry Rice. And Felix Jones returned the ball 98 yards for a TD. He was Dallas' first round draft pick and I'd say they made an excellent choice. He's going to do great things for this team.

No football game is without mistakes. Romo fumbled the ball in Philly's end zone and they recovered it for a TD. When I saw that the playoff game vs Seattle ran through my mind. He did the same thing there and lost the game. Thankfully this time that mistake didn't cost them the game.

I did my fair share of screaming and cheering. My voice is a bit hoarse. The kids came out once and asked what was going on. I told them I was watching football and sent them back to bed :) I can't help it - I get really excited about football. It's a good thing that the doors and windows were closed or the neighbors probably would've called the cops.

With their 41-37 win Dallas is 2-0! Next week our victim - Green Bay. Favre or no Favre they're going down!

School = Germ Breeding Ground

2008-09-13T23:09:00.003-05:00

The kids have been in school for less than 2 weeks and one has already come down with the stomach bug. Shae was hit with this lovely little bug yesterday. It seemed to be a bug of the 24 hour persuasion. I'm glad it only lasted that long but it's still 24 hours too many for me.

I had scheduled dentist appointments for all the kids for yesterday morning. Shae hates going to the dentist so when she said that her stomach hurt I thought she was faking it so that she could get out of going. I told her that she was probably just hungry and had her go in and get dressed. I ushered everyone out to the car and grabbed the barf bowl - just in case.

Hadlei was going to stay with gram while I took the kids to their appointment. We were almost to gram's when I heard that all too familiar sound coming from the backseat. Shae had gotten sick. Thank goodness I grabbed the bowl on my way out of the house. Looked like gram was going to have a second charge to take care of.

The other kids did well at the dentist. Jordan and Dakotah were referred to an orthodontist and I have a feeling that they will do the same for Shae when they see her. I rescheduled her appointment for Monday but she doesn't know that. I'm thinking that the three of them are going to have mouths full of shiny metal. But I'll save that for another post.

Shae got sick a few more times throughout the day. At one point she started crying and said,"I hate throwing up!" I felt so bad for her. She laid in her room and watched cartoons most of the day. I think she even took a little catnap.

When she woke up this morning I asked her how she felt. She said she was a little achy but her tummy felt better. I gave her some dry cereal for breakfast. A few hours later she was running around and playing like she had never been sick.

Now that school has started it's going to be a continuous cycle of sickness. That is the one thing I hate about school starting. Try as you might to keep them from catching things it never fails - they always get something. And what's worse is that if there's more than one they pass it on to the rest. Wonder who's next?

GNO

2008-09-11T08:23:00.002-05:00

Got to go out last nite with an old friend of mine. We were roommates back in the day when I only had one child - yup that long ago. We worked together at Hills and had some really good times. Unfortunately we didn't part on the greatest terms but there is definitely something to be said about growing up.

We went to Denny's after she got out of work and spent a good 3 hours talking. We had years to catch up on. And the really nice thing was that it felt like we had never lost touch. We could have talked a lot longer but we both had to be up early to get kids on the bus. So she is coming to my house today to hang for a while.

Lisa's like me - she doesn't get out. Last nite it was decided that we are going to go out together every week. Have to have that adult time on a regular basis now that I've had a taste of it. Finding the time to go out with a good friend is a necessity and I will make more time if I have to.

Lisa - I'm so glad that we were able to reconnect. There wasn't any awkwardness to it at all. We were laughing before we even got seated :) Definitely the signs of a lasting friendship. Our lives are so busy and full but we will carve out the time to spend together. We deserve it! It's been a long strange trip and it's going to continue on for a long time....

NFL Week1

2008-09-09T08:08:00.002-05:00

Yes ladies and gentlemen the 2008-2009 NFL season has finally started. Woo hoo! I go through withdrawal 6 months out of the year while I'm waiting for football to start up again.

Jordan heard me screaming and came out to see what was going on. He took one look at the tv and knew right away. He said,"Oh,I should have known." I looked at him and said,"It's football season baby!" He wasn't too impressed. There go my dreams of him playing in the NFL - unless he changes his mind in the future. For some unknown reason he likes baseball. And what's even worse is that he likes the METS! Dean,what have you been telling my child? :)

On to football! Sunday's game against the Browns was awesome. It was an easy and obvious win - the Browns suck. Their defense is awful and their offense isn't much better. My Boys walked all over them. They had a few new rookies playing and I was very impressed with Felix Jones. Looks like he's going to be a good runningback. Stanback caught a few passes and he's looking pretty good,too.

Marion Barber was taken out in the 3rd quarter due to a rib injury. Hopefully his bruised ribs won't keep him from playing in Monday nite's game against Philly. Romo took a hard hit and tore up his chin pretty bad. He cut his left hand but continued to play and finished the game. Score was 28-10.

This is OUR year! We are going all the way and will play in the Superbowl for a SIXTH Superbowl win. Step aside cuz my Boys are taking back the throne!

*** In other wonderful news...Tom Brady is out for the season after sustaining a knee injury for which he will have to have surgery. Aww too bad. NOT! That's what you get for cheating last season. It caught up with you and now you're paying for it. Too bad,Tom. Too bad. ***

Happy Birthday Dakotah!

2008-09-04T14:22:00.008-05:00

9 years ago today,at 1:38 am,my beautiful little girl made her entrance into this world. She ended up coming 9 days early. And I barely made it to the hospital. I had worked all day and was in labor for most of it. I went to stay at my gram's that nite and ended up calling my mom to come get me. She drove into Liverpool from Elbridge and I told her that she had to haul ass to the hospital. I went straight to the ER and they brought me out a wheelchair and told me to sit down. At that very moment I was having a contraction and I couldn't sit down so I snapped at the nurse. I was then wheeled into a room and given a gown to change into so that the dr could check me. As soon as I got the gown on my water broke. I got up on the bed and yelled for the dr. In he came and out came Dakotah all within a minute or so.

I didn't know what I was having so I was thrilled when I found out it was a girl. She was so tiny - 6lbs 1oz and 18 inches long. She had a rough start with feeding because most formulas made her sick. It took months before I found one that worked for her. She didn't walk as early as I thought she would and after going to see a pediatric orthopedic dr I found out that she had Blount's Disease which is a curvature of the bone. She had to be fitted for a brace and wear it until her leg straightened itself out. I was worried that she would have a hard time walking with it but she was amazing. She was going up and down our stairs the first day. Thankfully the brace worked and her leg is the way it should be.

Kotah has always been my quiet,sweet girl. I never really have had any problems with her. According to my gram she is a lot like I was as a kid. She has such a big heart and is always willing to help. She is just an all around good kid.

To my sweet girl on her birthday - I love you so much and am truly blessed to have you as my daughter. I am so proud of you and all that you have accomplished in life so far. You do extremely well in school because you are so intelligent. You try your best at all you do and don't quit. You have turned into such a lovely young lady. It has been wonderful for me to watch you grow and I look forward to continuing to do so as you grow into a young woman. Happy happy birthday my angel. I love you to pieces...

Swift & Flatts

2008-09-01T14:10:00.007-05:00

The concert last nite was AMAZING! Kotah and I had so much fun. She was a little impatient as we sat in our seats waiting for the show to begin. The show was sold out so you can imagine the number of people that were there. They just kept coming in. I told her that they weren't going to start the show until mostly everybody was in the gates. Start time was set for 7:30 and I don't think that Taylor hit the stage until close to 8:00.

I wish that I had video taped her reaction to Taylor coming on stage. She put her hands up and covered her mouth like she couldn't believe that she was seeing what she was seeing. I could hear the people behind us saying,"Look how excited she is! She is so happy!" The man even pulled one of his friends over and pointed it out to him.

Turns out those people were very thoughtful. It was a man,Ray,his wife,Tina,and their son and his girlfriend. During the break while they were setting the stage for Rascal Flatts,Tina went and bought some souveniers - a shirt,sweatshirt and guitar picks. The girlfriend put on the sweatshirt and she handed the other things to her son. I heard him comment on wanting a red or white shirt but didn't make much of it. About 10 minutes later the son said something to Dakotah about liking Taylor Swift and asked her when her birthday was. She immediately buried her head in my lap. I told him when her birthday was and he gave her the shirt and wished her a happy birthday! I thanked him for his generosity and had Dakotah put the shirt on over her sweatshirt.

Just before Rascal Flatts came on I got her to warm up a bit and talk to the people behind us. I had told them how she had just gotten home from Oregon and how this was a surprise gift for her birthday. Tina asked her a few questions and told her that she had been to Oregon,too. Kotah told her a little about her trip and thanked them again for the shirt. It's nice to know that there are still some truly good people in this world.

Now onto the show....I had an awesome time. Dakotah did too once she stopped making fun of me for screaming and clapping and throwing my hands in the air :) Hey,I was there to have a good time and that's just what I did. And she did,too,once she started acting like her crazy mother.

Both acts sounded superb. It was like listening to their cds. That is one of the things that I love about Collin's shows - he sounds so good live. Swift and Flatts seemed to follow suit. I loved the way that Taylor looked genuinely shocked that her fans were so crazy about her. Guess at 19 she still has some of her innocence.

I really enjoyed going with Dakotah. It was nice to spend some alone time together. We don't get to do that very often. When Fair time rolls around next year I hope there is another concert that we can go to together. She's a country fan just like me. It would be neat to make it a tradition for the two of us - something special that only we share.

Gone Country

2008-08-31T12:26:00.004-05:00

Tonite Dakotah and I will be going to the Fair to see Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift. I'm not sure which one of us is more excited. I have never been to a show at the Grandstand and Dakotah has never been to a concert. The past few years that Kenny Chesney has performed there I had wanted to go but wasn't able to get the tickets.

Tickets were possible this year thanx to my hubby's friend,Danny. Thank you so much Dan! I love you! From what I understand the seats are up front - not front row but pretty close. And we have special parking passes as well. First class all the way baby!

I will post pix from the concert tomorrow. Have to go get ready for Kotah's "Welcome Home" party and then it's off to the show!

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

2008-08-30T16:16:00.006-05:00

After all of the BS that has gone on this past week and after reading your heartfelt post about wishes,Emily,I got to thinking. Thinking about friends and life. I dug around and found a few pix from the good old days - high school. You guys are probably going to shoot me for this but I'm going to do this anyway.

Michelle,Emily and I had a good friend named Ama. She left mid way through our freshmen year (correct me if I'm wrong guys - couldn't remember if it was freshmen or sophomore - it was so long ago!) and we took some pix outside on the front steps of our school.

Check out the clothes and the hair! Definitely a product of the 90's! Were we cool or what?! :) Over the years I have often thought about Ama and have wondered where she is and what she has been up to.

It's a shame that petty fights came between us or some of us left and we lost touch. But I guess that's just part of high school. Thank God that we grew up and moved on from all that. Some people I know are still stuck there.

Don't think that I forgot about you,Kelly! Not sure what grade this was but you were working so intently on this art project.Love the smock! :)

I met some of the best people that I know throughout my years at FHS. Some of you I've known since kindergarten. Others I've known since elementary and some since high school. No matter how long we've known each other one thing has always stayed the same - you guys are the best bunch of friends that a girl could ask for.

My Baby's Coming Home!

2008-08-29T09:12:00.003-05:00

My sweet baby girl will be home in less than 12 hours. I can't wait to see her! It has been such a long summer without her. Even though I have talked to her every day since she has been gone it hasn't made the time go by any faster.

So many people are looking forward to her coming home...my whole family - especially my gram. Her grandparents who haven't seen her since they left Oregon weeks ago. Her "adoptive" grandparents who live across the street - I think Grama Earle is just as excited as I am to see her :) She's been counting down the days,too. Her best friend and her family who treat Kotah like one of their own. Their house is her home away from home. Her brother and sisters who are so excited to see her - even if they won't fully admit it. Her daddy who said that today is going to be the longest day ever. He told her last nite that it was going to be hard for him to work today because he is going to be so excited. And of course there's me. I cannot even begin to explain to you how much I have missed her this summer. I had a few breakdowns and sad days but I have made it through. Now I just have to make it until 9:30 tonite!

I think the happiest person of all is going to be Kotah. I know how much she loves her family in Oregon and I know how much she loves to see them. But I also know how much she misses home. I could hear it in her voice when we talked. I hated saying goodbye when we hung up because she sounded sad. I know how hard it was for me so I can only imagine what it was like for her. On the flip side I know what a good time she had,too. She went to the ocean,to Mt.St.Helen's,to the fair,to the market,to a beautiful waterfall and many other places. She had a birthday party at Build-A-Bear. She made some new friends,too.

Pray that she has a safe flight home. I'd appreciate it if you would also throw a prayer in there for her dad who is going to be sad to see her go. I know that saying goodbye is going to be hard for both of them. See you soon Kotah Bear!

Alone Time? What's That?

2008-08-28T17:37:00.003-05:00

Alone time for the hubby and I is an extremely rare occurence. Almost forgot what it was like. We go out and do things but we always have at least one kid in tow. Yesterday we were able to take a few hours by ourselves. Sad as it sounds we had a hard time trying to figure out what we should do. Thought about going to a movie but there wasn't one playing that we both wanted to see. I couldn't get him to agree to go see "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2". But hey - I tried :)

We did have to go to the DMV to get a replacement license for Pat since his wallet was stolen. That is a whole other story. All I will say is that I HATE the DMV. After we left there we really only had time to go eat. We had a tasty lunch at Applebee's. It was nice having a conversation without kids interupting us. I wanted to go mini golfing but we didn't have time. Maybe when the kids go back to school we'll take Hadlei and play a few rounds.

We were able to have this time because Grama Wood took all of the girls to the museum and then to McDonald's for a bite to eat. They had a really good time and Hadlei was thrilled that she was able to go. A big thank you to Grama Wood for giving the hubby and I some much needed time by ourselves. We really appreciated it :)

Say What?

2008-08-24T09:06:00.003-05:00

Let me clarify this for all of you that don't understand the English language and take everything personally especially when it had nothing whatsoever to do with you or your children...

I was speaking of MY experience with that certain program/school. I was not speaking about ALL Headstart programs or anyone that has gone to them. I was specifically talking about this ONE school and MY daughter.

If you take offense to the word "issues" then that is your problem. The context that it was used in had nothing to do with special needs. I know all about people with special needs considering the fact that I grew up with 3 uncles that are mentally retarded to different degrees. I am very involved with them - always have been and always will be. None of you are in that position or know what that is/was like.

Obviously I didn't clarify what "issues" meant either. I was being asked questions about domestic abuse and child abuse and other things of that nature. Questions basically asking if we had a place to live. Apparently I didn't go into enough detail for some of you.

I didn't know what Headstart was all about and that is why I looked into it. Their criteria is not the same as WICs. You make it sound like an embarrassing thing to have help like that and you so quickly forget that you had the same kind of help. I will be the first to admit that we aren't well off but I am certainly not ashamed to get help for my children. My husband busts his ass at work everyday and I choose to stay home and raise my children because I will not have someone else doing my job.

I guess the point to all of this is that first if you don't know me then you need to keep your mouth shut. The second-hand information you receive is wrong. Secondly last time I checked this was MY blog and I have the right to my own opinions. If you want to make up your own conclusions from what you read and they happen to be wrong then again - your problem. Muust be my mistake for not making what I was saying abundantly clear. Guess I'm not as perfect as you think you are.

Busy Busy Busy

2008-08-23T22:50:00.003-05:00

I have had a busy weekend! That's typical for me though. Never enough hours in the day. I decided to have another yard sale this weekend making it the third one of the summer. One more is planned for next month and then I quit until next year. I spent most of Wednesday setting it up. You don't realize how much work goes into one of these things!

The sale ran Thursday thru today. And of course I had other things going on at the same time. Thursday I had an appointment to go look at a preschool for Hadlei. It was a program run by Headstart. I wasn't impressed. I was asked a whole bunch of odd questions and I got the feeling that it was for kids/families that had certain issues. Needless to say we certainly didn't meet their criteria and my baby will not be going there. I decided that I will work with her at home. She is so smart that I should probably send her to kindergarten this year :)

Friday I had to take Jordan over to tour his new middle school. Ray looks like a nice school. You can just tell when you walk thru the doors that you aren't in elementary school anymore. This year he will have a locker complete with combination. He attempted to open it but had a hard time with it. I couldn't even get the dumb thing open! Maybe it was because I was in shock that my son is in middle school. Yeah,that's it :)

After the sale ended today I had to pack up all the stuff I was keeping. Then I had to take down the tables and the tents. After that I sorted the money. I made out pretty good this time around - close to $200. An odd thing happened and I am still trying to figure out how... the money was over by $46. Being over by a few bucks is no big deal but I have never had that much extra money. I added everything up multiple times and my math was correct. I just can't explain it. Oh well - I am certainly not going worry about it. I figure it's God's way of replacing money that was stolen from my hubby's car a week ago.

The weekend turned out pretty well. Thankfully the weather cooperated with me. Tomorrow I should mow the lawn but I may just wait until the hubby's day off :) Besides,I earned a little break!

Collin Raye - Here I Come - Again!

2008-08-20T20:22:00.005-05:00

My prayers have been answered! Collin Raye will be performing at The Turning Stone Casino this year. Ever since I missed the concert last year - thanx to my lovely children for passing their stomach bug on to me - I have been checking his tour dates to see if he was coming back. Up until last week he wasn't. Then I got the notification that he was going to be there!

Tickets went on sale at 10 am this morning and I was ready. I had the worst time with Ticketmaster - couldn't order tickets online and when I tried via telephone they said they were sold out. I will never use them again. I ended up calling the casino and I was able to nail down an awesome seat. And to top that off it cost me less to go through the casino - no surcharges or delivery fees.

I could have had a stage seat but it was an end table and there was a speaker in front of it - no thank you. I ended up with an orchestra table just to the right of center stage. Works for me! I can't wait to get pix on my digital camera. They are going to be awesome. And I plan on getting another autograph,too ;)

I've decided to quarantine myself 1 week before the concert so that there is no chance of me catching a bug. Even if I do get sick (which would be a cruel joke) I will take a bucket with me. I am NOT missing this concert - NO MATTER WHAT!

Watch out Collin cuz here I come!

Heaven Bound

2008-08-11T18:22:00.003-05:00

I just found out this evening that Pat's Oma has passed away. From what I could gather she died Saturday morning at home. The hospital would only keep her a certain number of days and then she had to either go home or go to nursing home. Her family opted to bring her home.

I called Dad to see how he was doing. He said he was ok. Dad isn't too emotional so I kinda expected that answer. He was more concerned with how his grandchildren were doing. He was probably trying to keep his mind off of things. So I told him all about what the kids had been up to. I had him laughing so I hope it helped.

As far as services go the family isn't sure what they are going to do. She is being cremated but they aren't sure about much after that. I hope that they are able to make the decisions that they need to.

I haven't told Pat yet because he's working and I don't want to lay this on him while he's at work. He won't be home until after 10 so it will just have to wait until then.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers. Keep them coming because the family will need them. And thank you,Dean,for calling and giving me the heads up. I appreciate it.

Say a Little Prayer

2008-08-08T08:16:00.002-05:00

Got a call the other nite from Pat's dad and he let us know that Pat's grama (who we call Oma) is in the hospital. She has been there since Monday and she is in a coma. He thinks the coma is a result of renal failure. He wasn't able to give us much else other than that because the connection he had with his sister wasn't very good. He lives in Virginia and his mom is in Florida. Dad is waiting to hear back from his sister so that we can find out a little more.

I knew that Oma hadn't been feeling very well. We write back and forth to each other and she has told me that she hasn't been feeling well. She's 95 so her being this sick is a little scary. On top of her illness, Opa is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's. So we aren't really sure what he remembers and what he doesn't.

I could tell how upset Dad was. I could hear it in his voice. He said that his boss told him to go to Florida but he doesn't feel like there is anything he can do. Besides,his sister is there. I'm sure that if something happens she will let him know right away.

Now we are just waiting to hear back from him. So if you guys would please keep all of them in your prayers we would really appreciate it. Keep you posted.

Preseason Football

2008-08-02T22:51:00.002-05:00

The first preseason NFL game has been played. Football season is just around the corner. Woo hoo! Can't wait! The hubby and I have already started brawling. It's mostly been over his whining. He reads all sorts of sports articles and anything that has to do with the Giants usually says something about how lucky they were to get as far as they did last season. He disagrees with that,of course. I obviously agree with it. He can't just shut up and enjoy his "win".

My Boys are walking away Superbowl champs this year. We were so close last year. They are a talented team. Hell,they're America's team! I think Romo will be much more comfortable this season. I'm ready for some football!

BTW - would someone please tell Brett Favre that retiring means that his career is OVER! He is done playing football. He chose to retire. I am so sick of seeing and hearing about it. Brett - you're too old to play football! You're done! Take your millions and go home!

That's all.... :)

Potty Training 101

2008-07-30T08:43:00.002-05:00

Hadlei has finally done it! She is potty trained! Well for the most part anyway. Leave it to one of my children to be stubborn about something like potty training. Couldn't tell you where they get their stubborn streak from ;)

I had the other kids trained between the ages of 2 and 3. I would have done the same thing with Hadlei but with all that went on with my gram last year getting Hadlei trained was the last thing on my mind. Things obviously calmed down on that front but I have still been extremely busy with other things and I just wasn't too worried about it. Last week I decided that now was as good a time as any to get her trained. She has had a Dora potty seat for quite some time so I was making her sit on it 6 or 7 times a day. It wasn't working. She told me that she wanted to sit on the big potty. So off to Walmart I went and I bought her a potty ring to fit on the toilet - Dora of course :)

Here we are 4 days later and she is trained! The first two days I asked her every hour if she had to go potty. She did pretty good and wet herself only a few times. These past two days she is going on her own. She'll tell me she has to go and then calls me in when she's done. She has even gotten out of the pool twice to go potty. And she'll stop playing and come upstairs to go as well. Those aren't really typical actions for a 3 yr old. We ran errands over the past few days and I let her wear her big girl underwear. No accidents!

Her dad and I are so proud of her. And she knows it because every time she goes she asks if we're happy with her. I'm not surprised that she learned so quickly. Hadlei is an extremely smart little girl. What gets me is that she wasn't willing to train unless she was able to sit on the big potty. Little stinkpot!

Forever Charmed

2008-07-23T22:29:00.007-05:00

I had my heart broken yesterday. I went to Barnes & Noble to get my Charmed magazine that is published bimonthly. When I got out to the car I did what I always do and I flipped to the last page to see the next publication date. I gasped as I read what I had been dreading for a while now. The issue that I was holding was to be the last.

Gram was next to me and asked what was wrong. I explained to her that not only had my show been taken away and my book series ended but now my magazine was done,too. I sat there rambling and I think she was amused by it! I was a wreck! They may as well have ripped out my heart,thrown it on the ground and stomped on it!

Maybe I'm being a bit dramatic but I LOVE everything Charmed. Anybody that knows me knows that. I have trading cards,stickers,coasters,clocks,jewelry,magazines,books,
playing cards,cds,scripts,autographs(thanx KK),stamps,notebooks,pillowcases,purses,
bags,curtains...the list goes on and on. I plan on getting a tattoo as well but need to do a bit of research before I go out and let someone permanently color on my skin. Yes,I know I'm obsessed and I'm proud of it :)

They couldn't just leave well enough alone and continue my show,books and magazines. What am I supposed to do now?! I used to look forward to going to the bookstore to get the latest book and/or magazine. How could they do to me?!? I think I'm going to need a support group :/

Picture Perfect

2008-07-18T22:20:00.009-05:00

I finally got around to getting professional pix of the kids done. I hadn't done a group pic since approx 2004. At that time there were 3 kids. We're up to 5 now. And individual pix haven't been done since around 2002. So it was definitely time for an update.

You would probably think that taking 5 kids in for a group picture would be hard - if not damn near impossible. And that would be true in most cases but not mine. We had 7 poses taken - 1 group,5 individuals and 1 of all the girls. Most of them were done in one shot. The group pic took like 3 or 4 and I think the girls was done in 2.

Gram bought the wardrobe for the kids. I picked it out. They all had to match to some extent - like in the same color family. I think it made for a nicer picture vs. crazy colors everywhere. Yes,Shelle,I'm just like you!

I did struggle a little with Jordan. He was going to get a buzz cut and at the last minute decided not to. He did his own hair and when I tried to fix it he got a bit irritated with me. So I left him alone. I think he looks better with a buzz cut but I know I can't dictate his hair style for much longer so I let him have this one. Baby steps :)

I must say that they are a pretty good looking bunch of kids. I have had so many people tell me that Hadlei should model. Maybe I should look into it. Dakotah is turning into quite the lovely young lady. Her picture just blew me away.

I tried to get Shae to loosen up. She tried too hard to smile instead of just relaxing. She'll get the hang of it :) Sky fits in so well with the kids. Just by looking at the picture you would think that she has been with them since day one instead of only the last 6 months.

I look at them and know that I am truly blessed.

Leaving Home Part 2

2008-07-11T09:23:00.006-05:00

Before we left for the airport we had to make a few stops so that Dakotah could say goodbye to some family and friends. First stop was right across the street at the Earles. Jim and Judy are like another set of grandparents to the kids. I have actually known them most of my life because they did Special Olympics with my uncles. When we moved in here it was awesome to find out that they lived right across the street. They are wonderful people. Next stop was a few houses down - Tessa's house. Tess is Kotah's best friend. They treat her like she is one of the family. They are going to throw a party for her when she comes home.

We left the neighborhood and went to the pizza shop to see her daddy. He said goodbye to her before he left for work but he wanted us to stop before we went to the airport. He came out to say goodbye to her and after she got back into the car he said a quick bye to me and ran into the shop. He was crying and didn't want Kotah to see it because he didn't want her to cry. And he knew if I saw him cry I would have cried. After we left the shop we went to see my gram. Gram held it together pretty well. And Kotah did,too. Me? Tearing up for like the 10th time that day.

We got to the airport a little after 3 and got their suitcases checked. We sat and spent some time together before they had to go down to the boarding area. Kotah called and said bye to her dad one more time and she saw that I was getting teary again. She started picking on me! Around 4 Kotah's grandma said it was time to go. She came over to hug me and I told her that I loved her and was going to miss her a lot. She burst into tears which in turn made me do the same. I just sat there holding her as we both cried. I think we left a puddle on the floor :) I tried to calm her down a little before they went through the ticket line. I told her to make sure that she waved to me after she got through the metal detectors. She did and I could see that she was still crying. Then again,so was I. I watched her walk off and I tried not to lose it. I was holding Hadlei (who had been running a fever all day) and she wiped my cheek and said,"It's ok mommy. Don't cry." Yup,you guessed it! That made me cry even more!

I got to the parking garage and put Hadlei in her seat and just sat there and cried. All of these awful thoughts about things that could happen to her ran through my mind. I sat there and prayed that she would have a safe flight. I was going to be a nervous wreck until I knew that she was safe on the ground in Oregon. Kotah called me around 7 and said that they had made it to Cincinnati. First leg of the trip was over and she was safe. She called again an hour later to let me know that they were going to be delayed about a half hour. The final call was at 3:15 am our time. She had arrived in Oregon and was safe in the hands of her dad. I felt much better after that last phone call - even though I had a splitting headache from all the crying.

Shae is taking this kind of hard. When I told her that I had talked to Kotah and that she was ok she started crying and said,"Why did she have to leave?" I felt so bad for her. She and Kotah are pretty close and now that Shae is old enough to realize that Kotah is gone she really misses her. I told her that she would be able to talk to her and she could send her letters and pictures. Hopefully I can keep her busy enough so that she can't think about it so much.

Thank you for yours prayers for her safe travel. They worked!

Leaving Home

2008-07-10T10:50:00.005-05:00

Well the day has arrived. Kotah will be leaving this afternoon to fly 3,000 miles across the country to visit her dad,stepmom and 3 brothers. Her grandparents are going with her. She has done this twice before but for some reason I am a little more apprehensive about it this year. I just have this feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach and I don't like it. Maybe I'm feeling this way because of all that I went through with gram last year. Almost losing someone that you love that much really has an effect on you. I just want my babies with me.

But I can't be selfish and I won't/wouldn't be. I know how much her dad and Sara and the boys love her. And I know how much they look forward to seeing her. And whether Dakotah wants to admit to it when it comes time for her to leave she's looking forward to it just as much. She's always wishy-washy about leaving. But I know deep down that she is very excited to go. And I wouldn't take that away from any of them.

It is,however,extrememly hard for me to let her go. I know that she will be well taken care of and she will be kept safe. It's the getting there that bothers me. I hate airplanes because I hate heights. Been on one once and that was enough for me. I know that they say that airplanes are the safest means of transportation but that is of no comfort to me. I always end up sitting in the parking garage crying my eyes out for at least a half hour. And I'm sure today will be no different.

Shae seems to be very upset about Kotah leaving. Kotah gave her a big hug before she left for summer camp this morning and when I looked over at Shae and she was rubbing her eyes. I asked her what was wrong and she burst into tears. She loves her big sister so much. They get along pretty well and I know Shae is really going to miss her. I may let Shae go to the airport with us so she can say goodbye. Hadlei is a bit young to understand what's going on. She's knows that Kotah is leaving but not for how long. And she thinks we're going with her :)

We'll be heading off to the airport in less than 2 hours. Pray that my baby girl has a safe trip.

Camp

2008-07-08T09:09:00.002-05:00

Dropped Jordan off for D.A.R.E. camp on Sunday morning. Surprisingly I was able to refrain from shedding tears. He has gone camping before but with friends or family. Never alone. I did tear up a little on the way home but I held it together.

He was so excited to go. Pat and I bought him a fishing pole and he was bursting at the thought of being able to use it at camp. He and Pat went out last week and tried it out. Their biggest catch - seaweed :) I hope he has a really good time this week. I know that he will be safe because the camp is run by the Onondaga County Sheriff's office. I have nothing but complete trust in them. I have a few friends that work for that department and I think they are the best bunch of cops around. None better.

I was a bit irritated Saturday morning because Jordan's father called and asked me if he had to go to camp. Reason being was that they were going camping themselves and wanted Jordan to go. I said that he absolutely had to go period. Just another shining example of his "parenting skills". I had told him over a month ago that Jordan had been accepted to camp and when he was going. He had plenty of time to change his plans if he had wanted Jordan there that badly. What really pissed me off is that he had Jordan wanting to go with them. He had been walking around the house for weeks saying how he couldn't wait to get to camp. 2 days with his father and he was singing a different tune. Bill had put Jordan on the phone and it took me a few minutes to pull out of him what was going on. The whole time I could hear his father saying,"Tell your mother what you want..tell her. Go ahead..tell her." If I could have reached thru the phone I would have strangled him. I had to explain to Jordan that he couldn't back out now because they wouldn't have been able to fill the space a day before they left and that meant that if he didn't go that someone else that really wanted to be there would lose their chance because he backed out at the last minute and that wasn't fair. Before I hung up I told him that they had better have Jordan home in time or there was going to be a very big problem.

Needless to say he was home on time. And he was just as excited as he was before to go to camp. I hope he is having lots of fun. I miss him a lot and can't wait to hear all about his week.

The 4th

2008-07-06T08:25:00.002-05:00

Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July! We had planned a little BBQ/going away party for Kotah. She is leaving for Oregon for the summer to visit her dad so we wanted to have a little party for her. My mom and gram came and so did grama and grampa Wood. Pat was able to take the day off from work - which is extremely rare.

The kids had a blast playing in the pool all day. I stayed out of the pool because it was too cold for me :) Grama and grampa got in with the kids but grama didn't last too long. It was too cold for her,too!

We had a really nice day just hanging out together. Kotah decided that she wanted to spend the nite with my gram because she was going to miss her while she was gone and she wanted to spend some time with her. So she and Julie went home with gram. The rest of us just crashed. The kids really weren't too interested in seeing fireworks and that was fine with us. We were tired and I think they were,too. Besides,we weren't going to fight the mob in town just to see some light in the sky.

Happy 4th!

District 8 Champions

2008-07-06T08:00:00.002-05:00

I would like to congratulate the Muck Dogs on winning the Little League District 8 Green Division Championship! The boys played a great game. They were down 0-5 for the first 3 innings. They scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 3rd - it would have been 5 but the ump said one of the boys didn't touch homeplate when he came in - he did but I guess the ump was cleaning his glasses ;) The boys did a great job pitching and held the other team to the 5 runs they had scored. The Muck Dogs ended up scoring 5 more runs in the 5th inning to guarantee their win. 9-5 was the final score.

The boys were so excited. Two championship wins back to back. When they won their season championship game they pelted their coach with water balloons. When they won this championship game coach said he didn't want to get wet so the boys covered him with silly string!

Congrats on a great season and post-season boys! You did an awesome job this year!

* Kotah's team also went to the District 8 tournament but they were knocked out in the first round. They played a team from Geddes and I honestly think they should have checked the ID's of two of the girls on that team. They were huge! And when I say huge I mean HUGE! (remember the comparison,Dean?) There was no way that those girls were between the ages of 8 and 11. They were like 5'7"-5'9" and like 200 lbs!

I think that most of the girls were worn out from their regular season games. They played extrememly hard all season. You could tell that some of them were just ready for it to be over. They were down 7-15 and in the last inning caught up and passed the other team. Score was 17-15. They couldn't hold them and Geddes won 18-17.

Even though they didn't win the District 8 Championship the Sunbirds had a phenomenal season and have a lot to be proud of. Congratulations again girls! You rocked!

We are the CHAMPIONS x 2

2008-06-26T21:53:00.004-05:00

That's right everybody! Jordan's team has done it! They are the 2008 Double A Baseball Little League champions! My house is full of champions! This has been such an exciting year for the kids - and me,too.

Jordan's game wasn't quite as nerve racking as the girls' was but it was still a great game. They defeated the Storm 12-5. 4 of their 12 points were home run hits. They have some talent on this team. Ironically we almost didn't have a game. We were waiting for the ump to show up and found out that they said the game had been rescheduled for tomorrow nite. The parents weren't having that and long story short they were able to get an ump to come officiate the game.

I am so proud of Jordan. He started out the season not even really wanting to play because he didn't think he was good enough. He has grown so much these last few months. His coach even gave him a chance to pitch during the last game and he loved it and did a pretty good job for his first time.

I may be a bit biased but my kids are amazing and I am extremely proud of all that they have accomplished not only in their sports and schooling but in life in general. I couldn't ask for a better bunch of kids.

CONGRATULATIONS MUCKDOGS!

Graduation Day

2008-06-25T20:43:00.004-05:00

School's out for summer! Not that I should be excited about that. Shouldn't they make kids go to school year round? Wishful thinking,huh?

Jordan had his graduation ceremony Monday. He is officially in 6th grade and is leaving the elementary school for the middle school. He has some mixed emotions about that. He asked me if he could go visit his old school during their recess time. I know he'll do well next year because he certainly did a great job this year. His report card was awesome and he even got a 4 in the "cooperative and respectful" catergory. (they grade on a scale of 1-4) The other kids did excellent,too. Shae had her usual bunch of E's and Dakotah got four 4's on her report card. Skylar did ok but she is still adjusting to the ciricculum and hopefully next year she will be in sync with it.

Jordan's ceremony was tear jerking. Not only was my baby graduating from elementary school but Mr.Frey was giving his last speech. Couldn't hold the tears back no matter how hard I tried. I was able to get pics of him with the kids so that they will always remember him.

On my 1 minute drive home from the school a song came on the radio that was very fitting for the events of the day. It was Rascal Flatt's "My Wish".

I hope that days come easy and moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

More then anything, more then anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it,
To your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more then you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more then you take.

Oh More then anything, Yeah, and more then anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it,
To your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more then you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

Congratulations buddy - mom is so proud of you. Good luck in middle school.

We are the CHAMPIONS!

2008-06-24T21:45:00.003-05:00

That's right ladies and gentlemen...you are looking at the 2008 Minor Softball Little League Champions! Woo-hoo! I wish you all could have been there. I have never seen a more exciting game. It was such a tight game and the stress levels were through the roof. I think I aged about 20 years tonite!

It was a close game. The teams were neck and neck throughout the whole game and at the end of the 5th inning it was a tie game. Had it been a regular game it would have ended that way but being the championship game they had to play until someone won. The game went 7 innings and didn't end until close to 10 pm! There was no score until the bottom of the 7th inning and I am extremely proud to say that my daughter - Dakotah - scored the winning run for our team! The final score was 15-14.

Dakotah has been on Cloud 9 since the game ended. She couldn't wait to get home so that she could call her dad in Oregon and tell him what she had done. She said that he was going to be so proud of her and I know he was. She's pretty wired so I hope she'll be able to get some sleep tonite :)

It has been an awesome season for these girls. They have worked so hard and tonite it all paid off for them. Coach has done some amazing things with this team. They are a great group of girls. And this was a much deserved win.

CONGRATULATIONS SUNBIRDS!!!

Responsibility

2008-06-24T07:41:00.003-05:00

Can someone tell me how a person that takes little to no responsibility for his child can say that i'm irresponsible? Let me set the scene for you...Jordan had his playoff game rescheduled for Sunday because it was rained out on Saturday. I had to go to my mom's to set up for another yard sale and Sunday was the only day I could do it as the sale is this weekend. Surprisingly his father said that he would pick him up and take him to his game. I told Jordan to call me when he got home. He did and he asked me when I would be home. I said it would be at least 2-3 hours. I heard him tell someone that and asked who he was talking to. He said his father wanted to know and it sounded to me like he was having a fit. So I told Jordan that he could either stay home or his father could drop him off at my mom's. He did end up dropping Jordan off. I asked Jordan if he wanted to come and he said no and that his father made him. His father told him that I was irresponsible for leaving him home alone because he is too young.

Are you kidding me?!?! He is the LAST person that should ever be calling anyone - especially me - irresponsible. I am the one that makes sure that he has clothes to wear and food to eat. I am the one that makes sure that he has a roof over his head. I am the one that goes to all of his school and sporting events. I am the one that takes him to the dr when he's sick. The list goes on and on. Want to know what his father does? He picks him up most weekends and works half of that time. He doesn't buy him anything he needs. He doesn't show up at school or sporting events like he should. The support he pays shouldn't even be called that because when you get right down to it what he pays in a week doesn't even cover the cost of 3 square meals for one day! Basically he does nothing. And he is calling me irresponsible?!

Jordan is 11 yrs old. I trust him to stay home by himself for a few hours. He has done it before and he will do it again. He is a trustworthy kid and until he gives me a reason not to I will trust him to stay home when I'm not there.

Not only does what he said piss me off but he didn't even say it to me - he said it to Jordan! Grow a set and tell ME what you have to say. Don't tell Jordan in hopes that it will get back to me. Why are you even putting him in the middle of it? A little irresponsible I would say. I guess I should be used to it because he never has had the balls to say anything to my face. I hear what he says through Jordan,his mother or his wife. And of course with the big mouth I have I don't have any problem telling either his mother or his wife what I think of him or them if need be. I wonder if there will ever come a time when Bill can grow up,act his age and be a responsible parent. That's probably just wishful thinking.

Happy Birthday to...Me!

2008-06-23T13:42:00.003-05:00

Not a huge deal - it's just another day. I don't make too much over my birthday. Won't be going out to celebrate because the hubby has to work - surprise surprise :) But that's ok,I don't like a huge fuss being made over me anyway. The kids said "Happy Birthday" to me about a million times before they left for school this morning. Hadlei ran up to me when she got up and wished me a happy birthday and told me I was her sweetest sweetest heart. Doesn't that make you want to melt?!

As usual the hubby spoils me even though I tell him not to. He got me a Cricut machine and the case for it. For those of you that don't know it's used for scrapbooking. (let's have a Cricut party Shelle!) I told him that was enough because that thing was not cheap but he went ahead and got me the new Brett Michaels cd and the new Rock dvd. Shae made me a macaroni necklace in school. They are all so thoughtful.

Something strange happened late last nite/early this morning. When Pat got home from work he called me outside to show me something that was on my car. There was a bird sitting there. It didn't fly away when he pulled into the driveway with his stereo thumping. It didn't fly away when he opened his door. That bird sat there all nite until it flew away sometime after 3:30 am when the thunderstorm rolled in. I went out to take some pictures of it and I was able to get within 2 feet of it and he still just sat there. I have never seen a bird do that before. Pat and I were talking about how strange it was and he said the sweetest thing to me. He said that maybe it was Dan's way of wishing me a happy birthday. Of course that brought me to tears but I do believe that is a possibility.

Thank you to Shelle and Sheri and Rose for sending me birthday wishes. I really appreciate you guys remembering. Love you all!

Yard Work

2008-06-21T18:54:00.005-05:00

My front yard has looked horrible since the snow thawed. The previous owner decided to dump a ton of rock everywhere to cover up the ugly. It didn't work. It just made it worse. The walkway up to the house is in serious need of repair and we aren't quite sure what to do with it. We also need to repair the retaining wall as well. I know that we are going to need help with those two things so I decided that I would do what I could to perk it up a little and see if I could get my uncle to help me with the rest - he just doesn't know it yet :) I went shopping with gram yesterday and she bought me the flowers and mulch for the front yard. It was my birthday present from her. So I spent last nite and part of today working on the yard and I got it finished. I still want to edge the areas with something else but I need to shop around for that. Tell me what you think!

This is the before for the octagon thing in the front...

And here is the after...

And this is before...

And here is the after...

Playoff Bound

2008-06-19T15:02:00.002-05:00

The Sunbirds are playoff bound! Last nite was their last game before the playoffs and they finshed with a 21-6 win. It was a sweet victory because it was against team Thunder - the only team they lost to. (remember the nasty ump?) They play Saturday morning at 8:30 am and if they win they go on to the championship game Tuesday nite. All of the girls have accomplished so much this season and have a lot to be proud of.

They usually have a pretty good cheerig section but it was kind of small for some reason last nite. I always cheer on all the girls and therefore my big mouth comes in handy :) The hubby was able to come along last nite because it was his day off but he wasn't cheering too loudly. When asked why he said I was doing a good job and didn't need the help. Translation = he thinks I have a big mouth but won't say so because he doesn't want to sleep on the couch. Smart move. Grama Wood came and she cheered right along side me. It's really nice having her and Bob there whenever they can be. I know it means a lot to the girls. I know Kotah would like some other people to be there as well but it's not possible for some of them. Hopefully my posts and pix help with that :)

Good luck Sunbirds! You can do it!

TV Star

2008-06-19T14:29:00.002-05:00

Most of you don't know about the BS that is going on in our school district. To make it short and sweet the incompetent superintendent of the Baldwinsville school district has decided to cause an upheaval in many of our schools to fill two open principal positions. Instead of doing the smart thing and either promote from within the school or hire two new people she has decided to switch around the principals. This decision had created a lot of conflict at Reynolds. She is moving our principal to Palmer and sending the high school principal to our school. Most of the parents are furious with this because it was pretty much thrown into our laps a week or so ago. We were not told ahead of time and they don't care to listen to our objections or concerns. It has been all over the news here. And last nite I was a part of it :)

It was nothing that I did on purpose. I was going to the school to drop Dakotah back off after the MRI that didn't happen (another story altogether) and go to her class picnic. I turned onto the small street that goes to the school and had to park there because the lot and circle were full. There was an SUV parked in front of me facing my car. The woman that was standing there smiled at me and walked over to me as I got out of my car. I thought she was going to tell me to move for some reason. She introduced herself to me as Lisa Spitz from Channel 3 News. She wanted to know if I knew about the situation with our principal and if it upset me. I said I did and yes it did and she asked if she could ask me a few questions. Of course I said yes! I am willing to do anything I can to keep our principal at our school. I ended up being on the news at 5 pm. It was short and sweet but it was neat to see myself on tv. The kids thought it was cool. My little on camera appearance for 20 seconds may not prove anything but hey - you never know.

I don't want to lose Mr.Frey. He is an excellent principal. He is an outstanding person as well. He has personally helped my family out on a few different occasions. When the incident with Shaelyn happened 3 years ago he was right there to offer any help that either Shaelyn or my family needed. When I requested that Shaelyn have the teachers that my other children had because they already knew her story he was very accomodating and saw that it happened. He also made sure there was room for Skylar at the school when we brought her to New York. He knows everyone,students and parents,by first and last names. He is outside to greet and say goodbye to the kids everyday - rain or shine. He reads books to them on their birthdays. He would have lunch with them when they made the Excellence Team. How many other principals do you know that would even begin to do those things? None that I can think of.

The decision is final according to the superintendent. But it's not to the parents or to the children. There is now a petition going around that is demanding for the immediate removal of the superintendent and the school board president from their positions. And if that doesn't work we'll try something else. The parents and students of Reynolds will not let Mr.Frey go without a knock down drag out fight!

Happy Birthday Gram!

2008-06-16T09:21:00.004-05:00

Today my gram turns 79. If you had asked me a year or so ago I would have told you that I wasn't sure if she would make it to her next birthday. But God obviously wanted her to and she made it and she is doing well. You all know what she has gone through since last May. It was like riding one huge,sickening rollercoaster. I know that all the prayers that were made on her behalf from all of you helped tremendously and I can't thank you guys enough for that.

My gram has been such a huge part of my life ever since I can remember. She has always been there for me. She has always taken care of me. She is like my mom. My mom and I didn't get along very well when I was younger and I lived with my gram most of my childhood. If asked I would say that she was the one that raised me. She fed me and clothed me and took care of me. I shudder to think what my life would have been like without her.

I am so grateful that during her ordeal last year I was able to take over her role and care for her. I have always done everything that I could for her but that time was special. I was able to let her come live with me. I was able to be there in her time of need so that she didn't have to suffer in some nursing home. She didn't want to impose but I insisted and I know that she was glad that I did. I really miss having her here even though I see her all the time.

My gram is an extraordinary woman. Not only did she raise her own children alone (my grandfather died when my mom was 9) she also took in foster children. Most if not all of them were mentally retarded. At any time she could have had up to 16 or 17 kids in her house. She ended up adopting 2 of them. And she helped raise her grandchildren. This woman deserves to have a holiday named after her!

Happy Birthday Gram! I love you bunches and am very proud to call myself your granddaughter. I only hope that one day I can be as amazing of a woman as you are. You truly are the best. Love you!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T19:47:00.008-05:00

I want to wish a Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. But there are two special people that I would like to send special wishes to...my husband and my uncle.

My hubby is an excellent father and deserves recognition for that. No one I know works harder to take care of his family. He spends a great deal of time working so that we can live in a house and have a yard for the kids do go out and play in. He does it without complaining. He works when he's sick. He works when he's tired. As long as he's breathing he will go into work. And when he's home he plays with the kids. He helps them with their homework. He makes their dinner and helps get them ready for bed. He's all around just an amazing man and an exceptional father.

My uncle Todd is an amazing man as well. He stepped in as a father for me basically from the day my father left. And he has been there for me ever since. Long story short my father left when I was around 2 yrs old. He never called and he never visited. I didn't see my father until 2 yrs ago - almost 25 years after he left. I found him because an uncle (his brother) that I had never met had passed away. I figured my father would go to the funeral so I contacted the funeral home and asked that if he showed up if they would pass along my information to him. They did and he got in touch with me. We met at a park and talked for a few hours. A week or so after that he came to our apartment and met my kids. They loved him right away. And I haven't seen or heard from him since then. It's been 2 years.

I didn't let it get to me too much. I knew what my father was like. My gram had told me many things. I know that most people will try to make the missing parent look awful but gram didn't do that. She just told it like it was. So I didn't expect too much from him when I found him. A friend of his that I spoke to said that he was great with her grandkids. I remember thinking after he disappeared again that he must be something if he could act like a grandfather to kids that weren't from his own flesh and blood and just ignore kids that were. I think I hurt more for the kids than I did for myself. I just have to tell myself that it's his loss not mine.

I used to hate Father's Day as a kid. When we made things in school I felt like the only kid that didn't have a dad. I didn't even have a grandfather because he died when my mom was 9. But I don't feel that way any more. I had and still do have Todd. He was always there. He treated me and my brother like we were his. He took us places and did things with us just like a dad would. I just didn't realize how special he really was until I grew up. And he stood out even more to me after the whole fiasco with my real father. He used to take us trick or treating and buy us christmas gifts. He took us boating and fishing and to concerts. I remember that he was one of the first people to come see me after Jordan was born. He brought presents for him. He was there - my father wasn't. And that's what is most important to me - he was and still is there.

So to both Pat and Todd - I love you both very much and wish you a Happy Father's Day from the bottom of my heart.

Sweet Sheriff

2008-06-12T16:00:00.005-05:00

My family has a very dear friend named Bill. He works for the Onondaga County Sheriff's Department. We met him a little over 3 years ago after my daughter was assaulted by serial rapist Kevin Schaus. He was the detective assigned to the case. Without going into the whole story I will say that he did an outstanding job and I couldn't have asked for a better man for the job.

We have stayed in close contact and he is a very good friend of ours. He and Shae write back and forth and he stops in when he can to see her. I told him that she was playing softball this year and she would love it if he could make it to one of her games. Last nite he was able to. He was there when we got to the game. We got there a few minutes late because I had to pry the kids out of the pool and then drop the girls at practice at 6 and have Jordan and Shae to their games at 6. I saw Bill when we rounded the corner but didn't say anything to Shae. I walked up to him and he said that he was afraid that we weren't coming. I explained to him why we were late. Shae was still oblivious to the conversation so I said to her,"Shae,who is this?" She looked up and yelled "Bill!" and almost tackled him to the ground.

He brought her a t-shirt from the Sheriff's dept. She was so excited that he was there that I think she forgot she had a game to play. I ushered her off to her game and Bill and I were able to catch up. Shae played well and she kept giving Bill a thumbs up. Pat showed up a little while later and we stood around and chatted. It was so nice to have some adult time even if there were a million kids running around. I usually bring my camera to the games but I didn't last nite. I had to get a pic of Shae and Bill so I sent the hubby home to get it. He went willingly :)

After the game was over we walked Bill to his car. He was driving an undercover car and as he was pulling away from us he turned the lights on for the kids. They loved it. Shae never stopped smiling. She literally fell asleep with a smile on her face. She was muttering something about being glad that she saw her best friend. It was so precious.

I can honestly say that I have never met anyone like Bill. He goes above and beyond what he needs to. I was telling my gram about Bill showing up to the game and she said that she was amazed that someone in his position would keep in touch the way he has. I told her that he was just an extraordinary man that cared. And that's really what it comes down to. I think in some way Shae's case really touched him. He has a special connection with her and our family. He even went as far as to make sure that we were safe and we had no clue. Last nite he told me that there was an undercover cop that used to live across the street from our old apartment and he asked him to watch out for us. That just shows what a good friend and excellent cop he is.

I'm glad that something so good came out of a situation that was so bad. Bill will always be a special part of our family.

Searing Heat

2008-06-10T07:53:00.005-05:00

Another busy weekend! What's new? Things should calm down a bit after softball ends. Another 2 weeks and we should be at the playoffs point. The mighty Sunbirds rallied and were back strong as ever on Saturday. They played great - even in the scorching heat. The other team ended up forfeiting the game at the top of the 5th inning because they were dropping like flies. Their coach had to bench 2 of the girls because they were dehydrated. Uh duh! You need to keep them drinking! We were winning 11-3 and coach wanted to finish the game out. The other coach didn't and some of her parents were copping attitudes. One lady was like "They're tired! You're winning anyway so why do you care if we quit!" That's all I needed to hear to get my mouth going. I stated rather loudly that some people should lose their bad attitude because they were a bad example for the kids. And surprisingly this time I wasn't the only one with something to say. The parents on our team must have learned from the last incident. ** on a side note relating to that incident - our bookkeeper told us that the ump from that game had apologized to coach. Big deal! He should've apologized to Kiana! **

I was at the field all day Saturday. Shae played during and after the girls game and then Jordan had a game at 1 pm. His game ended early but it wasn't because the other team quit. At the bottom of the 4th his team was winning 9-0. If you get to 10 and the other team hasn't scored you win. I was glad that it ended early because I was burning up - literally. This is what I looked like later that nite....

I know the redness doesn't show up too well but believe me it's there! My back and legs look the same. I took this pic yesterday so I may have lost some of the color. I didn't feel the effects of it until later that nite. It hurt but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.

After we got home from the game the kids wanted to swim but the pool wasn't quite ready yet. I borrowed a sprinkler from our neighbor and let them have at it. They had a good time and were able to cool themselves off a bit. I had to mow the lawn so after they were done I dragged out our piece of junk mower and tried to start it. It took me like 20 tries. I thought I was going to lose my arm! I finally got it started and got half of the yard done when it got into some wet grass near the shed and died. Usually it starts right back up after it's been running but this time was the exception. I could not get it to start again. I literally almost passed out trying. I gave up and put the mower away. The hubby was either going to have to finish the lawn or get the mower started for me. I was so hot and sweaty that I had to get a shower. I had to sit down in the shower because I thought I was going to pass out. I'm thinking I may have had a bit of heat exhaustion.

Today I need to go buy a new mower. The lawn is driving me nuts being half done. Not to mention it looks ridiculous! It's not supposed to be as hot today so hopefully I can get it finished. This heat has been unbearable! Time to get the AC going!

Happy Anniversary Todd & Cynthia

2008-06-06T10:55:00.003-05:00

Happy 10th wedding anniversary to my favorite aunt and uncle! I love you both very much and feel so blessed to have you both in my life. You are two of the most amazing people I know. You deserve all of the happiness that there is. You guys have such a beautiful marriage and are truly an inspiration. I wish you many more years of love and happiness. Have a wonderful day today and enjoy yourselves in Wine Country!

Sleeping Beauties

2008-06-06T10:46:00.003-05:00

I guess I'm going to have to hide my camera. The hubby thinks he's funny when he gets pics of me sleeping. I don't think he's funny. I hate having my picture taken and he knows it. Usually the only time he can get me is when I'm sleeping. He showed me this pic when he woke me up to go downstairs to bed. I only thought it was cute because Hadlei was sitting with me and she had the cutest little look on her face. That saved him because otherwise he and the couch would have become good friends that nite.

What a Nite!

2008-06-02T20:27:00.002-05:00

The Sunbirds suffered their first loss tonite and I almost got thrown from the game :) The girls put up a good fight but lost 10-14. It was a very stressful game all the way around. The first few innings they couldn't get their game going. It was like a different team had taken their place. Once they got into their groove the melee began.

The first two innings the pitcher for the other team was consistently violating some of the rules for pitching. I am not quite sure what it was because I don't know much about the rules. I did hear the coach trying to tell the ump and it had something to do with her feet/stance/pitch. I know that last time we faced this team she was doing the same thing and that ump corrected the problem. Not this ump! Coach even went as far as to tell him to go get the head ump and you could tell the guy was pissed. The head ump came over and sure enough coach was right. Nothing was done to correct the problem and I don't know what could have been done. They should have replayed the innings.

Shortly after that fiasco our pitcher,Kiana,went in to cover home and was waiting for the catcher to throw her the ball when the girl from the other team came tearing into home. Kiana put her arms in position to catch the ball and the girl got elbowed. Total accident. Kiana wasn't even watching her she was watching the catcher. Next thing you know the ump throws his mask to the ground and gets in Kiana's face with his finger and yells at her. He said,"I don't ever want to see you do that again! Do you hear me?!" Kiana had no clue what she did and neither did the rest of us. Coach ran over and the ump said that she threw an elbow on purpose. Not even the case. Kiana was sobbing back at the pitcher's mound. Some of the parents were mumbling things but they weren't being very loud about it. I decided to be loud about it. I was pissed. He had no right to treat or embarrass her like that when she did nothing wrong. I started yelling,"Unbelieveable! Are you kidding?! Don't yell at her like that! She didn't do anything wrong!" He apparently didn't like what I had to say and told me to sit down. I then told him to come sit me down. He then said that if I didn't that he was going to throw me out. Wrong thing for him to do - don't threaten me! I started to say something else but coach came over and tried to smooth things over. I couldn't believe that Kiana's dad,who is also a coach,didn't really say much other that for her to shake it off. She was a wreck! No one else would call the ump on it but me. I have a mouth and I'm certainly not afraid to use it. He's lucky that wasn't one of my girls because I would have tackled his ass. Jerk.

Kiana stuck it out and finished pitching the inning. I kept dropping comments just loud enough for the ump to hear me. I couldn't help it I was fired up. When she came into the dugout I called her over and gave her a hug. I told her not to let it get to her. She did nothing wrong and the ump was an idiot. I also told her that when she got back out there she should picture his face on the catcher's mitt and fire the ball right into the mitt. She laughed at that. I just wanted her to feel better.

I was so proud of the girls at the end of the game when they found out that they had lost. There was no whining or grumbling or even sour faces. They were smiling. They said a loss was ok. What an outstanding bunch of girls. I even heard one of the parents tell them that they didn't want to be like the Patriots - have an undefeated season and then blow it on the big one :) On the way home I told my girls that I was very proud of them for the way that they had acted when they lost. I told them you win some and you lose some. And it doesn't matter which you do as long as you do it gracefully and with class. And that is exactly how these girls do it. I was especially proud of Skylar when she said that it didn't matter if they won or not - all that mattered was that they could play the game. Well said kid!

It was quite a nite. During all of this I was going back and forth between games. All of the kids played tonite. I need to clone myself! Jordan's team got another win and Shae took out her coach. He pitched to her and she took a good swing and hit him with the ball. Poor guy - happens to him at least once a game. No more games until Saturday but I'm sure a few practices will be thrown in somewhere. What a nite!

Beauty Queen

2008-06-01T11:44:00.014-05:00

I love taking pictures of the kids. I love getting their pictures taken professionally. I haven't had them done in a studio in quite some time so I decided to take Hadlei and get hers done since I hadn't since she was about 15 months. I will get to the other kids soon as well as to a group picture - which ought to be a ton of fun. She had a bunch of different poses done and I have posted some of them. She is just the cutest little thing! My gram says that she looks a lot like Dakotah did at that age and she's right. I hadn't really noticed it before but they both have that pudgy little round face. She also told me that I should try to get her into modeling for magazines or catalogs. I'm not too sure I want to get into that world. Anyway I hope you like the pix!

!

Busy Weekend

2008-06-01T11:19:00.003-05:00

These last few days have been so busy around here. I decided to have a yard sale to try to get rid of quite a bit of junk that has been sitting in my garage. A lot of work goes into preparing for one of these sales. Gram and mom came over to help with it. We had it Thursday and Friday and were going to have it Saturday as well but it rained Friday nite and some things got wet so I decided to pack it up. It was also supposed to rain all day Saturday which is why I decided to pack it up but it turned out to be sunny most of the day! I could have made more money! I didn't do too bad though. Raked in just under $300. Not bad for a few days work. I'm sure I'll have a few more over the summer. We are planning to have one at my mom's at the end of this month.

While the sale was was going on Friday I had to take Jordan to the dr to get his shots that are required before he can go into 6th grade. He wasn't impressed with it. He hates shots and I thought that I was going to have to pry him out of the car. He went in willingly but was a bit hesitant when he saw the needles. He made it out in one piece although he hasn't stopped whining that his arm hurts :) Later that day I had to go to his D.A.R.E. graduation and then take him to his friend's house for a birthday party.

Yesterday all of the kids had softball games so I enlisted the help of Grama and Grampa Wood to drive them. They all won their games! Kotah and Sky had a 10-9 win,Jordan had a 17-10 win and Shae said they won,too. I hated having to miss their games but they still had a cheering section there for them. The Sunbirds had a game Thursday nite which they won 9-4. They are still undefeated with a record of 8-0! Right after they returned from their games Jordan and Kotah had to get changed so that they could go with grama and grampa to the monster truck show at the Fairgrounds. They got pit passes so that they could go down and see the trucks up close and get autographs. They wore shirts that they could have signed. They got back close to 11 pm and said that they had a great time. Their shirts were really cool! They couldn't stop talking about all that they saw and did.

I want to say a big THANK YOU to Sunny and Bob (grama and grampa) for all of their help this weekend. It was greatly appreciated. I wouldn't have been able to get everything accomplished this weekend that I needed to without their help. And I also want to thank them for coming to as many of the kids game that they have and showing their support for all of them. It really means a lot to the kids as well as to me. Thanx you guys!

D.A.R.E.

2008-05-31T08:07:00.002-05:00

Our school participates with the D.A.R.E. program. They believe that starting their program at the 5th grade level is the best place to begin. They seem to have an excellent program in place and the kids seem to have a good time doing it. They had a little graduation for the 5th graders yesterday. They talked a little bit about the program and what it entails. The deputy that runs the program is a very nice woman. She loves her job and it shows. I think I saw her tear up a bit :)

I tried to get a picture of Jordan receiving his award but his father decided to embarrass him and he scurried across the stage too fast. I snapped a pic but it looked like a streak of lightening. I managed to snag Deputy Hanslip in the hall and was able to get a pic of them together.

Congratulations Jordan!

Happy Birthday Jordan!

2008-05-31T07:13:00.009-05:00

Yesterday was Jordan's 11th birthday. I cannot believe that he is this old already. He'll be a teenager before I know it! Do I feel old! He'll be going into middle school next year and it seems like just yesterday that he started preschool. Where does the time go?

Jordan was such a good baby. He was the cutest little kid! I never really had any problems with him. He learned to do walk and talk very early. Smart like his mom I guess :) He never really threw fits or cried a lot. I was very lucky to have such a good baby the first time around.

He was a pretty well behaved toddler. Not perfect but close enough for me. He gave me quite a scare when he was a few years old. He ran into a table and split his forehead open. Scared the hell out of me. He had to have 6 stitches. If that wasn't bad enough 4 hours after he had the stitches removed he was running around the backyard,fell and resplit that same spot open. Back to the hospital for more stitches. They put them both inside and out that time and I made sure that they stayed in well past the time that they could have been removed. I didn't want him to have to go through that again.

I'd say that I've lucked out with Jordan. Like most kids he can be a pain in the butt. For the most part though he is a good kid. He is very respectful,sweet,loving,caring,thoughtful,generous,kind,giving,helpful...the list goes on. I am so proud of him and all of his accomplishments. He has done very well in school. Just this past Thursday he was in the newspaper for receiving a Study Skills Award in school. He is in Boy Scouts and juggles that with being in softball. He wants to join football but I am a bit iffy about that because he has had so many concussions.

Happy Birthday Jordan! Mom is so proud of you and all that you do. I thank God every day for you. No matter how old you get you'll still be my little green bean :) I love you bunches little man!

I've Been Replaced

2008-05-24T13:44:00.003-05:00

I'm afraid that the place my hubby had in his heart for me has been replaced. By who? It's actually a what and not a who. This is the culprit.....

A 55'' flat screen tv. Maybe I haven't really been replaced but I have to at least share that space now :) Thank God we didn't get the 65'' flat screen or I'd probably be out the door!

Pat has wanted a tv like this for some time now but I wasn't really willing to pay for it. The only reason that I finally gave in was because we got it for an awesome price. We rent to own a lot of our furniture because we certainly aren't rich enough to buy it outright. We get everything from the same place and over time we have become good friends with the owner. He gave us a kick-ass deal on this tv.

They had a 55'' and a 65'' available. I told him that he would have to settle for the smaller of the two because we had nowhere to put a 65'' tv. I don't think he cared either way as long as he got one of them. He is still smiling about it. I know he really only wanted a tv like this so that when he played his PS3 it would look phenomenal. And I must say that it does. Hey,whatever makes him happy.

Since we got this tv we rotated the rest of the tvs in the house. We put the 36'' tv from the livingroom into our bedroom. Took the 32'' from our bedroom and put it in Jordan's room and took his 20'' and put it in Hadlei's room. Yes,we own a lot of tvs :)

Moving them was a trip. I knew that I couldn't move the one from the livingroom by myself but I figured that the one that was in our room wouldn't be a problem. So being the bull that I am I carried the 32'' tv upstairs into Jordan's room all by myself. I think I paid for it yesterday. I woke up with the worst neck ache. I couldn't turn my head and if I moved just right those muscles tensed up and I was in an enormous amount of pain. Whether I slept on it wrong or I pulled something when I moved the tv I don't know. All I do know is that it is much better today. And no I didn't learn anything from it because I will still continue to be a bull :)

A Stompin' on the Field

2008-05-18T09:42:00.002-05:00

Yup,you guessed it! The Sunbirds won again!!! Their game Saturday was a rematch against the team named Thunder. If you remember my post a few weeks ago about the girls playing a team of giants and barely winning 8-7...that would be the team that they played. This time my girls showed them that they weren't messing around. I could tell that they have all improved so much since then. The final score of their game was 14-7. After their game their coaches took them for ice cream. They so earned it. I know I have probably said this a million times already but I am so proud of them!

In other softball news Jordan's team picked up a win. The score was 12-4 when we got rained out in the top of the 5th inning. They played much better in this game and thank God that crazy ump was nowhere to be found! I got to help out by keeping the pitch count. The kids are only allowed to pitch a certain number of times per game so you have to keep track of their pitches. My mom kept Hadlei for me for the day so I was able to fully pay attention to the games. Pitch count was fun and I may just do it full time :)

Shae's game was rained out. It was scheduled for 4:30pm but with the downpour we had around 3pm the coaches decided to cancel. It had stopped raining but the fields were a mess and there was really no point to getting the kids out in that stuff and having them possibly get sick. A make-up game will be scheduled at some point.

We have next Saturday off due to Memorial Day but we have three games in a row this week...Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday nites. I'm sure a practice or two will be thrown in there somewhere. Thankfully the hubby has a mini vacation this week and doesn't have to work until Friday. So I'll have some help if I need to be in two places at once.

Live from Rockefeller Plaza...

2008-05-18T09:23:00.003-05:00

It's New Kids On The Block!!! That's right! The reunion that I have waited almost 15 years for has finally happened. Friday morning NKOTB performed for the first time in over a decade on The Today Show. It was amazing! I only wish I could have been there in person to see it. It was crazy to see all of their fans screaming and yelling for them. Why is that so crazy? Because most of them were my age :) And I would have been whooping it up,too!

The audience was the largest audience that The Today Show has ever had. Some people slept in the streets for 2 days just to be able to see them! Now that's what I call a fan! They sang some of their old hits and then sang their new single "Summertime". I can't wait to get their new cd. I think I have to wait a few months until it's released. I sat there in awe watching them sing and dance. I felt like a kid again. It even brought me to tears. I wasn't alone in that though because I saw many women in the audience doing the same thing.

I know that not everybody likes or has liked NKOTB. And that's fine...that's your loss! I know my girl Shelle is a NKOTB fan so we'll stick togther. We'll have to watch their tour schedule and try to go to a concert together. Most if not all of their shows are sold out. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll come close to us,Shelle. Another Dome concert would be nice :)

Welcome back NKOTB! It's about time!

Playing by the Rules

2008-05-15T22:39:00.002-05:00

Shae had a game tonite which I wasn't too excited about going to because I'm getting sick. My throat has been bothering me all day. She really wanted to go so I went. When we got to the game her coach came over with some papers. They were the rules for her softball division. He said that he had found them and that they were going to start playing by these rules. He said that he didn't even know they exsisted. I had to laugh to myself and think that this must be his first year coaching. Why wouldn't there be rules?!? I'm hoping that with this newly found information Shae's games become a bit more exciting.

The injury list for my kids is growing. Shae got hit in the face with the ball tonite. Two of our coaches and one from the other team ran over to check on her. I sat and watched to see how she would react. She shed a few tears but said she was ok and that she wanted to stay on the field and keep playing. And that's exactly what she did. Her coach told her that she was a tough kid. When she came off the field it was a totally different story. She came over and crawled into my lap and started to cry saying that her face hurt. She must not have wanted everyone to see her cry. Her cheek was a little puffy but that's it. I calmed her down and sent her back to finish her game.

Besides Kotah's shredded knees she got hit in the head with a ball last nite. They were at practice and one of the girls threw it to her and she said it bounced off her glove and hit her in the head. She had a little goose egg on her forehead this morning. Jordan and Skylar are injury-free as of right now. But that could change at any time.

Come On Ump!

2008-05-15T15:55:00.003-05:00

Jordan's game Tuesday nite was at the very least a disaster. His team seemed to be playing like crap and at the same time the ump was a total jackass. So which one caused the 5-2 loss?

I don't proclaim to know the ins and outs of baseball. Now if we talk football that is a totally different story :) Baseball is just not my thing. I actually don't even like it. I do however know the difference between a ball and a strike. The ump for this game had a real problem with that. I don't know if this was his first game or if it had to do with the fact that he looked like he wasn't even out of high school yet. All of the other umps I've run across are on the older side. Or maybe it had to do with him wanting to leave asap after the game because he nearly ran us over in the parking lot!

His calls were awful during the whole game. I was sitting almost behind homeplate and could see everything. My mouth was going a mile a minute dropping comments to him when I felt they were necessary. Even Dakotah could tell that he was doing a lousy job.

Jordan's team could have pulled off a victory. They were up last. Jordan was the first one to get on base. He actually hit a triple! He was so proud - you could see it all over his face. The next kid was walked to her base and so was the kid after her. The next kid up was a good hitter so we knew that he would get at least two of them home. That didn't exactly happen. On a foul ball the girl on second base ran to third forcing Jordan to go home. Everyone was screaming at her to go back but she was oblivious to it all. Jordan ran home and the pitcher just missed him with the tag. But...the ump called him out! His coach started yelling that he was safe and tried arguing some rule but the ump ended the game.

Jordan walked to the car trying to hide his tears. I told him that it wasn't his fault. He was safe. It was Liz's fault for leaving the base especially since the coach didn't motion for her to run. And it was the ump's fault for his lousy call. I was pretty riled up because that little girl's father was running his mouth the whole game. He had no clue what he was talking about either. I finally turned to him at one point and went off on him because I was sick of listening to him. It made me feel better :)

Jordan was pretty upset the rest of the nite. He seemed to be better the next morning. I told him that there was another game coming this weekend and that meant another chance to win. And if I ever see that ump at another one of the kids' games I will be sure to give their coach the heads up on him!

The Injured

2008-05-14T16:00:00.002-05:00

The Sunbirds had a game Monday nite. As usual they won 12-5. I am so proud of this team. They are doing a phenomenal job. They work together so well. Coach is the best! His team's success is attributed to his skills as a coach. What a team!

Kotah was injured at the top of the 5th inning. Skylar came running over to tell me that Kotah had gotten hurt and she was gushing blood everywhere. I leaned over to see where she was and she waved me over to her. I got up and strolled over to the dugout. Both of her knees were bleeding but they were far from gushing. Skylar tends to exaggerate a bit :) I asked her what happened and she said that one of the girls had pushed her while she was trying to hang up her helmet. Coach was about to fix her up but asked if I wanted to do it since I was there. So I took over. I told Kotah that she if she was going to get hurt she should've done it sliding into home base not hanging up a helmet in the dugout. As I wiped her knees off she started to complain that it hurt. I told her to suck it up. If she was going to play football she was going to have to be able to handle a lot more than a couple of bloodied knees. Coach overheard us and said,"You're going to play football?!" Kotah told him that she wanted to and he said good for her and she should go for it. Thank you for your support Coach :)

The girls have practice tonite. Coach wants to work with each of them individually on some of their weaker points to try to strengthen them for their game this Saturday. From the sounds of it they may be in for a challenge. Good luck ladies!

Happy Birthday Dan

2008-05-12T07:59:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a day filled with different emotions for me. While it was Mother's Day and that should be a happy thing it was also a sad day for me. Yesterday would have been my friend Dan's 30th birthday. It has been just over 12 years since he died and I still miss him terribly. I always will. No amount of time will ever change that. The only thing time has done is lessened the pain a little.

I just wanted to wish him a Happy Birthday and let him know that I still think about him all the time and I will never forget him. I know that he watches over me and that gives me great comfort. Happy Birthday,Dan. Sending you birthday wishes and hugs your way. Love you...

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-12T07:39:00.002-05:00

I'm a day late getting this post up but I didn't have 5 minutes yesterday to do it. It was an extremely busy day. I tried to sleep in but that didn't happen. I kinda figured it wouldn't. I had to get all of the kids ready to go to gram's so that I could make dinner there. We were going to have ham and leg of lamb and all the fixins! Dinner was great. Everyone definitely had a full stomach. After dinner we hung around a while and waited for my mom. She had to work. The kids played outside and we sat and gabbed. When we got home it was shower and then bed time for the kids. By the time I got to sit down I was too tired to even pull out my computer. So...

To all of my mom friends everywhere...I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day. I hope you were able to have a relaxing day with your families. You all deserve it :)

My Little Trooper

2008-05-10T21:34:00.002-05:00

Those amazing Sunbirds have done it again! A win with a score of 19-5! And I must say that I am very proud of my little girl. She woke up this morning barking like a seal and had a sore throat. I normally wouldn't make her go but today was picture day. I told her that she would have to get her uniform on and at least do the picture. I also wanted her to be with her team during the game. So I went in to take my shower and told everyone else that they had better be ready by the time I was done. When I came out of the bathroom Dakotah told me that she was going to try to play in her game. And that is exactly what she did. She played the whole game and she was up to bat 5 times which is more than she normally is. She complained once about her throat and said she was hungry and I found that a glazed donut cured that :) I am so proud of her for sucking it up and playing her game. What a kid!

Jordan won his game today...5-2. He was especially excited because they beat an undefeated team. Go Muck Dogs!

Shae also had a game today but I won't get started on that. The more games I watch her in the more irritated I am with the team that she is on. She is just too good for where she is and it drives me insane that there is nothing I can do about it.

It was a busy day that began at 8:30 am on the baseball field...

A Win and A Loss

2008-05-09T19:42:00.002-05:00

Jordan had a game on Tuesday nite and they won 7-5. It was a close game but they were able to keep their lead. One of the boys that usually stands there staring into space ended up getting a double play and he was given the game ball. He caught a ball for the out then threw it to 3rd base for another out. I know that a lot of parents' jaws were on the ground for that one - his dad's included! They played a great game.

He had a make up game tonite from their rained out game last week. I didn't think he was going to go because he has been home from school for the past two days with some version of the stomach bug. But when it came down to it he sucked it up and went to his game. I tried to tell him he didn't have to go but he wanted to. In all honesty I think he was faking some of his sickness :) They ended up losing 7-6. Close game. They were actually down 6-0 in the bottom of the 4th but they scored 4 runs that inning. They scored 2 more runs in the 5th and had a kid on 3rd ready to tie the score but the kid at bat struck out. So close! Hey - you win some you lose some. He has another game tomorrow morning so we'll see if they can bounce back.

Summer Playground Program

2008-05-06T07:22:00.003-05:00

Last Friday I went and signed the kids up for this awesome program that the town sets up every summer. It runs for 6 weeks and the kids love it. This will be their third year. It keeps them from sitting around being bored and it keeps them out of my hair! A lot of their friends go as well so they really do enjoy it. I would much rather get them into something than have them sitting around doing nothing. Believe it or not kids do get bored with their summer vacation. They are kept busy from about 9-2 with all sorts of activities. They can also go on field trips.

Kotah won't be going this year because she is going to Oregon to visit her dad. She is very excited to see him.(she really misses you guys) Jordan may miss a week because I have signed him up for D.A.R.E. camp. That runs for a week and it's an overnite camp. I hope he is able to get in. There is quite a waiting list from what I understand.

The kids have a busy summer ahead!

Muck Dogs Game 2

2008-05-05T08:34:00.004-05:00

***Jordan and Shaelyn have the same team name even though they are on different levels...and I don't know where they got the name "Muck Dogs" from***

Jordan had his second game Saturday. He has grown to like playing softball in these past few weeks. His attitude towards it has completely changed since he has had some practice. He feels like he is better at it than when he first started. I told him that it would just take a little time.

He wanted to win their game but unfortunately they lost 13-15. Jordan scored 2 of their runs. They played a good game but it came down to their pitcher walking enough of the other team to put them ahead. I was very impressed with the way Jordan reacted to their loss. I was hoping that it wouldn't get him down. He said that it was ok and that they had another game coming which meant another chance to win. That's my boy!

He actually has 3 games this week - Tuesday,Friday and Saturday. One is a make-up game from last week when they were rained out. No practices for him since they have so many games. He is going to be beat by the weekend :)

My Little Muck Dog

2008-05-05T07:59:00.005-05:00

Shae had her first game Saturday. She couldn't wait to get out there and hit the ball and run like the wind. She is very proud about being the fastest runner on her team. (this was determined during practices when they were base running) She did very well. Unfortunately with the team that she is on they don't keep score. I was disappointed to find out that she is basically on the same kind of team that she was last year. They play for fun and don't keep score. They don't have outs or strikes. They pretty much swing until they hit the ball. As awful as this is probably going to sound,Shae is better than that and she needs to be on a more advanced team. I thought that she was going to be on a team like Kotah was last year. I guess they go based on age but I don't feel she is really learning anything new this season. There isn't anything that I can do about it so I guess she'll just have to have fun this time around and wait until next year to develop better skills. Here dad and I will work with her at home to help her along.

Shae has this little boy on her team named James who is absolutely adorable. He is the coach's son. He has some type of special needs and he is the sweetest little guy. He gets so excited when we show up for practices and comes right over to talk to us. Sometimes his mom will have to shoo him back out onto the field because he comes over to play with us. I got a pic of Shae with James. It's adorable! Meeting James is one of the benefits of Shae being on this team.

Even though I am not thrilled with the level Shae has been placed at I will still be behind her 100%. Maybe there is some reason that she was put where she is. Only time will tell.

Sunbirds Game 3

2008-05-05T07:41:00.003-05:00

Yes,ladies and gentlemen,it's another win for the Sunbirds! It wasn't a blowout like the last two games were but a win is a win. The girls won 8-7. Close,huh? When I saw the other team I was afraid for the girls. I figured they were about to get their first loss. Their coach even told them that they may not win this game. Why all the doubt? Well if you had seen this team you would have thought the same thing. They were huge! I don't know if they found them in the Land of the Giants or what but they were some big girls. I didn't get to sit and watch the whole game because Shae had her first game at the same time. So I switched back and forth between the games. Dakotah and Sky scored 1 run each. I was very impressed with that due to the way the game was going. They were so proud of themselves after the game. They get a break because they don't have another game until Saturday. But I know their coach and they will be practicing at least twice during the week. Go Sunbirds!

**I didn't get to take too many pics but I did catch Kotah warming up**

Sunbirds Game 2

2008-05-02T07:52:00.002-05:00

***before I go any further I need to fix the score for their last game. either the scorekeeper was asleep or the scoreboard wasn't working but the actual score for their first game was 18-4***

Their second game proved to be just like their first - a huge spanking for the other team. The final score was 20-5 and I'm sure that the score is right :) Both girls did well scoring 2 runs each. I wish that I had been able to get more pics but it was way too cold for me to even function. My toes froze because I was wearing sandals - which is all I wear after the snow is gone because I hate shoes. The hubby had to leave early with Hadlei because it got too cold for her to be outside. The game dragged on for over 2 hours! By the 5th inning the girls were all shivering. I felt bad for them because they were dressed in tshirts and shorts.

I gave up my nice warm blanket so that Kotah could wrap herself in it. At one point she called me over and asked if we could get ice cream afterwards! I told her the only thing she was getting after the game was a nice hot shower. That girl is crazy! Our team tried to get the ump to end the game but the other team's coach wanted their last chance to bat. I don't know if their coach was crazy enough to think that they were going to make a comeback or what but he wanted to play. He quickly changed his mind after our pitcher beaned one of his girls with her pitch.

Great job Sunbirds! Their next game is tomorrow morning at 8:30. Hopefully my toes will be thawed out by then :)

Opening Day

2008-04-26T12:54:00.006-05:00

Today was opening day for Little League Softball. Jordan,Dakotah and Skylar had their first game today. Shae's will be next week. Luckily we ended up with a gorgeous day. Guess the weatherman was wrong about the rain :) The kids' games overlapped but thankfully Grama Wood came so that I was able to bounce back and forth between the two without having to lug all of our paraphinalia with me.

Kotah and Skylar are Sunbirds. They look so cute in their little uniforms. Their team has been practicing very hard these last few weeks and it has paid off for them. They won their game 16 -3! Talk about a great opening game! They spanked the other team! My girls did great. The pitcher on the opposing team wasn't very good and Kotah was walked to 1st base every time she was up so she really didn't get a chance to hit the ball. She did however score 4 runs. One of those runs was a result of her stealing 3rd base and then taking it on home. Watching her in her first game I could see how much better she is already playing this year. Sky did a great job,too. She struck out twice but got a good hit in between. She scored 2 runs. One of her runs she made it home but had to go back to 3rd because it was an out. She got back there before they could get her out and then she turned around and ran back home for the score. Good hustle!

Jordan is a Muck Dog. Couldn't tell you where they got the name from :) His game started after the girls but he was finished first. They are a bit more advanced so their game goes a bit quicker. He is doing pretty good for his first season. His team won with a score of 12 - 6. He was walked a couple of times but he was also able to get a few hits in. He scored 3 runs for his team. I'm so glad that he was able to win his first game. I think it definitely gives a confidence boost. I did feel bad for him for the simple reason that his father decided that something else was more important this weekend than watching his son play his first softball game. I know that it hurt him but it didn't surprise me.

It's game on from here on out. Every Saturday through the end of June we will be at the field. And a few nites a week ranging from Monday - Thursday we'll be there,too. It's going to be very hectic but well worth it. Getting them involved in softball was a very good move. It helps them build their characters in so many ways. And it gives me one more thing to be proud of them for.....

All I Can Say Is...

2008-04-26T12:47:00.002-05:00

SOME PEOPLE HAVE A HELL OF A LOT OF NERVE

Pizza Hut Ban

2008-04-24T15:19:00.002-05:00

Michelle,I have decided to join your ban on Pizza Hut. After last nite's escapade I am in full agreement with you. We ordered pizza for lunch yesterday and by 11 pm it was coming back up with a vengence. I started not feeling well around 9:30 pm and Pat said I was probably just overtired from demolishing the livingroom. I knew that it wasn't a bug because the last two times one was floating around it missed me - at least the puking part did. The only other alternative was food poisoning and I knew that it had to come from the pizza because that was all I had eaten that day.

I ended up praying to the porcelain god most of the nite. I took a bowl downstairs with me because I was getting weak and I knew that I wouldn't make it upstairs. At this point I have to say that I have the world's best husband. I ended up getting sick a few times while I was downstairs and he came right down to check on me and empty my bowl for me. He even brought me down a damp towel for my head and took my temp to make sure I wasn't running a fever. He must really love me if he'll clean up after me like that :)

I didn't sleep most of the nite. I was sick until around 4 am and I finally decided to take a Zofran. Whoever invented that was a genius. I went to bed after that but was awake quite a bit because I was so thirsty. I kept drinking water all the while praying that it would stay down. Thankfully it did. I am feeling cruddy today so the hubby told me to take it easy. I have tried to but the housework doesn't do itself. Shh!!! Don't tell! I hope that by tomorrow I will be feeling much better. I have softball practices and games to get to this weekend.

P.S. Thanx for taking such good care of me babe! I love you :)

Remodel

2008-04-24T14:46:00.006-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I got bored so I decided to start the remodel of the inside of my house. It is hideous looking and I simply got tired of looking at it. The mismatched wood on the walls and the awful paint color/border in the kitchen has driven me crazy since we moved in. Don't get me wrong - I am thrilled that we have a house but the interior decorating leaves a lot to be desired. So I grabbed my hammer and crowbar and went to town!

I wasn't sure of what I was going to find behind the wood so I was a bit scared. When I tore out the corner cabinet in the livingroom shortly after we moved in I found two huge holes in each wall covered by sheetrock. To this day I haven't been able to figure out why they were there. I figured that I wouldn't know what was behind the wood unless I looked so I pulled out my bookshelves and began demolition.

Thankfully I didn't find parts of the wall missing. But what I did find was as bad or worse than the wood. I found wallpaper. The walls now look like a wrapped wedding present - a badly wrapped wedding present. It is some tacky looking stuff! Next step is to steam the wallpaper off the wall,fill in a few holes,sand the walls and then paint.

The hubby and Jordan were playing video games while I tore the house apart. Jordan told me that he couldn't believe that I was doing what I was doing. I was a bit insulted because I think that he believes that girls can't do things guys can do. I set him straight pretty quick. I told him that I can do most things that even girls can't do. I don't know many girls that can do what I do - probably afraid of breaking a nail or something. More pics to come as the room progresses :)

*@#% Update

2008-04-24T14:01:00.002-05:00

Gram ended up going home later that afternoon. Todd kept me updated throughout the day. He was finally able to get the whole story and it seems that when gram was at the sink washing her face her nose started gushing. It was coming from both sides and then she started to feel it running down the back of her throat. She knew it wasn't going to stop so she called 911. When the EMT's got there they took her bp and it was 250/200. I have never seen her bp go that high. They took it again and it was down a bit to 200/174. By the time she got to the hospital it was 174/150 - still high but much better than the first bp they took.

The dr at the hospital gave her some pain pills and put her on some steroids. In other words - he had no idea what was wrong with her. He told her that the pain she was having was due to her arthritis and something about a pinched nerve. He told her to take the steroids for 5 days and if the pain subsided then they knew that was what the problem was. If not then it must be something else. Very reassuring :/ She called me when she got home and told me what the dr had said. He also wanted her to make an appt with her dr so she made one for the next day.

That trip to the dr was well worth it. She read the results of the MRI that gram had done last week. Her back between her L1 and L5 vertabrae is a serious mess. She has bulging discs,degenerative bone disease,severe arthritis,narrowing of her spinal column and discs pushing into her spinal column. Her dr is going to set her up with a pain clinic to see if they can do anything to help. The pain pills seem to be working well for her but the steroids were a completely different story. Gram was very dizzy and disoriented from taking them that morning. The dr took them right away from her and threw them in the garbage. With the meds that she is on the dr in the hospital never should have given them to her.

Gram has felt much better in the last few days. Her pain pills have helped her sleep better at nite which is something that she gets very little of. Hopefully the pain clinic will do some good. If not she may be a candidate for surgery. Let's just hope that it doesn't have to go in that direction. Thanx for all of your prayers and concerns.

*@#%

2008-04-21T09:32:00.002-05:00

Yup - that's how I feel. I got a phone call this morning at around 8:10 from my gram. She was in tears telling me that she had called an ambulance and was on her
way to the hospital because she had a nose bleed that wouldn't stop. I asked if she had called anyone else and she said no so I told her that I was going to call Todd and see if he could meet her up there. I couldn't go because apparently Baldwinsville is the only freakin district around here that has today off! I called Todd and he was at work and he was the only one there which meant that he couldn't leave yet. So we had to call Dale to see if he could be there with her. Todd had tried to talk to gram and all he could get out of her was that her nose wouldn't stop bleeding and her bp was through the roof.

Something is not right. She has had nose bleeds before and she has always been able to get them to stop. And at her recent dr appts her bp has been fine. Yesterday she told me that the area where she had her iliostomy was hurting her. She was having sharp pains and she was afraid that there was something wrong. I tried to calm her fears by telling her that we were going to see the dr that did the surgery for her this Thursday and that he would take a look at it. It was the first she had said anything about it. Now I'm thinking that I should have done something about it yesterday. What I don't know but something. She has been in a considerable amount of pain recently due to her arthritis. It has gotten pretty bad in her back,hips and legs. Over the weekend we were at my mom's and uncle's and she had to climb their stairs to get into their houses so I wonder if that has anything to do with her problems.

I hate not being with her when things like this happen and I know she feels the same way about me not being there. I'm the only one that knows all her meds and other medical info. But thanx to the Bville school district I can't be there. She will be in the ER and we all know how long you have to sit and wait. Needless to say I'm a wreck. When Hadlei came upstairs this morning she found me crying. She crawled right up in my lap and asked me what was wrong. I told her grama was in the hospital and that mommy was worried. Do you know what my darling little 3 year old said/did? She hugged me,wiped away my tears and told me not to worry and that grama would be ok. Of course that just made me cry even more. She is truly an angel.

Hopefully this won't be anything serious. You know what I'm going to ask for next...prayers. I will let you know how she is when I find out.

Play Ball!

2008-04-14T09:56:00.004-05:00

Jordan decided that this year he wanted to play baseball. He had his first practice last Tuesday. He seemed to be enjoying it at first but by the end of practice he didn't look too impressed. I think part of it was that he didn't have his own glove yet and he had to use one of the coaches which was too big for him.

He rode home with dad and they had a little talk. Seems that Jordan felt kind of funny because some of the other kids were pretty good at baseball. Pat explained to him that they had played before and that's why they were good. Those boys were once in Jordan's position. Not only that but his sisters probably felt the same way last year because that was their first time playing,too. On top of all of that it was his first practice. He told Jordan that he would work with him and that he would be just as good if not better than the other boys soon enough. We would also go get all of the equipment he needed so he had his own stuff.

Later in the evening he came out and told me that his finger hurt. I looked at it and it was swollen and starting to turn black and blue. I had him put some ice on it and Pat taped his fingers together. The next morning it looked a bit worse and part of his hand was bothering him so I took him to the dr. I was hoping nothing was broken. The dr sent us downstairs for xrays. Turns out he had just jammed his finger pretty good so the dr said to keep it taped for a few days and take tylenol for the pain. Thankfully he wasn't going to have practice for a week so it gave him time to heal. After all of this I hope that he has learned that you are supposed to catch the ball with the glove and not your hand!

Brush Your Teeth! Or Nose?

2008-04-14T09:44:00.003-05:00

Hadlei has this little obsession with brushing her teeth. Every time she goes into the bathroom she thinks she needs to brush her teeth. Obviously I am thankful that at 3 years old she wants to do this. We'll see how eager she is to do it in a few years :) Anyway she came out into the livingroom the other nite looking like this...

I asked her what she had been doing and she told me nothing. I said,"Have you been in the bathroom trying to brush your teeth again?" She said no. I asked her what she had on her nose and she told me nothing. At this point I was trying not laugh but looking at her cute little nose with blue toothpaste on it made that very hard. I had her follow me into the bathroom and I picked her up so that she could look in the mirror. I said,"What's that?" The answer she gave me accompanied by a wicked grin? "Nothing" I washed the nothing off her nose and told her that she needed to keep it in her mouth and off her nose. She is something else!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2008-04-07T08:06:00.002-05:00

Hadlei said the cutest thing last nite that kind of surprised us at first but after we thought about it for a minute realized that only she would be smart enough at 3 years old to say it...

She had her pink bunny that her Grandma and Grandpa gave to her for Easter. She was getting into bed and she said,"My grandma and grandpa love me. They love my heart." I smiled and told her that they did and she then decided that she had to show me where her heart was. So down went the zipper on her pjs and she touched the spot where her heart is and said,"It's right here."

This kid is too smart for her own good. Too bad I can't get her into school yet. Anyway after she was tucked in we said goodnite to her and told her that we loved her. Her response? "I love you,too,with my heart!" Absolutely priceless.

What's in Your PJ's?

2008-04-05T16:27:00.002-05:00

Hadlei decided that she was going to sleep in yesterday morning. Daddy didn't like that too much because he likes to see her before he leaves for work in the morning. Apparently the big baby can't make it through the day without getting a hug and kiss from his youngest every morning :)

I woke her up and she stood up in her bed. She then grabs her zipper and starts unzipping her pj's. I couldn't figure out why she was doing this. She wasn't wet. Next thing I know she reaches down into her jammies and pulls out one of Diego walkie talkies! I have no idea why she put it there or when she did it. I think that is one of the funniest things I have ever seen her do. What kids won't think of...

NKOTB Update

2008-04-05T16:05:00.002-05:00

Caught the guys on the Today Show yesterday and it was amazing to see how crazy the girls still go for them. I would have been doing the same thing had I been there because they are still looking good. Unfortunately they didn't perform but they will be back on that same show on May 16th for their first performance in almost 15 years! Woo hoo! I can't wait! They did play a clip of one of their songs called "Summertime" and it sounded great. It had a hint of the NKOTB we all know and I love but it also had a new feel to it as well. I think that they're new album is going to be well worth the wait. I will be at the store waiting for it to open the day the album is released :)I didn't think I'd ever see the day that NKOTB would reunite but the impossible has happened. Thank God for small miracles!

New Kids On The Block - Reunited!!!

2008-04-03T21:26:00.005-05:00

It's about freakin' time! I was starting to wonder what a girl had to do to get her favorite boy band back! Go ahead laugh - I'll wait..... Done yet? I know that I am not the only NKOTB junkie. They were the bomb when I was growing up. My room was like a shrine to them. My wallpaper was NKOTB posters and pictures. Jordan was and still is my favorite. Still lookin' good after all these years ;) And yes I still listen to their music!

They are going to be on the Today Show tomorrow. They are releasing a new album and are going on tour again. If they come anywhere near me I will be there to see them. I was at the concert they put on in the Dome back in like 1990(although it could've been 1991 - it was along time ago)I remember that I was in 6th grade. It was my very first concert and I had a blast.

I am excited to see what new material they have come up with. I have already joined their fan club :) Please tell me that at least one of you guys shares in my excitement!!! Don't be afraid to admit it!

Welcome back Joey,Jon,Donnie,Jordan and Danny!

Got Milk?

2008-03-31T07:59:00.004-05:00

I was making dinner for the hubby last nite and had to run downstairs to check on the laundry. This is what I found when I returned.....

After she realized that she was busted she flashed me one of these....

Even if she tried to deny that she was drinking from the jug she couldn't explain away the evidence left behind on her chin! I think we have come up with the newest "Got Milk" campaign!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T13:12:00.007-05:00

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter! Ours was a busy one as usual. I attempted to sleep in - which is something I don't get to do - and I still didn't. I guess with 5 kids that is just an impossibility. They just had to find their baskets and wouldn't let their poor mom catch a few extra winks. Fine with me but there will be payback!

The easter bunny left the kids baskets filled with candy and toys. I didn't think to tell Skylar to not pull out a basket if it wasn't hers. She found Dakotah's and yelled to her that she found it. Kotah wasn't too happy with her. I tried to explain to Kotah that Skylar probably had never looked for a basket before so she didn't know what to do. She pouted for a bit but then got over it.

We went to my uncle Todd's for dinner. The whole family was there and we all had a really good time. Todd just got a new pool table a few months ago and we spent a lot of our time down in his basement playing pool. I love his basement because he has a bar area and that particular area is decked out in Dallas Cowboys paraphinalia. The man has good taste! :) I haven't played pool in years but it all came back pretty quickly. My brother seems to be quite the pool shark. Have to watch out for that one! The hubby is pretty good,too. Jordan even got a chance to play - against me. I let him win ;)

My gram loves these get togethers because she loves seeing her family together. I know she was a bit sad because this will be the last time for a while that Kevin and Ryan will be at any of them. They are moving to Florida in about a month. She wants to see them happy but I know she will miss them like crazy. I did get a nice pic of her with Kevin. I'll miss them,too. Kevin did a lot with me when I was a kid. I remember how I used to help him build picnic tables. He used to call me "grease pit". Don't know where that name came from but he even had a hat made up for me and my brother with our nicknames on them - Grease Pit I and Grease Pit II. I hate to see him go.

All in all it was a good day - fun and good times with the family.

America's Next Top Model

2008-03-15T09:39:00.002-05:00

Nuff said.

Off to the Air Force

2008-03-11T07:39:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to take a minute to say goodbye and good luck to our good friend,Mitch,who is leaving for the Air Force today. He flies out at some point today to go to Texas to start his basic training. I think he's a little crazy to go into any branch of the military because of the chance that he could be shipped overseas to fight in a war that should not be happening. But it's Mitch's choice and we will support him in whatever he does. We just want him to stay safe.

So Mitch - good luck to you,keep your head on straight and most of all stay safe. After all,Hadlei wants to see her Ni Ni Rowe again :) She loves you.

Oh and don't forget - if you spot any Cowboys while you're there you know my address ;)

Hadlei's 3 Year Check-up

2008-03-05T20:48:00.003-05:00

Hadlei had her 3 year check up yesterday. Things went very well. She weighs in at 33 lbs and is 37" tall. I thought she weighed a little more than that - like in the upper 30's. She sure feels it when I pick her up! She didn't have to have any shots which was good for both of us. Her dr did a vision test with her with these funny glasses. There were a few cards - some blank and one with an "E" on it. She had to pick the card with the "E". She tried to trick her but Hadlei got the right card every time. I tried to tell her she was too smart for that. The dr thought it was hilarious that Hadlei knew how to breathe correctly when she listened to her chest. She kept telling us how cute and smart she was. The least she could have done was tell us something that we didn't already know :) Aside from the croop that she caught(again!)Hadlei got a clean bill of health. She is perfect and growing just the way she should. Thank God for little miracles :)

Belated Birthday Wishes

2008-03-05T20:44:00.002-05:00

Wishing a belated Happy Birthday to my nephew,Ian,who turned 4 yesterday. And a Happy Birthday to my friend Emily,who's age I won't mention :) They both celebrated their birthdays yesterday. Sorry I'm a day late guys - had a very busy day yesterday. Love you both!

Happy Birthday Michelle!

2008-03-03T17:47:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to wish my good friend Michelle a very happy birthday today! I hope you have a wonderful day and are able to find some time to celebrate. Here's to getting younger and younger every year! ;)

Happy Birthday,hon!

Happy Birthday Hadlei!

2008-03-02T09:58:00.003-05:00

Today my baby girl turns 3! I can't believe she is that age already. It seems like just yesterday that she made her grand entrance into the world and made her mama the talk of the hospital. Long story short - I was induced at around 7 am and they only got me up to a 6 when she decided she was ready to come out. The nurses nonchalantly came in to check me and found that her head was basically out. They all started running around like a bunch of nuts while I continued to push her out. I didn't have time to wait for them to get their act together. I had warned them beforehand that I do this type of thing pretty quickly. Hadlei was born at 8:39 am. When my favorite dr - Dr.Ryu - came into to see me he said,"So you're the one that everyone in the hospital is talking about." I guess they had never seen an induction go so quickly. What can I say? I like to get things done!

Hadlei has blown us away with how smart she is. She crawled and sat up alone at 5 months. She walked at 9 months and started talking shortly thereafter. She is such a smart little girl. Everyone that meets her thinks that she is older than she is because she is so inteligent. I know that I'm bragging but I can't help it. She is one in a million. I can't wait for her to start preschool this year. Hopefully her teacher doesn't try to send her straight to Kindergarten :)

Happy Birthday to my very special little girl. Mommy and daddy love you so much and we are so proud of you. Enjoy your birthday my little Hadderbees! Big hugs and kisses!

Kidney Stone

2008-02-27T08:59:00.003-05:00

Took gram to the dr yesterday because she has been in a great deal of pain recently. She has arthritis pretty bad but she knew that it wasn't that that was bothering her. The pain was much worse. She thought her kidneys might be acting up again and she was right to some extent. Last Friday she had to go in to the dr to get fluids because they were shutting down again! Thankfully the fluid helped and she didn't have to go to the hospital.

The dr decided to send her to get some more xrays done. She had some taken last week but didn't get enough. She wanted her whole spine and her shoulders done. So we left the dr office and went to get the xrays. We had to wait there after we were finished because the dr was going to call with the results. Around 1 pm she called and gave me the news. Her arthritis has gotten worse - which we already knew. It's basically everywhere. She has strained rotator cuffs in both of her shoulders so she doesn't want her straining herself by hiking around in her bed so she gave us a rx for a hospital bed. That will help her pull herself around because it has bars on either side. She found an old fracture in her upper back/neck area. That puzzled us because neither of us could figure out when that would have happened. She has never fallen so how did that happen? The icing on the cake was when she told me that gram had a kidney stone. That was something none of us expected to find/hear. Dr said it was about 4 mm and she should be able to pass it with lots of fluids. If her pain got worse she wanted to see gram right away because it could be causing blockage. So I guess now we know why she has been in such pain.

What's next?!? Hasn't this poor woman been through enough!?! I was hoping that this year was going to be better for her but it isn't starting out that way. I hope she makes a turn for the better and stays that way.

On a sidenote....gram told me yesterday that the visiting nurse that is in charge of her case told our favorite nurse,Sara,that she thought that my gram had mental problems and that she really didn't have much wrong with her. God help that woman when I get ahold of her because she is going to regret ever saying that! She won't have a job anymore if I have my way.

Bored

2008-02-24T17:25:00.002-05:00

20 Firsts

1. Who was your first love?
My son's father...Bill

2. Who was your first kiss and when?
Bill and we were about 10 yrs old

3. Who was your first prom date?
Bill

4. Who was your first roommate?
Lisa

5. What was your first job?
Hills Dept. Store...It was the best!

6. What was your first car?
I think it was a 1988 white chevy station wagon thingy :)

7.When did you go to your first funeral?
1991 - my great grandfather's funeral

9. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown?
16

10. Who was your first grade teacher?
Mrs. Geotchious

11. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane?
Went to Florida to visit my uncle when I was 12

13. Where did you go for your first date and who was it with?
Went to see Joe vs. the Volcano with Dean

14. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with?
A whole bunch of people

15. Who was your first best friend and are you still friends with them?
Kim Sikora and no I lost touch with her when she moved to Germany

16. Who was the first person to send you flowers?
Bill

17. Where did you live the first time you moved out of your parents house?
In Camillus with some friends

18. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?
My gram

19. Who's wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or a groomsmen?
Never have been

20. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Go pee! :) I know how you feel,Sara!

via KK and Sara

Bored Part 2

2008-02-24T17:00:00.004-05:00

After you're done, repost and erase my answers and replace them with your own.

1. What is your best friends name?
Pat

2. What color underwear/boxers wearing now?
Purple

3. What are you listening to right now?
Rascal Flatts

4. Whats your favorite number?
9

5. What was the last thing you ate?
Cookie cake w/milk

6. If you were a crayon what color would you be?
Pale purple

7. How is the weather right now?
Cold

8. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
My gram

9. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
Smile

10. Do you have a significant other?
Sure do!

11. Favorite TV show?
Charmed

12. Siblings?
A younger brother and a younger sister

13. Height?
5'5"

14. Hair color?
Brown

15. Eye Color
Lt. brown

16. Do you wear contacts?
No but I wish I did

17. Favorite Holiday?
Christmas

18. Month?
June

19. Have you ever cried for no reason?
At least once a week :)

20. What was the last movie you watched?
Walking Tall

21. Favorite Day of the Year?
My birthday

22. Are you too shy to ask someone out?
Uh...no!

23. Can you do a headstand (not using the wall)?
In my dreams maybe

24. Hugs or Kisses?
A little of both

25. Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate

26. Do you want your friends to respond to this?
Of course

27. Who is most likely to respond?
Shelle

28. Who is least likely to respond?
Dean

29. What books are you reading?
None right now...Like I have the time!

30. Piercings?
8 - in my ears

31. Favorite movies?
The Marine
Grease
Walking Tall
The Rundown
Rush Hour 1-3

32. Favorite football Team?
Dallas Cowboys baby!

33. What were you doing before this?
Grocery shopping

34. Butter, Plain or Salted popcorn?
Buttered and salted

37. Dogs or cats?
Neither

38. Favorite flower?
Purple roses

39. Been caught doing something you weren't supposed to do?
All the time ;)

40. Do you have a best friend of the opposite sex?
My hubby

41. Have you ever loved someone?
Yup

42. Who would you like to see right now?
Dan - my best friend that died

43. Are you still friends with people from kindergarten?
Yup

44. Have you ever fired a gun?
Nope and I don't ever want to. I hate guns!

45. Do you like to travel by plane?
No

46. Right-handed or Left-handed?
Right

47. How many pillows do you sleep with?
Two

48. Are you missing someone?
Dan

49. Do you have a Tattoo?
No but I am going to get one soon :)

50. Anybody on myspace that you'd go on a date with?
Uh..no,I'm married!

via KK and Sara

Nasty Germs!

2008-02-22T11:12:00.002-05:00

I've been pretty quiet for a week or so. Haven't heard much from me. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing :) I managed to catch a nasty little bug and it took me out of commission for a few days. I am not one that runs to the dr every time I get a sniffle. I actually haven't been to a dr since I was 18.

I finally broke down and after a weekend of not being able to do anything I had my mom take me to the dr. The dr told me I had a sinus/upper respiratory infection. Figured as much. I thought I might have had the flu at one point because I was just laying on the couch and couldn't do anything - which is so not me. She gave me a rx and said I should be feeling better in a day or two.

Even though I felt like death I stll tried to do my daily routines. I clean at least twice a day - sometimes more. I should probably go to the dr for that to get medicated for my obsessive/compulsiveness. :)I should've stopped when I almost passed out but I didn't. The house wasn't going to clean itself!

The meds seemed to work. When the hubby woke up the other morning and saw me actually moving around he said,"Am I getting my wife back?" Must've missed me. I still have a little touch of this bug but I feel much better. At my worst point I wanted to curl up and die. I would have rather been in labor than dealing with this infection! And yes, I do mean that!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T09:13:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day to the world's best husband! Yes ladies...he's all mine! I really do have an awesome husband. And I'm a lucky girl. We have spent close to 9 years together and had to go through a rough patch to get to where we are today. Instead of tearing us apart it just made us stronger. We are more in love today than ever before.

Honey, I love you so much and am so blessed to have you in my life. You always put me first and make sure that I am happy. You are one in a million and how I ever ended up with you is a mystery. I'm usually not a lucky person but in this case I'm the luckiest. I love you more and more everyday and look forward to spending the rest of our lives together.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. I hope that you are all as happy and in love as I am...