Michelle's Musings

Updates

2009-10-05T14:11:00.003-05:00

Ok, so, you are probably wondering where I have been...and I don't have a good excuse. I do have excuses, just none of them are very good.Heehee!
Mark is plugging away at work. His job is going good. He is doing the electrical at the new Freddie's in Derby. What he is really enjoying right now, is his position as Athletic Director. Cross Country season is winding down this week, football has a ways to go, and volleyball is over now, except for tournaments, except for 8th grade, they are done.
I have been enjoying my glamorous life as a lunch lady. Easy hours, fun people, good times. I love my job!
Val was down and out last week with the Swine Flu. That's right. You heard me! She had it!!! Confirmed by her doctor. Of course, she went to the doctor too late for him to be able to give her an antibiotic to help her, so she had to just ride it out. It was not an easy ride!
She did make it to her Homecoming Dance, just got sick the day after it. She went with her boyfriend Tyler. There are pics of them on my Facebook. Add me!
Like I said before, Emi is done with volleyball. She is bummed! She has a great potential, so we are going to look into a club league for her to play in, or somewhere to go to get some extra help. She does have a great talent!!
Anyways, just wanted you to know that I am still around!

A Moment Of Your Time

2009-09-16T14:38:00.002-05:00

Just a moment of your time, to remind you of how FABULOUS Emily is at playing volleyball. She played at Magdalen on Monday night, and yes, they lost to SEAS and St. Francis, but this is a team sport, remember!~
Emi got a series of 8 serves over the net during a SEAS game, and brought them to a close win, and then at the beginning of match 2 of the St. Francis game, scored 14 serves in a row, sending them to tie breaker! 14!
Just keeping you up to date on her scores! It is hard to get pics because I keep score, and Mark line judges, but I will give it a try for this weekend, because they should be looking good~wink, wink!!!!!

Star Power!

2009-09-13T12:41:00.003-05:00

OK, so I know some people will say I am biased (because I am), but Emily has Volleyball Star Power! Yesterday morning, we played against St. Pat's, and the game was SO good!!!! Emily missed her first serve of the day, but she made up for it! The second she was up for the serve she served not 1, not 2, but 12 in a row!!! The crowd was going wild! She was in the zone for sure!!!! Our girls didn't return the volley, so the serve went to St. Pat's. We returned the ball, for the game point.
Coach Lynn decided to keep Emi in on Service, since she was on such a hot streak, and she served another 10 in a row, only stopping her streak, because we hit the return volley out of bounds!
All of the girls played an awesome game! There were dinks, spikes, sets (Emi likes to do a backwards set) and bumps! We had Sheridan from St. Joseph School who went on a 6 serve streak,and all of the girls had a lot to be proud of!
Then, Magdalen game. We lost the first match 21-25. THey were watching the St.Pat's game, and shut down Emi quick! She did get all of her serves over though, the rest of the day, they just volleyed them back to us, in our weak spots. We won the second match 25-19, so we went to tie breaker, but couldn't quite get it back after they went on a 9 point streak, and lost by 6.
Oh well, they have an even record, won 2 lost 2, so they are actually doing better than these girls have done Ever!
And, not to keep bragging, but Emily's streak yesterday was the "best" streak that SMM has seen maybe ever, but for sure for at least the last 5 years!

And on one more note, our girls have the BEST team spirit of any team I have seen! THey cheer and chant for each other, and never show bad sportsmanship, which we unfortunately encountered against Magdalen, but our girls played with class all the way!!!!

2009-09-07T08:52:00.004-05:00

8th Grade Volleyball is off and running (or serving and spiking as it were)! The team had their first 2 games last week, and they lost (barely) to St. Anne's and then played St. Peter Schulte and won both games, so there was no need for the tie breaker. They did a great job! The team has really improved from last year, and as proof by the picture, we got Tarah back on the team!!!! She played in 6th grade, didn't last year, but was persuaded to come back for her 8th grade year! The Lady Tigers play again on Saturday, making it a very busy weekend, since, we are also kicking off our 8th grade fundraising that weekend, but I am confident we can get everything done we need to do! They play at Collegiate next Saturday morning. They petitioned the CSAL last year to join, and the Athletic Directors voted at their meeting, and welcomed them into the league.If I have the time, I would love to go check them out before we play them, since we have never seen their girls play before, but time is an issue for us for the next couple weeks, so we will see!
I will try to be more faithful about my blogging~sorry!!!!

Oh, and message to Tim, in case you didn't read the Sport Page on Saturday~Bishop Carroll beat Heights.....just thought you would like to know :P

Dating Tips Fridays

2009-08-22T20:27:00.003-05:00

Val has Morality class this semester as her religion class. Her teacher, Mr. Brandt, has deemed Fridays to be the day that he gives the kids tips and they can talk about dating, and relationships.
Part of this, are a "girl" and a "guy" tip.
His tip for the girls this week, is to always carry a sucker with them, when they are out with a boy. That way, if they are not comfortable kissing the boy, they can stick the sucker in their mouth, cause who would kiss someone with a stick in their mouth.
The boy tip was that a boy should always carry a pen and a folded notecard. On the outside of the card, he can write topics to discuss, and on the inside, he can write things that interest the girl he is with.

So there you have it. I will ask Val for more tips next Friday.
PS~ She did take a sucker with her tonight, but only one. And she took one for him too! He said he was going to go find a notecard~heehee!

1 Week Down!

2009-08-22T06:44:00.002-05:00

Well, my camera didn't have batteries. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with it, when I tried to take the traditional first day of school pictures, and now I know, there are no batteries in it. It is a good thing they wear the same thing every day. I will get pics of them next week.

Emily loves 8th grade. She started Tuesday. Her class has 15 kids in it. Ky moved to Florida, but he might come back at semester, they all hope so! Every day the 8th graders go to the lunchroom and help the kindergarteners with their lunch trays, so I get to see her a couple of times a day. There really isn't as much homework as she thought, so she is happy about that! Volleyball is going well. There are 8 girls on her team, 3 of them are from St. Joseph school, and then Emi,Tarah,Olivia,Theresa,and Elizabeth. It looks like a good team! Em got her serve back, and is doing awesome!!!!
Val was born to go to high school! I will always think so. She is having the time of her life!!! She got a full size locker again, teachers and classes that she loves, and is going out on a movie date tonight. What more could she ask for???
Val is assistant coach to Emi's volleyball team.
Well, that's about it. Valleri had school pics taken yesterday, Emily,Tarah, and Diem are supposed to be going to the mall with some guy friends from St. Jude's. Emily had a cold yesterday though, so I will have to see how she is feeling first.
I am 8th grade room mother, so I am trying to figure out a schedule for fundraising for the kids for their graduation expenses, t shirts, and class trip. YUCK!!!! I don't really mind though!

Hideous!

2009-08-14T19:31:00.002-05:00

This is not for the weak of stomach!

What I've Been Up To....

2009-08-14T08:23:00.002-05:00

...so, I've been MIA for almost a month. Yikes! The summer just flew by for sure!
The girls have been so busy going out with friends, and Mark has been busy at work, and I have just about completely beat the %$#@@* out of myself!
I will explain.
A week ago today, I was sweeping the hall by the bathroom, and I stopped to go get something from Emily's room. It was probably laundry, because I was multi-tasking that day. Anyway, I came back, and took a step over Mighty, and right onto a dustpan. Of course, it slid, I ended up doing the splits, my left foot ended up flat against the floor, and basically I sprained it.
So, on Wednesday, I knew I would be on my feet for a long time, since we were going to be at BC registration, so I wrapped it up, and away we went. After we paid fees and bought books in the small gym, we stepped outside, but the sun was so bright, I stepped off the stair, but did not realize I stepped onto a concrete ramp, which I stepped off of with my bad foot. I fell flat on my face. Scraped the skin off around my eye, which is now also bruised, had blood dripping down both legs, scraped my knuckles. Yikes! It was so embarrassing!
Val was such a sweetie though, and just threw her locker together in like less than 5 minutes so we could leave.
So, now I am healing,and praying that some of these bruises go away before school starts.
Tomorrow, I am going to my sister's new home in Derby to help them move in....I wonder if they will let me carry their fine china.....heehee!

Just A Neat Picture

2009-07-19T11:27:00.002-05:00

Emily and James

2009-07-19T11:22:00.004-05:00

This is Emi's boyfriend. They went to the drive in last night along with Val, Jared, Sarah, Julie, and Diem. And me. Driver. As usual. We had a lot of fun, got home at 6:15 this morning and still are trying to wake up, but planning to do it all again soon.
I love Emi and James together. They are so sweet!!!! They have a lot of fun, it is cute to watch!!

This Will Be Interesting For You!

2009-07-16T07:41:00.002-05:00

I can't believe I let him leave town, without taking pictures, but Val has a new boyfriend, and he leaves for Colorado on Vacation before she will see him again, and I don't have a picture (yet) and I am sorry! That out of the way....
His name is Cameron. He will be a Junior at Bishop Carroll, he has a Jeep, but our rule for dating, has always been that we don't let Val ride in a car until she, herself, can drive, so unless it is a special occasion, we will continue to take her places. He is FUNNY!!!!!
I have just known him, for a week or so, seen him 2 1/2 times (once was at the mall, and he was leaving when I got there), but my goodness, he makes me laugh~I know I laugh easily too, but still!
She has known him for the last year, and just been kind of Hallway Friends with him at school, and then, found him on Facebook last week, and started chatting,and invited him to her Movie and Swim Parties this week, and the rest is history.....

Now, for the interesting part~Emi has a boyfriend too! She is dating James, who is Val's Bff Jared's younger brother. Jared is the tall one, and James is probably already about 6 feet tall. He is an 8th grader at St. Jude's, and is very sweet, but also very quiet! We are taking him, along with us and a large group of kids to the drive in on Saturday, so I will take a bunch of pics of them and post them afterward.

So, there you have it. 2 daughters, 2 boyfriends. Mark is doing ok with it. He will meet James on Saturday, but will have to wait to meet Cameron.
I will let you know about that too.....

The Boy

2009-07-16T07:36:00.003-05:00

Today is the Boy's birthdaY!!!!
I can't upload any pics for some reason today, so I will have to add a picture when Mark gets home, but I wanted to tell you why my nephew Landon is so special on this, his 11th birthday.
L is for the Love he has for his favorite aunt.
A is for All the fun he creates everywhere he goes.
N is for his Neverending energy
D is for Danelle, his momma, never forget your momma!
O is for Oh, he makes us all laugh! He has a great sense of humor!
N is for never wanting him to change!!!!

Love you buddy! Hope your day is great, and can't wait to see you tonight!!!!!!!

Yikes!!! Where Have I Been????

2009-07-09T09:49:00.002-05:00

First of all, I have no pictures to post.
Secondly, I can't believe this much time has gotten away from me!!

We are just living life.
Mark~Busy working, got some overtime a few days this week, which is unheard of, in the IBEW, but he is what he calls First Call, so he is the apprentice they go to if they have something extra.
Valleri~goes to pole vault, when they have it. It has been hectic with the holidays and such, but she is doing good, and still loves it. She goes out 5 out of 7 days typically with her friends, and has begun spending quite a bit of time with a Cutie from Kapaun. Now, we will see if my sweet brother in law Tim reads this, because he won't be able to hold back a comment if he does!
Emily~dancing the summer away! She also enjoys going out with her friends a few times a week, and has struck up a friendship with Val's BFF Jared's younger brother.
Lauren is back. A few days a week, but I missed her!
Mighty and Wrinkles are sharing the house well.
We went to Lawrence Dumont for July 4th. We watched a ball game, and KAKE TV honored the Atomic Veteran's as Hometown Heroes, so Nancy was so honored to receive a certificate for his sacrifices. That was a fun evening and we got to sit with Tim, Danelle, Shelbie and Landon, who I can't even remember the last time I have seen them....
We did have to cancel my mom's surprise party on the 5th. That was her 60th birthday, and my dad called that morning, with the news that she had been up sick all night, so we had to scramble to cancel the party before everyone showed up.
We did get it done, and cleaned up, came home, and got a call that she had passed out and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. She was extremely sick, but they stabilized her, and got her blood pressure down, from 230 over 170 (!), and after spending the night in the hospital got to come home, after being diagnosed with anxiety coupled with an inner ear infection. It's all good now, though, and she is happy to be home!
The grandkids did get their gifts from my mom. Every year, she celebrates her birthday by giving gifts to her grandkids, because noone can tell her not to, since it is her birthday. A sweet tradition for sure, and one that all of Val's friends would like to be adopted for...haha!

Not much else going on right now. Next week, we have a drive in night planned, and a few other things, so I will remember to take some pictures for you.

Smile, And The World Smiles Back At You!

2009-06-27T18:37:00.002-05:00

Look what Val found when she was outside with Mighty tonight! It is so cute, wanted to share!

If I Blinked, I Would Have Missed It!

2009-06-19T06:40:00.004-05:00

Last night, was Nancy's BFF's Retirement Party. She worked for the school district at East High for 16 years. That is a lot of detention slips! She retired after this school year ended.
Sharon has 2 kids and 2 grandkids. Todd is the proud father of Lily and Luke, and lives in Chicago and Michelle lives in New Orleans. They came as a surprise. Nancy and the kids set up the evening, and Nancy had to get Sharon there without catching on. She was successful!
Mark and Emily went and were there the whole time. Val had Leapfrogs~summer pole vault club~so I took her to Maize High, then called Mark to see if it was "worth it" to drive from Maize to 13th and Webb then back to Maize. He said to come over, so I did, and was there maybe 4 minutes before everyone decided to leave. Oh well! I just turned around and drove back to Maize....
Wouldn't have missed that hug from Sharon for anything though!!! Now she gets to spend some time with her kids, and that will be the greatest gift of all for her!!!!!

Even Big Kids Love The Zoo

2009-06-15T08:13:00.011-05:00

These are some of our pics from our trip to the zoo. Mark loves to go to the zoo, and of course, the girls are happy to oblige, so each year, we get a membership, and go as often as we can. We skip the petting zoo now, don't mind doing it either, I have never been a fan of petting the animals.
We do hit all the other exhibits, and were really happy to get to see the tigers. It wasn't too hot the day we went, and stayed most of the morning. Emily loved the bald eagles, and Val loved the tigers. The monkeys weren't very active. There were only 2 of them inside on exhibit and none outside, but we mostly went to see the Tiger Trek, which is really pretty awesome. They did a really good job on it. I was a little disappointed in the Penguin exhibit. I thought it would be bigger, but they are fun to watch too.
We will go again on Father's Day. Buddy and Mark love to look at the cars, and the kids will be distracted by the animals, so it's all good!

Half Vegetarian

2009-06-15T08:08:00.003-05:00

This is for Austin, he will get the joke!
Austin is one of Val's friends, he calls her an anorexic vegetarian, so she took this pic to prove to him that she does like some meat. Her fave though, is Denis's beef jerky. BBQ chicken, is second place. I guess she could always be a Chicken Model if nothing else works out for her....haahaa!!

Drive In

2009-06-15T07:41:00.003-05:00

Val and her friends have been wanting to go to the drive in. So, on Saturday, they got it together and planned to go. They wanted to see LAND OF THE LOST, DRAG ME TO HELL, and TERMINATOR, but Mark wanted to see NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2, so Mark took Emily to one side,and I got to take the High Schoolers to the other. I know, you are thinking, "But Michelle, how is it that you got so lucky, and got to take all the kids, and Mark just had Emily?" heehee!
First, we went and got Julie, and her niece Tham. Julie is a NOW sophomore at Kapaun~I know, but I love her still~ and Tham will be a freshman at East. After that, we swung over to the East side and got Jacob~also Kapuan~so now Val was outnumbered, it was a good thing that Jared did not flake out, and went with us too. We ended up parking next to Joe Ast, who had Montana~freshman at BC and his little brother Mason, who spent the 1st 2 movies in the van with the kids, but they were good sports about it!
Jason McNeal and Hoang Tran also showed up, one each from BC and Kapaun, and they hung out too.
It started raining at the end of DRAG ME TO HELL (excellent movie, by the way, and my pick for the night), so we moved everything into the van, and I promptly took a nap, because TERMINATOR has never interested me.
I did wake up toward the end, to find the drive in practically deserted, because it started to rain pretty hard, and Julie and Jared outside of the van, Julie trying to teach Jared how to turn a cartwheel. Guess, they didn't like it much either.
After we packed up, Jared wanted to go to McDonald's, but the one on Hydraulic was closed, so I took Julie and Tham home, then noticed the one in Park City (where Jared lives) was open, so they got to eat after all, took him home, got to Kellogg and Rock Rd, to find out he left his phone in the car, but it was ok, he could get it later (duh), got Jacob home, went to bed for about 2 hours, to get up, return the phone, get a new phone charger for Val, pick up party invites for Nanny, deliver some of them, went to bed last night at 9, got up at 5, so I am very well rested, and looking for stuff to do now.
But, maybe not the drive in again for a while. haha!

Mush Mouth

2009-06-12T11:55:00.002-05:00

Emily and I went to the grocery store this morning, and she saw Corn Dogs, and wanted them. You all know of my hot dog aversion, but the rest of the family likes them, so we bought them.
Of course when we got home Mark, Val and Emi all wanted corn dogs for lunch, so I set about putting them in the toaster oven while Val was unloading the other bags.
This morning, she cut her gum on a Dorito, and it was sore, so while we were shopping, we bought some Orajel for her.
As I was preparing the corn dogs, Val was opening her Orajel, and unknown to us, the cap must have flown off, and ended up under Mark's corn dog.
He took his, and was eating them, and found the cap, and as he was examining it, his tongue started to go numb. So, we figured out what happened...I am thinking about adding it as an ingredient to things they don't really enjoy eating, that way, their mouths will be too numb to complain about my cooking.....HEEHEE!

Dress Code

2009-06-04T18:23:00.002-05:00

The girls have always gone to private school, so they have always had to adhere to a strict dress code. Baggy, not form fitting, red polo, skirt to the knee, tennis shoes, their only rebellion is wearing No Show socks instead of anklets, and since most of the school does this at St Margaret Mary, they let that slide.
Val's is a little different. Still, the skirt to the knee, but with a white button down collared shirt, and knee socks with leather shoes. They don't give an inch there.
So, what is my point? Well, the girls are used to a dress code that has them "cover up", so imagine Emily's discomfort when Raeann has decided to impose a dress code on them in summer dance, and it is not to cover up, but to actually show more skin.
They are now required to wear form fitting tank tops and something like spandex shorts. It is because the stretches and moves they do now, when wearing loose fitting clothes, can sometimes cause certain body parts to be seen, so now they are going to be banned from loose fitting t shirts, shorts, sweats of any length, etc.
Emily was like whoa!!!! but, after thinking about it, I do see her point. Some of the stretches and poses they do are very revealing, if wearing the wrong kind of clothes, so I guess tomorrow, we will be going out to look for a pair of spandex shorts. She has only a zillion tank tops, so we got that covered~or uncovered as the case may be (;

Ice Ice Baby

2009-06-03T21:10:00.002-05:00

If you really know me, you know how much I hate hot things. Not just heat, but hot drinks, hot tubs, too hot of food, not only temperature but also spice.
Anyways, my point is, that I love the cold, so as many of you know I love ice. I love to drink a pop, then eat the ice, and my favorite ice is from Sonic. I actually will buy bags of their ice to enjoy at home. Really, it is like $1.60-something, but well worth it! I also like the ice at Quik Trip, but only the crushed, and since you can get a 32 ounce Dr Pepper with crushed ice for 49 cents, well, that is quite a deal!!!!
Back to the point, Aunt Sherry called, and she wanted to talk to me about ice. She told me that Braum's also sells their ice, which is crushed just a bit bigger than SOnic, and that I should give it a go. Well, me and the girls are going to go get some ice soon. Aunt Sherry said that she likes Braum's better, because it is not so clumpy.
I like all ice, and am planning a blindfold taste test soon. Carol knows how much I enjoy those, from my days in the kitchen.I will conduct this very scientific experiment, and then will post my results as soon as it is done. I am sure you will all be on the edge of your seats~haha!
Until then...

Waiting

2009-05-30T00:08:00.002-05:00

So, I haven't blogged since school let out. You want to know what I have been up to?
I've been waiting.
Waiting for kids to get out on the last day of school.
Waiting for them at the mall.
Waiting for them to call for a ride.
Waiting for them to get out of the pool.
Currently, I am waiting to pick Val up from Cosmic Bowling.
I think it would be great if she could drive. I know that will begin a whole new phase of worry, but I will wish it for now, when I know she is still safely only 15, and under the legal age.
I don't really mind it. Both of the girls are very chatty, and their stories are hilarious! I love the ride home. They always give up all the dirt on what went down with their friends~a reference I use for Carol....
If they don't give up everything, they do give up a lot of the info, that is for sure! Of course, I take it with a grain of salt!

In other news, I really and truly had no idea that my mom is turning 60 this year. I thought she was 59. Yikes! Imagine my surprise, when I was contacted a few days ago to start planning a surprise party for her. I thought a year in advance was a little excessive, I guess 5 weeks is not! So, we will start getting stuff ready this weekend. My mom does not read me blog, so I know the details are safe here, as long as I can trust all of you! Don't rat us out!!!!!

Sorry to make you all WAIT on my blog update, I guess we have all been in the same boat...haha! I will try to do something interesting soon!

First Pool Party~Last Day Of School

2009-05-23T09:03:00.004-05:00

Last day of school!!!! Emily had Field Day, and Val had Finals. On Thursday, she took her harder ones~ Word Processing, PE, Algebra, and Chemistry, so today she had Spanish, English, and Liturgy. I am sure she did great! She has summer school this year~she is enrolled in Pole Vault Academy~Gotcha!!!!!It's not really summer school, but she really will be practicing all summer! She passed everything, and so did Emily. She just has one more year until high school, and can't wait!!! Neither can I!
Val and her friends had a small pool party after finals yesterday.
I picked up Val, Taylor, Luke, Jessica, and Jared, then we took Taylor home, but picked up Mighty, and then went and got Emily, Diem, and Tarah, then got Julie. Andrew came a little later, because he got a ride from his sister.
They ate lunch, played in the pool, had fun, got sunburned, messed around with the dog, then went home.
We do these every Wednesday, the kids change, but the days stay the same!
Next week, I will get shots of Emi and her friends, Val used her camera, and I guess they were not on her picture priority list!Heehee!!!

The Many Faces Of Emily

2009-05-23T08:58:00.005-05:00

These are just some cutie pix of Emi. I was going through pictures and liked these. One is right after she got highlights for her birthday. One was killing some time before her dance recital and the other was laughing.
So pretty!

This and That

2009-05-17T07:30:00.002-05:00

Val went to JV City League on Thursday. She got 3rd place in Pole Vault, then later in the evening was invited to participate in the 4x4 relay, which also placed 3rd, so tomorrow she will get her medals. She is pretty excited!
My cousin Jake graduates tonight from BCCHS, and Friday we went to his party. Val especially had fun, as there were many VERY cute guys there, and one in particular that paid very close attention to her :)
Tomorrow night is Emily's Sport Banquet at SMM. There will be surprises!!!!
Yesterday morning we put up the pool in my parent's back yard. Val and Emi have a pool party on the last day of school each year, so we had to get it up and filled this weekend, so they can jump in on Friday.
Can't believe Friday is the last day of school!

Mighty

2009-05-11T18:54:00.002-05:00

Look who is joining our family next weekend.....

That's right! Val's friends Taylor's dog had puppies, and they had one that had no home, and Taylor offered it to Val. So, we are getting a dog. Another dog. I heard that he doesn't bark much, and he has short hair, so that is good, and of course, Val is going to do EVERYTHING for the puppy, so no problem, right?
We will see.....

Ain't Nothing Wrong....

2009-05-09T19:28:00.004-05:00

Today was Emi's recital. 7 months of practice, twice a week, culminated today. Of course, she was spectacular! You don't even have to ask.
She received gifts from her Gram and her Nanny, and I always buy my Tiny Dancer flowers.
Her teacher has already picked out the song that she wants them to dance to at the recital next year. It is an older song, SWEET DREAMS by the Eurythmics. Not sure of the spelling, but I do remember the song.
She has never been able to before, but she may be performing one more time at Derby Days, and would also get to ride on a float in the parade,but we will have to wait a week or so to see.

And yes, she made it to her track meet also, and her Medley Relay team placed 5th overall.

Awesome day! Next up, is City League for Val!

Happy Mother's Day Eve!

2009-05-09T07:46:00.011-05:00

You know, I love to celebrate the "eve" of holidays, so on this Mother's Day eve, I wanted to share pix of my babies in various ages, see the love?

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's I know, everywhere!
Love you all!!!!!

Action Shot

2009-05-08T17:14:00.002-05:00

Val's action shot from yesterday. I just liked it.
Hoping to get one of Emily if she makes it to the meet tomorrow, after dance.

Inch By Inch

2009-05-07T18:58:00.003-05:00

Finally got video of Val pole vaulting in competition. She got a PR (personal record) of 6 feet 1 inch. Not bad for trying this for the first time just 2 months ago. She has the technique, and has just started bending her pole- which is good! She was really proud today, I think it is especially sweet when you see her leave the mat and her coach gives her "bumps" with their fists... I have been very proud of Val this track season. I think it is hard to leave your comfort zone and try something totally different. She worked really hard this season, and likes it so much she is going to continue as a Leapfrog this summer and fall and winter, so I will continue to film really good vaults, and treat you to them as they come along!

Out of the Mouth of a Third Grader...

2009-05-05T17:59:00.002-05:00

I have a great job. I work with 2 of my besties for life, in a no stress job, get all the time off I could ever want, and get to see my beautiful Emily every day.
What could make it better?
Stories like this:
There is a 3rd grader at school.Her name is Anahy, she is a little Hispanic girl. Very personable! Since I can remember, she has called me Fishy,and I call her Pickles.Obviously, it is because one day, she asked me what was for lunch, it was Fish day, and she wanted to know if we had pickles too, which we didn't, but we chose the nicknames for each other.
Back to the story~ we keep our silverware in 6 plastic round containers, so they can grab one and go, and when they are empty, there is a group of kids each day, that take it upon themselves to bring them into me in the kitchen. Anahy is one of these kids. She always balances it on her shoulder (yes I wash it afterwards), and tells me it is her parrot, and can I feed it, wash it, and put it to bed. I always say yes, and then she leaves, dancing around, or bowing as she exits, or something, I never really know what she will do.
Yesterday, she had a substitute,and did not come in,so when she came in today, I told her I missed her parrot yesterday, and she said, Yeah, he went and ate lunch at Hooters.

Too funny!

Side note: VAL PLACED 5TH IN HER TRACK MEET YESTERDAY!

Everytime You Forget Your Camera...

2009-05-04T17:28:00.002-05:00

...something amazing happens!
Val did it!

Today was a freshman/sophomore meet in Andale, and I went, of course. There is really no way she could keep me away!
Anyway, she barely missed her first vault at 5 feet, but she gets 3 chances at each height, so she got up, dusted herself off, picked up her pole, and prepared to do it again.

For those of you who know Denis, he is an amazing coach! He makes the kids work hard, but the want to, so they just have a great time! He gave her some advice, and she got back in line.

She made it, at 5 feet! I was so proud!!!!

Then, she got in line with the girls that made it over, and waited, until they raised the bar, to 6 feet. She cleared that on her first try.
6 feet 6 inches was just a little too much for her today, but I just know that she will do it!

She made my day!
Extraordinary things can happen each and every day!

Val's This and That...

2009-05-04T14:09:00.002-05:00

Just have some little tidbits of information about Val. Or fun facts, if you'd rather call them that.
Val loves going to SEAS CYO. I think it is a combination of the prayer time, friend time, and Jacob time. :) . In any case, CYO is a great thing, and she is even planning on going to a Youth Outing to Frontier City later in the summer.
Jacob,Val,and 7 of their closest friends got to go to the movies last weekend. They saw that X-MEN movie. I don't know anything about them.
Val was asked to audit an Honors religion class. She has such a high grade in religion, that her teacher, Sr. Mary Magdalene, asked her if she would like to move up to honors, but since that would be her only honors course, it will help her GPA to stay in a "regular" class, and "ace" it.
Val has had no demerits this year. Not even one. So, tomorrow, BC will treat her, and the other 0-1 demerit kids to a pizza party at lunch.
I know some of you out there, can't believe that she is such a goody-goody, but apparently, she did not inherit either Mark's or my mouth. HAHA!
OK, so, I think that is it for now.
She has a track meet on Thursday that she is pretty excited about, other than that, she is going to help me out by coaching the track meet on Saturday, with her dad, and the other coaches, so I can go to Emi's official dance recital.

Emily's Dress Rehearsal

2009-05-02T10:59:00.003-05:00

Last night, Emily had her dress rehearsal for her dance recital, which is next Saturday afternoon, at Derby High. There are no set decorations yet, they just run through the dances in costume, mostly for lighting, and so the girls can get a feel for the stage. Emily's Junior class is in all black,and the Seniors are in purple and black. She is the first frame Mark focused on, so you can keep your eye on her. She's been dancing Jazz year round since March of her 1st grade year, she was 6, when she started. She started with her 2 best friends at the time, but Karly moved away in 4th grade, and Olivia stopped dancing after the recital last year. I am proud of her that she has stuck with it. I think she would be simply adorable as a Pommer at Bishop Carroll, in a few years! I think she is very talented,her goal is to be a total "senior", by the time she is a freshman. Right now, she is considered a junior/senior. I think she will make it! Now, she just needs to concentrate on keeping a smile on her face...

Val and Jacob

2009-04-26T18:42:00.003-05:00

This is Val and her boyfriend Jacob Campbell. They have been "an item" for almost 2 weeks now, so it was about time that I got a picture of them.LOL! Aren't they just so adorable together!!!! Love it!
I am not sure how long they have known each other, and Val is with Jacob right now at SEAS Youth Group, so I can't ask her, but I know it has been at least this semester-ish.
Jacob plays the bass (?) guitar in the Jazz Band at BC and soccer in the fall, and plays Club Baseball, so he is really sporty which is good, because so is Val.
So, Monica, I know you know of him, because you mentioned it around Homecoming time, so let me know.... you know!
I also have met his family, and think they are really sweet! His little brothers and sister are so cute, and his big brother and parents were so nice to talk to.
Now, I can tell you about their adventures, and you will have a face to put with the stories.

Track Meet With Video

2009-04-26T06:46:00.004-05:00

Mark made this awesome track meet video. It is also posted on the SMM sport website.We got pics of everyone on the team, except Ideiah who was not there, and Shanae, who had soccer games I think or a Confirmation or something. Hopefully we will get some of them at least at practice, and will either insert them, or do a new one next time. We had a lot of good races! 7th grade girls relay got 6th place, which was Emily, Olivia, Elizabeth, and Theresa, Gage got 1st in his mile and his 800, he got a PR in his mile-5 minutes and 2 seconds! I know it is not my training, but I can take credit for his lunch! Oscar got 2nd in his 400 and 1st in his 800, and Brendan took 3rd in discus!!!!! Practically all of them placed in the top 10, at least once, and that is out of 762 total athletes, and something like almost 200 heats. I know we are awesome, and we have the cutest uniforms too! Be sure to turn up your sound on your computer, and f.y.i. Emily is the first hurdler on the video!

On The Eve...

2009-04-24T18:09:00.003-05:00

... of the next track meet, I give you pix of the first track meet, last weekend. I totally have been too busy to update, and then, I liked Emi's birthday post so much, I guess I didn't want to let it go.
Oh well!
We had a couple of 1st places, a 2nd place, a 3rd place, some 5th places, and a 6th place. Not bad for 22 kids, who have to suffer through with a coach, (me) who doesn't have a clue....lol!
Enjoy!!!!!

From "Tween" to Teen....

2009-04-18T04:51:00.002-05:00

"A birthday is just a day, you say. But it's a special day. It's the day you first changed the world." Happy 13th Birthday Emi! Hope it's your luckiest year ever!

Happy Day!

2009-04-12T18:22:00.009-05:00

I say Happy Day, because we celebrated Easter, Emily's birthday and my dad's birthday, all in one day. My dad's was on Friday, and Emi's is on Saturday, but she has a track meet, and it is just easier to get everyone together only once.
We had nice parties at my brother's house, and at Gram's house. Emi really scored on gifts, and had a great time with her cousins!
A few times a year, we measure the 4 kids at Gram's house, and Shelbie, who is 12 is now taller than Val. I think she will end up shortest!

Easter Eggs

2009-04-10T09:59:00.004-05:00

You are never to old to dye easter eggs. There is just a little more fighting involved! No, only because Emily lost the egg dipper thing, and couldn't find it for like 10 minutes. The whole time it was in the green dye cup. Emily even named all of hers.

Track Practice

2009-04-09T18:21:00.003-05:00

Val was getting some one on one practice with Luke Arnold, he is a Junior at BC, and Luke was helping her place her hands on the pole (keep your minds out of the gutter), and he looked up, and saw this.All the kids dropped their poles all at once, and were watching when Coach Swords, one of the head coaches, noticed that they were not doing anything, then he looked up and saw the tornado too,and made them all go inside, the boys went to the locker room,and the girls to the commons, because there was a rumor of a flooding issue in their locker room,and I guess, the girls weren't allowed to see the boys locker room. This is Catholic School after all! Apparently, they could have kept practicing,technically, because none of them were using a carbon pole, but Coach Swords made all the kids go in. All the other field events and runners had to seek shelter too. Dang safety issues!

Atomic Veterans

2009-04-09T10:45:00.003-05:00

I don't usually do "political posts". In fact, I am not political at all, but this topic has touched my heart, and so, I will ask for the help of the people who read my blog.
My sweet father in law, Gary, died 10 years ago, minutes after midnight on Dec. 26, right before his sweet Valleri's 5th birthday. At the time of his passing, he had 4 grandchildren, ranging in age from 5 months to almost 5 years. He loved these children. They were his life.
Gary had a long battle with Pancreatic Cancer. It is now believed that he contracted this disease, because he was exposed to radiation from an explosion when he was in the Navy.
I support this organization, in their attempts to have these servicemen honored by our Government. Please check out the website at www.atomicveterans.org
If you find it in your heart, to send a letter to anyone from your congressman to the President, it would be appreciated. It would just take $8 each for our government to make a medal to be given to the veterans or their families to honor the experiences they endured so many years ago.
I chose this sweet picture of Papa and his dear Valleri, she was about 9 months old at the time. Her Gram made her the sweatshirt she is wearing.
To know Gary Young was to love him.
I love him to this day, and miss him always....

Track Meet At Goddard

2009-04-08T14:09:00.003-05:00

OK, so I have video, but I don't know how to load it, so you will have to envision Val vaulting over the bar- yes she did make it at 6 feet, and then knocking it down with her elbow. So, that was it, for her at Goddard, but Denis, her Coach, considered that she PR'd, which is Personal Record, so all in all, it turned out OK, but she was disappointed. A little. OK, a lot, but she pepped up by the time I picked her up at 9:45. Like I have said before, the social aspect of a track meet, is very inviting to her.

Hoping she can keep her elbows tucked in next time!
I am really proud of her!!! She is working hard!

Track Meet at Andale

2009-04-04T10:38:00.002-05:00

You know, Val is brand new at Pole Vault, and is still learning, but she got to compete, and she almost made it over the bar on her second attempt. She knocked it with her elbow. I think this is a sport that once you get your groove then, you have it. Until then, it is a lot of practice. She also needs to bend her pole, but that comes with practice and weight training too.
Anyways, she had SO MUCH FUN! She loved riding on the bus with the team. She loved hanging out with her friends. She loves being part of the team.
I am confident that next year or so, she will be vaulting like it is no big deal! She is really dedicated!

No Good Deed Is Left Unpunished....

2009-04-04T10:29:00.002-05:00

So, the Parish Nurses asked me to make cinnamon rolls today for them to sell for medical equipment they need.
Easy enough, right? I mean I make them ALL the time. No problem.
I gave one of them a list of what I would need, and told her I would get there early to start, because there really only needs to be one person there.
I got there at 5:30, and there was no sugar, oil or salt. So, instead of waiting, I went to Wal Mart and got it. I turned on the ovens before I left, so it would be warm in the kitchen,so the dough would rise faster. When I got back, there were 2 police cars in the parking lot. I am used to seeing police in the parking lot, and have never understood why, they were there, but I figured they were just hanging out, because I saw them just sitting there, although it did occur to me later, that maybe someone thought I was breaking in to the school. SO, I got my stuff and went in, and I heard the window go down, and it turned out to be a guy that goes to church at SMM, and he said, hey, is it cinnamon rolls today???? He was pretty happy to know that it would be.
So, I go in,and get started, and then the other woman helping me comes, and tells me she has to leave within the hour to take her son to a Choir Regional Competition. I made 3 batches of rolls by myself. I did call Val, and she and Mark came up and helped, for a while, which was nice. I hate wrapping the rolls, but Mark did a fantastic work of it, and we just got home at 10:30 ish, so it all worked out. Just not the way I planned.

Val and "Her Guys"

2009-04-01T22:19:00.011-05:00

These are all pics of Val and her "guy friends" from years and years past to present. They are all like her brothers and protectors. Very good friends! And of course, one picture with the most awesomest coach ever! Even if they both look psycho in it!

Confirmation Pictures

2009-04-01T22:13:00.009-05:00

Emily and Company

2009-04-01T22:09:00.004-05:00

Here are some pics of Emi and her friends. Of course, she looked gorgeous tonight, as usual!

Valleri Anne Agnes

2009-04-01T21:45:00.003-05:00

Here is a short video of Valleri receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Margaret Mary from Bishop Jackels.
Val and her class of 47 have studied anywhere from 2 to 4 Sundays a month since school year started. They offer the class every 2 years.
Valleri chose Agnes as her patron saint. She is the patron of virtue and purity, and also Agnes is the name of my maternal Grandma. SO,it was a double bonus that she chose her. My mom was her sponsor.
I have like 60 pictures to go through and choose from to post, I will try not to bore you with all of them, and only post my top 57 or so choices. HAHA! I will do that later, since you have the video to enjoy for now.
It was a lovely service. It was part English/Spanish/Vietnamese, which represented all the different nationalities of the candidates. There were 9 kids from Val's class from last year, that received the sacrament. Bishop Jackels gave a lovely sermon about Power. He is an awesome man!
I am so proud of my beautiful Valleri. She is quite an exquisite young lady!

Conficker Worm

2009-04-01T14:21:00.002-05:00

Mr. Jones told the 7th grade today that the school computers had been infected with the Conficker Worm. I guess some of them were not believing, so he pulled up the story, because it is actually a real thing happening right now, really, Google it.
They were like OK, but then he said that they would have to retake 3 days worth of State Assessments, because all of their scores were deleted.
Chaos ensued! Kids were having fits, Diem hit her desk.
Then, he pulled up a blank power point, and typed Happy April Fool's Day!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Funny!

April Fool's Day

2009-04-01T14:12:00.002-05:00

Each year, we hide in the kitchen when the kindergarten class comes for lunch, and pretend like noone is there, and noone made lunch. Of course, they only fall for this once, but just the same they think it is funny!
This year, we also decided to play a prank on Sr. Mary Margaret. She is Emi's religion and social studies teacher, and 8th grade homeroom. There is another Sr. that teaches at SMM, as well. Her name is Sr. John Marie, and she is 1st grade teacher. A while ago, Sr. Mary Margaret told Carol that if a 1st grader misbehaves, Sr. John Marie rings the phone in the 8th grade room, one time, and the student is sent down to the hall. So, Carol and I went and sat outside her room, like we were in trouble, and Claudia rang her room once. Nothing happened. Claudia peeked around the corner, and we told her to do it again. She rang again. Nothing happened. Then, 3 5th graders come down the hall, so we are motioning them to be quiet, so they don't give us away. Finally, Sr. comes out, and we are almost laying down laughing. We told her we got in trouble, she thought it was pretty funny, and promised to get us back in the future.
After lunch, we decided to do it one more time, with Claudia being the one in trouble. So, we sent her down the hall, and ring her room, then run down the hall so we can watch what happened. As Claudia is getting to the door, Sr. Comes out of the office. Of course, Carol and I bust out laughing. Sr. doesn't get it, Claudia thought we had set her up, there was 1/2 the 7th grade in the hall, we could not stop laughing! Finally, we get it all explained. It was way funnier than if Sr. had been in the room again!!!!
Guess you had to be there..... if you were, it was awesome!

No Day For A Snow Day :(

2009-03-29T08:43:00.003-05:00

Well, I guess we won't be blessed with a Snow Day this year, since the temperature is supposed to be in the 40's, but I guess it will be good for Track practice.
Especially since I am cancelling Thursday, so they only get 2 days in this week.
Hope you enjoy Emily's snowman. She and Val crushed it and had a huge snowball fight, after Mark took this picture.
That's love.

Snow Day Saturday

2009-03-28T13:44:00.004-05:00

I hope we get Monday off too! We haven't had a Snow Day all year!!!!
Val would rather go to school, but Emi and I sure wouldn't mind a day off, although Emi did leave early yesterday, due to weather, so I could get out to Bishop Carroll to get Val, since track practice was cancelled (duh), even though, Val did think that Snow Vaulting would be fun!

Weigh In

2009-03-24T18:37:00.002-05:00

Did you know that Val joined the Bishop Carroll Track Team? Well, she did, I just can't remember if I have blogged about it yet, and am too lazy to go back and look.
Anyway, she is and she is Pole Vaulting. A few weeks agim ger coach, Denis, asked her how much she weighed. It depends how big the pole is that she can use, so, we didn't know. I am like so bad about weight or height, I cannot grasp it, so I took her to my mom's, because I know she has a scale. She said it wasn't the best, but it would be a good estimate. She weighed at 120 pounds. So, I figured, maybe 115. That is what she told Denis, so he started her out with that weight in mind. Apparently, in pole vault, all the poles go in 10 lb increments. She has done pretty well, and can do it, but not really high yet, but you have to start somewhere.
Back to the point, Val had to have an official weigh in. She was so nervous! Denis told her that since she must weigh about 115, she either needed to lose 5 lbs or gain 3 lbs over night. So, she made herself sick eating McDonald's and ice cream. Then, she went to her weigh in, and weighed 108 lbs. Coach Swords, the head coach, said she needs to eat more. So does her cousin Jake. He was in the weight room working out with her. He did not realize she wasn't running, and was like not believing she was in pole vault, but she is used to it, because everyone has had the same reaction.
So, anyway, it was kind of a pointless story, except that it was so funny that she gorged herself to gain 3 lbs to be 12 lbs less than what she thought she was.

Starlite-Star Bright

2009-03-22T15:52:00.002-05:00

So, we didn't really do a lot over spring break. Mostly stayed home, although Val did get out to Pole Vault Practice most days, and went out with friends a few times.
She was invited to the drive in for last night, which means, her friends wanted us to take them to the drive in, and we did.
We took 2 cars, the truck for Mark, Emi and I and my mom's van for Val, Jared, Kaitlin, Sarah and Jessica. Yeah, he was pretty lucky, the only guy with 4 lovely ladies, although, he is attatched to Kaitlin, I think he protected all of them during Friday the 13th.
We sat in the truck bed, parked next to them, but Emily was cold during Watchmen, and wanted to sit in the cab of the pickup. Well, when she got out, her foot caught in this arm thing that holds the flap up, and she fell, bruising her foot. She wanted to leave at that point, and Mark was really miserable with the cold, so they ditched us. HAHA~!!!!
Watchmen was finally over. It was maybe the most awful movie ever created. Long, and gross, and just awful! Well, then the kids wanted to stay for Twilight.
By the time we got home it was 3:50 am. A.M.! That's right. It has been a long day! Now, Val had to go to Confession, it is her final step before Confirmation on April 1. She just has practice next week, and that's it! She has worked hard all year for this, it should be a nice evening!!!! And, the best part is, that Mark will be home for it that night, so it will make it extra special for her!
Anyway, tomorrow is back to school. Track, school, dance.... for 2 1/2 weeks, before we are off for Easter break. The rest of the school year is going to fly by, and it will be summer before we know it!Yay!

Nerds

2009-03-19T09:38:00.002-05:00

So, you all know that (especially Val), we are all big fans of CRIMINAL MINDS. It is a tv show on Wednesday nights. We try to watch it every week, because it is basically the only night of TV that we can all agree on liking what is on. It is also the only night that we will like sit and watch TV.
Anyways, did you guys watch last night's episode? It was about the scariest thing I have ever seen. I can't believe it was on network TV. I can't even explain it to you, because I don't want to start thinking of it again. Especially the end, in the jail cell--OK, I got to stop now.
Mark was out of town, so it was just the girls and I watching, and I decided it was too scary to venture around the house after that, so I made the girls sleep on the pullout sofa with me. For some reason, I deemed our living room more safe than, say, my bedroom. We have never been so uncomfortable, and the girls actually ended up ditching me after a few hours, but I lived through the night, and am getting up and around and ready to drive Val and some friends to the mall, before her Pole Vault Practice. The mall, with a bunch of freshmen girls could end up being scarier than the TV show, I am not sure yet.

You Know That One Friend....

2009-03-12T16:30:00.002-05:00

...all of us have one friend that every oddball, off the wall thing happens to, and you always think I am so glad that happened to them and not me???
Well, look no further, you have officially found that friend.
Me.
Let me tell you about my week.
I think I am allergic to my contacts. I am taking a week off with eye drops to see if they clear up. They are itchy and red, and irritated.
Tuesday, I picked Val up from track. It was about 6-615, and she gets in the car, and is chit chatting, and pipes up that she needs Romeo and Juliet puppets for school. Puppets???? She could have said anything and it would not have caught me as off guard! So, I took her to Hobbytown, and we found a princess, and a knight in shining armor-which we deemed close enough. They were kind of pricey, but when I thought of the expense for the supplies to make puppets, and then actually having to make them, we just bought them.
The serpentine belt in the truck needs to be fixed now. Mark can do it, just fine, but you can scroll down and read about my trip with the truck.
I have had to cancel track all week, because of weather.
My mom landed in the ER last night with chest pains, and flu-like symptoms and was sent home with RX's, and told she has a virus.
And today, to top it off, I had to cancel my checking account because I think we were being targeted for identity theft. It was a crazy story,which basically came down to some (not American) man saying we took out a $5000 loan in October 2007, never paid it back (never was asked to either), and he would take care of it for the bargain price of $1000.
I have a friend who has a sister who works for the better business bureau, and she said it sounds like a scam, and is investigating.
So, tomorrow is Friday the 13th. I am a little apprehensive about what will go down, but who cares really, because, this time tomorrow, I will be on Vacation!!!!!

Check This Out

2009-03-06T16:41:00.002-06:00

Not only can Emily hear fine, she can hear better than the average human. Really!
Dr. French, the specialist, said that the twisty thing in her ear is 1/10 of a milimeter larger than normal,so that lets in more noise than an average person's ears.
SO,the question is..... does she pay attention. Well, according to her of course she does! We will see... or hear, as the case may be. HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

A Day In The Life

2009-03-06T13:36:00.003-06:00

I feel I should give you an explanation why I have been so lax recently in my blogging. It is not that nothing is going on, it is that everything is going on.
This is a sample of our schedules, since track and field practice has started this week. Did you know that I am the coach at SMM? Pretty scary! As I told my friend Lynn, I don't have any experience, so I am not really sure what I can teach them, but they will have the cutest costumes, since we ordered new ones for the team. She then said, Uniforms? And yeah, they are uniforms.DUH! Luckily I have good people helping me, so we should be ok!
On to the schedule.
Each weekday, we get up, take Emi to Nanny's house to wait for Tarah, take Val to BCCHS, get Emi and Tarah, go to school, and Val has track after school until between 6-7. On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, add in Emi's track practice from 315-5. On Monday and Thursday, Emi goes to dance also from 730-830. Somewhere in there we find time for homework. And remember, Mark is in Greensburg Monday-Thursday, so that leaves only me for all this driving.
You would think that weekends would be easier. Yeah, right! TOmorrow, Emi,Val and I all go to the eye doctor from 9-1030. Emi has dance from 11-12, she bowls with friends from 1-230, at which time we pick her up and take Val to BCCHS for pole vault practice, because pole vaulters don't like to get up early, in case you were wondering. And on top of all of that, every Sunday this month, Val has Confirmation class.
No wonder, I don't have time to blog, but I will keep you posted on the important stuff. Right now, Emi is at the hearing doctor, with her dad, so hopefully that goes well, and I am getting ready to leave and get Lauren and take her home, before I go out west to get Val and her friends movie tickets for a Date Night after track practice....
So, are we busy? Yeah, but I also wouldn't trade the time with the kids for anything. They are growing up after all.

Mommy Knows Best

2009-03-03T20:25:00.004-06:00

My mom has always had issues with driving. If you ride with her, it is a given fact that you will always have to go down to a light, instead of turning left onto a busy street unprotected. You always know that you have to take the city streets instead of the highway. You always have heard never to use cruise control, because it may stick.
I never really give this much thought.
Until today.
Mark's truck.
We got the brakes fixed on Friday. Then, yesterday morning, Mark put gas in it, to drive it to Greensburg and gas started pouring out of it. There was a seal broken. Got that fixed too, but to do it, Mark took my Rav to Greensburg, and I borrowed my mom's van until the truck was ready.
Well.
I went to pick it up, and it started fine, got going, it was all good. Then I got on the highway, and the check engine light came on. That freaked me out so I got off on the Macarthur Exit. But didn't stop. I stomped on the brake, but it would not go slower than 15. If I took my foot off the brake, it would accelerate to 35. I started to panic, naturally.
I called Mark and he told me to pull over. Well, how could I pull over when I couldn't stop?
I threw it in park. That did it. But, I was blocking someone's driveway, so I figured I should move it. I started it back up, and it did the same thing.
Through the grace of God I made it home. It was a total of like maybe 4 miles with no brakes. When I went through intersections, I just laid on my horn. I didn't know what to do. It worked though.
Anyways, I got it home, put it in park again. Mark got here and called our mechanic who came over and figured out what happened (did you know mechanics make house calls?) and disabled the cruise control.
It works fine now, but I don't trust it, until Mark can drive it around more this weekend.
Scary stuff!
Always listen to your mommy! That is the lesson of the day. Even if she won't turn left.
This could have been a very devestating day. I mean, what would all of you do without me.

I'm kidding!!!!
No I'm not.
Yes I am.
Not really!
Love to you all. Just so you know!

Birthday Eve

2009-02-25T19:49:00.004-06:00

I like to celebrate Birthday Eve. It's my thing. Like, my mom calls everyone in the family on their exact birth minute each year, and Gram always calls first thing in the morning and sings into the phone, and Birthday Eve is my thing.
Today is the Birthday Eve of 2 of these people. Mark's brother Tim, will be 41 tomorrow, and his mom, will be eligible for Medicare.
We took Gram to Italian Gardens for a surprise party on Saturday, then, last night, just the 4 of us took her to Carlos O'Kelly's. Yeah, we are that sweet! Haha!
Unfortunately, we won't be able to see them tomorrow, because Emi has dance, and Val has a track meeting at BCCHS, but Mark will be able to stop over there to see them for a while.
In any case, I love these two people very much, and I wish them Happy Birthday for many more times to come.

This and That

2009-02-24T16:38:00.002-06:00

I know, I know, I have been lazy. There is no excuse, so here are my updates.

Val rocked out at the last game Bishop Carroll will ever host in the Concrete Cave last week. They won (of course-haha), both the boys and the girls. It is bittersweet I think. I remember, as do many of you, a lot of fun times in that old gym, but out with the old and in with the new, and we have the t shirts to commemorate the event.
Val also has to pre enroll this week, so she needs to think about what she wants to do next year, and she also has 2 track meetings. Busy Busy!

Emi went to Dr. Grimes for her ear check, and he said her ears had no blockages, so on to step 2, which is a headphone test, next Friday. Then, we will have a better picture of what is going on with her ears.
Her dance is complete, so now they just practice.
Track starts for her on Monday.
Busy Busy!

Mark is still greening up Greensburg. He likes it there, and is always home for the weekend so that is nice. I think this job will last part way into the summer, so then, there hopefully will be local work available.
He is also getting ready for track, and designed and ordered new uniforms for the team. Busy Busy!

I have to keep track of all these schedules and drive the girls around.
Not too busy!
HAHA!

Happy BIrthday To You

2009-02-17T05:10:00.004-06:00

Today, you are 38. And I am only 36. HAHAHA!!!!
We love you and miss you, and wish you were home with us!
How much do I love you? I even posted a picture of you in your
beloved work overalls. That is how much. Now, that is love!

More Homecoming

2009-02-15T08:10:00.007-06:00

These are the kids Val and Chris went to the dance with. Jared is the boy with the afro. He went 70's. He is 6 foot 5, and has about another 2-4 inches to grow, according to his doctor. His date is Kaitlin, who is Val's BF.
Sarah is in the pic by herself. She and Val met at testing last year, and instantly hit it off, and went out to the mall, and have a good time together now. She is a W so, they locker near each other.
Luke and Felicia, are the ones in the pic with the girl with the crazy hair. I take her home every day. We have known them forever thanks to St Anne's softball. Remember that????
Bridget and Jacob are a new couple, and Val met her at Registration, and has a few classes with them.
THey all had a fun time....

Emily

2009-02-15T07:31:00.002-06:00

I thought this was a sweet picture of Emily. I took it when we were waiting for the kids at Timberline. Emily had fun going in and seeing them all dressed up, then we waited by the door for them, and she ate peanuts, and spit the shells on my feet, and the bench, but that was an accident!
She is adorable.
Almost time for free throws.... 1:00 is coming soon, more to post later about that...

Love Is In The Air

2009-02-14T21:01:00.003-06:00

Val and Chris before Homecoming. They went to Timberline, and then to Hobby Lobby, Braum's and then the dance.
They are so cute! I know you are getting tired of hearing that from me all the time, but you can't disagree with me.
They are at the dance now, so I will hear all the stories when I pick her up this evening.
While they went to Timberline, Mark, Emily and I were going to eat at Ted's, but the wait was too long, so we ended up going to Arby's, then went to Marble Slab for ice cream, and met up with Chris's parents and brother, and we went and embarassed the kids by taking pictures at the restaurant, this is the best one of the kids together!
P.S.- You wil notice that the hair is flat. It was a losing battle today! I tried, but failed...

Happy VAL-EM-tines Day

2009-02-14T12:26:00.002-06:00

Do you get it? Val and Em= VAL-EM-tines Day. Cute, Huh? I think so!
Anyway, we gave our ValandEmtines their gift last night. We took them to dinner at Olive Garden, and bought them of course, pajamas. Every year, we get them new pajamas. Tonight, Val and Chris are going to Homecoming (Flashback) dance with a bunch of their friends, and to Timberline for dinner, so Emi gets to go with us again to Ted's, which is her favorite.
I will have a zillion pictures later of the kids, so you will just have to be patient.
The carnations were given to Val at school, some by Chris and some from her girlfriends. The juniors were selling them for a Prom fundraiser. Val got 8. Miss Logsdon, her teacher in the class they were passed out in, was like Jeez Val, how many more flowers are you going to get????
Must be nice to be popular....

What? Huh?

2009-02-13T05:42:00.002-06:00

Can you hear that? Emi may not be able to!
Sr. Mary Margaret came to me yesterday and is a touch concerned about Emi's hearing. Now, the child is not deaf by any means!
She just thinks maybe she has a slight loss. I don't know! She explained her reasoning by saying that when she gives them something orally to write down, sometimes, she replaces words with really weird ones. Then, Mark says, sometimes he has noticed if she is going to repeat something he said, she will say something unintellligent. So, I called her doctor office. I did not know where to start. Well, her doc got a new receptionist, who asked me if hearing tests were done there. How am I supposed to know? So, she went on the hunt to ask. Finally, it was agreed that she will go in next Friday, and have her ears checked out. Maybe she just has a blockage. Maybe she has nothing. She doesn't think she has a problem, but would she if she did? If it was slight, she may not.
It's always something.....

Sick, Sick, Sick

2009-02-12T04:28:00.002-06:00

Sorry I have been lax in my blogging this week. Val was sick on Monday, so she could not dress up for Disney Day at school. She was going to be Boo from Monsters, Inc.
Connor has been sick for 3 weeks now, and my sister took him to the doctor on Tuesday, and they drew a lot of blood, and think maybe he has mono. Yuck! We are staying away from that!!!!
I did not feel well last night, but have rebounded this morning. Mark is back in Greensburg after coming home for school last night.
Val is going to a wrestling duel tonight because some of her friends are getting extra credit (her teacher is not though), and you know she likes to go, but at least she can see her cuz Jake wrestle one more time, since he is a senior.
Emi has dance tonight. She learned her entire routine, so now they just do it over and over and over again, until May, perfecting it, twice a week.Although, she practices at least parts of it every night.
Not much going on this week, I guess.
I am going to try out a whole wheat cookie recipe at lunch today. The kids don't know it, so don't tell. I want to see what their reaction is. Of course, we will do a taste test before lunch, and if they are nasty, we will do something else!
Oh, and I burned my elbow at school yesterday. It hurts. :(

Vote Update

2009-02-09T05:35:00.001-06:00

It looks like the ozone layer is going to take a major hit this weekend, and that Val will have the big hair.
Get your Aqua Net out and ready, she is going to need a LOT of it!

Val

2009-02-07T17:37:00.003-06:00

Here are some pics from last week when Val,the bowling superfan,(actually,partly she goes to spend more time with Chris and partly to cheer her friends on), and her friends at the bowling lanes.
The girls are Sarah,Kaitlyn,Val,Jessica,and Joanna.
I think Val and Chris are getting more adorable by the day, and her little girlfriends are so cute and friendly. They all have such a good time together!
I have always thought that the friends you make in high school are friends for life, and Val, it seems, has gotten very lucky!!!!! (Of course, they are too, to have Val-Val).

A vote

2009-02-07T12:14:00.006-06:00

Here's the deal. Val has the 80's flashback homecoming dance in a week. We have narrowed her down to 2 hairstyles, the classic side ponytail, and the hairspray laden ratting of the bangs and sides.
I think the ponytail is cute, but kind of looks like 70's roller disco, and Val was not happy with the amount of hairspray in the other style, but also understands she would need even more. This is just all she would tolerate, until the votes are counted.
So, you have until Thursday evening to decide..... Think back to that glorious decade, then let your heart guide you to the vote!
PS- She absolutely could not stop laughing the whole time we were doing this. Mainly due to Emily's comments, but these were the best pix we could get.

NET Retreat

2009-02-06T05:56:00.002-06:00

All of the freshman girls at BCCHS went on a Net Retreat yesterday, instead of school. Today the boys go, so you know what that means, 2 days without seeing much of Chris. :(
She had a good time, though. She said there were skits, and prayer groups, and Fr. Lies was there, and he really makes religion fun for the kids. She enjoys going to his masses.
I guess, they were playing Red Rover, and when Fr. Lies tried to break through between Val and Sara, he knocked right into Val, and head butted her. She shook it off, since she is such a trooper, but he felt really bad, and kept apologizing, I will have to mention it, when I see him again. Kidding! But, you know I did go to school with him.
All in all, it was a positive experience for her.
And, she gets to go to the movies with Chris tonight, so that is good too!

I Don't Know What He Was Doing...

2009-02-03T18:55:00.003-06:00

but Val must have thought it was hilarious.
This is Val and my nephew Connor. He is in 4 year old preschool at SMM. My mom and dad were babysitting him and his brother Noah, one Saturday, and took them to one of Emi's basketball games.
He did entertain us doing impressions of Jason from Friday the 13th, and Crazy Eyes, which is where he opens them really wide and moves his eyebrows up and down.
He is so cute!
Val is too.

Summer Sisters

2009-02-01T14:02:00.000-06:00

I just love Lauren. She calls herself the girls "summer sister", because they spend so much time together when school is out. I took this today, and just thought they were so cute together, had to share it!

Going To Hollywood

2009-02-01T13:58:00.003-06:00

Emi is going to Garden Plains on February 15, to compete in the Regional competition. It will be at the high school there. She got to shoot 25 baskets, and the best of wins. There were 4 girls in her age group. She and another girl tied, each shooting 15. Then, there was a 5 basket shoot-off, which she went first, and got 4 out of 5, and the other girl got 3-5, so Emi is the champion, which, I always knew she was anyway, but now everyone else knows too.

Defcon 3

2009-02-01T09:27:00.002-06:00

Val had a moment of terror yesterday morning.

We had picked up her friend Jessica, and then went to Gordman's to go shopping for her Homecoming outfit, and she was mid-text with Chris, when her phone froze. It would not turn off, and it would not reset. We tried to pry the back off to remove the battery, but could not get the darn thing off, so we decided to go to the Verizon store, and ask if they could do it.
They came out and told us they had to keep the phone. Her software was needing an update, and it would take 30 minutes. I thought we would have to sedate her, for those 30 minutes, but she pulled through, and got some more stuff for her 80's outfit, at Target while we were waiting.
When we went back to get the phone, it was all fixed, and is really pretty slick. It goes so fast now, and she got some added features, so she is very happy.

We ended up at Town West, and Emily's quest for a pair of skinny jeans ended,as she found the perfect pair. Jessica got some too. Val bought a jacket, with the rest of her birthday money.
All is right with the world.

PS- I know I am being vague about the Homecoming outfit, but Chris reads this blog, and I don't want to be the one to give out any secrets that Val may be keeping about what she is wearing. If she decides to tell him though, that is her choice.
I will take pics of her that week though, so you just have to be patient.

Tigers Basketball

2009-02-01T06:48:00.002-06:00

This is the pic of Emi's team on their last day of tournament play. It was a huge team, with 11 players, so none of them really got a lot of playing time, but they all had a lot of fun.
Check out Shanae in the back row, first player on the left, now look down. Do you see her socks? Every game she came in Christmas socks, or valentine, or whatever. She is quirky that way.
They played tough all season, and they even won a game, against All Saints last week!
I am not sure yet, if Shanae and Emily will be playing for the Tigers next year, or for another school, but they are the only 2 7th graders on the team. Maybe Tarah will play also, Mark will have to find them somewhere to join probably though.
On to Track and Field now. Emily loves this. She is going to do hurdles, then fill in with some sprints probably. Hurdles is what she really loves.
I am pretty happy that we still have 1 more year of sports for her, before high school. I love watching her play anything, and will miss it when it ends.
Already, she is on a 1 month break before track conditioning starts. Good thing there is dance!

Skinny Jeans

2009-01-31T17:21:00.002-06:00

Remember skinny jeans? Emily wears a size 00 regular, but the only size we could find was size 0, so she got those instead. She also found these awesome pink and blue shoes. I think I saw a tshirt with the same pattern at Gordman's. I will have to go look.
Val also got stuff, but I will save most of those pictures for homecoming week, which starts next Monday.

Sport Jersey Day

2009-01-30T19:23:00.004-06:00

Last day of the week, and the kids got to wear sports jerseys. Emi really had a lot of fun today. The second pic is of Shanae, Emily, Tarah, Diem, and Nhan is standing behind them. He loves to have his picture taken so much! I have a hard time sometimes getting the kids to do it, but he has been willing all week to have his pic taken. Sweet boy! He is a good friend to Emi too. Gram took the picture of them when she went and ate lunch with her today. She always comes on chicken and noodle day. Later, Emily had basketball practice, and she also practiced in the driveway for a while for her free throw competition which is this Sunday.

Dress Like A Saint Day

2009-01-30T19:19:00.006-06:00

or, the day to wear religious jewelry, which is what Emily chose to do. She is wearing a cross that Nancy and Gary gave me many years ago that they got on an Indian reservation in Albuquerque. It is made of blue turquoise on one side, and red on the other. The little girl is Maria. She was very proud of her t shirt, so I took her picture.

Golden Eagle Daughters

2009-01-29T04:42:00.003-06:00

Such a good picture of Valleri! It was taken last night at the basketball tournament (we lost), at St. Jude's. Her Gram took the picture. I stole it off her blog. This pic reminds me so much, of how I see Valleri. Laughing, smiling, not too serious... beautiful, but doesn't really know it about herself.
If I could have another daughter, and pick who she would be, it would be America. She went to SMM, and was in my nephew Tim's class. She and I spent every morning and every afternoon together in latchkey for 6 years. I also was her lunch lady for 4 of those years. I became attatched to her. She is so bubbly. And sweet.
My favorite memories of her:
Santa Claus is coming to town
Look into my eyes
pop tarts
She and Val have the same lunch this semester, and she is so sweet to talk to her! I sent her a note not too long ago, when Val started dating Chris, and it said how much I miss her, and didn't she think that Val and Chris were so cute together? She did....
Love Her!

Silly Sock Day

2009-01-28T18:55:00.004-06:00

Day 3 of Catholic School Week.Silly sock day. I took the picture of a bunch of the girls with their legs in the middle. Then, of course, Emily and Tarah, and the other is a picture of a brother and sister at school, Emily and Nicholas. I just think they are cute.

For The Love Of Pickles...

2009-01-28T06:14:00.002-06:00

What did you do last night? I spent the majority of my late afternoon/evening in the ER at Wesley with Valleri.
About 4:00 we got to my mom's to pick up Emily after school, and Val went in to get some pickles (her favorite afternoon snack), and when she came out to the car, she slid, and fell, but kept sliding, and ended up almost under the car, which is what she did to her shin, she banged it on the under side of the van.
So, we took her home, iced it, elevated it, but she couldn't put any weight on it. It looked really gross, so I decided to take her in for an x-ray. We dropped Emi off, for basketball practice, then went in and waited.
And waited.
Got a room.
Waited.
Waited.
It took about 3 1/2 hours to be told that she bruised her tibia and there was really nothing that can be done, because the best thing for that is not to baby it, like crutches or anything, which is good, because she already did crutches this year, and it was a nightmare.
So, they slapped a bandaid on the cut, and away we went.
It looked way worse last night.

Dress In Sweats Day

2009-01-27T20:03:00.003-06:00

Today, the kids got to wear their comfy sweats to school. It was Student Appreciation Day, so they got to eat donuts and drink juice this morning, then there was a talent show in the afternoon.
The kids had a lot of fun.

2009-01-27T06:08:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was the first day of school during Catholic Schools Week. At St. Margaret Mary the kids get to do a fun activity each day, and yesterday was CRAZY HAT DAY. Most of the kids participated. Emily really wanted a Dr. Seuss hat, so I had to go out last week, and luckily found one at Party City.
She is with her friend Tarah in the picture. In the other one, their friend Nhan was so excited to get his picture taken with them. Emily kept moving though and hitting him in the face with her hat, that is why he is holding on to it. It wasn't heavy though, we stuffed it with Wal Mart sacks so it would stand up straight.
Tonight I will blog about what the kids got to do today. I just got home at like 10 pm from Emi's game last night, becuase the streets were so slick.
No snow day today :(

Champions!!!!

2009-01-27T06:02:00.002-06:00

For one night! Emi's basketball team won! They beat All Saints 14-2. Emily had a foul, and made a bunch of assists. She and Shanae made some awesome baskets, but none of them counted, because once, Emily stepped out of bounds, and once Shanae shot and made the basket but it was after the play stopped.
Coach Eric was so proud!!!!

Ice Skating

2009-01-25T18:22:00.003-06:00

Today, Val and Chris and Julie and Jack along with Emi and Diem went ice skating today. This is the 1st time Val and Chris went together. They seemed to have a lot of fun. Val came away with a pretty sore looking blister on her foot, but a band aid was enough to do the trick.
Emily absolutely loves to skate. She is so graceful, of course, thanks to her dance training. She wiped out a few times, but that is because she goes full boar in everything she does. She is like, so what, I just hit my face with the wall! She walked away from it though.
All in all, I think the kiddos had a good time, and I just cannot resist these pictures of Val and Chris! I think they are the most adorable couple ever! Inside and out!!!!!

Catholic School Week

2009-01-24T18:11:00.003-06:00

Well, I promised you picture of the girls, and I always try to keep my promises!

This weekend is the beginning of Catholic School Week, and Fr Richard decided that the school children should do the liturgy for all masses this weekend. Emily did petitions and sang in the choir. Val was one of only a few high school kids who went today, but she sat in the front with the other children. There was apparently a mixup with the mass schedule tomorrow, so the high school kids parts were given to grade schoolers. Oh well, at least they were at church!

Anyways, all this week, Emily will be doing fun stuff, so I will update daily.

A Little Murder With Your Dinner????

2009-01-24T13:11:00.006-06:00

Last night, I took Luke, Kaitlin, Jessica, and Chris, along with Val and Emily to see a play at BC. The high school kids went early, and also ate a dinner that was served by the cast, but Emi and I just went to the play.
Val said her server was a freshman named Gavin, and he requested their table. They had a lot of fun. Luke was a little depressed at first, because his girlfriend, Felicia, who played softball with Val on Red Lightening, was not going to be able to make it, but then, she showed up at the last minute, which really lifted his spirits.
The play was excellent. So funny! It was called MURDER MAKES THE HEADLINES, and it was written by Ms. Boudreau, who is the head of the drama department at school.
We drove all the kids together, and they seemed to enjoy the ride a lot. I got lost going to Chris and Luke's houses, but found them eventually, and got them there on time, and with about 10 minutes to spare.
Emi absolutely loved when we went to see WEST SIDE STORY, and she also really liked this one. Of course, we did not sit with the kids at the play, but Val did have Emily sit with them during the intermission, and I think she thought that was pretty cool!
On our way home, we had to make a donut stop for Emily, because she had a craving, and then got home pretty late. Emily even had to take a nap in the car because she had a basketball game this morning, which they lost 18-25 against Christ the King. They have one more game on Monday night, then they are going to start their tournament, so we will see how that goes.

Today is the beginning of Catholic School Week, and every day at SMM they have different activities, so I will post pics of Emi each day, like I did with Val for her homecoming week.
I know I did not have any pics of the girls from last night, because Val was the one taking pictures, but, come on, it's not like you haven't seen about a billion pictures of them all the time! I promise, I will post pics of them next time!

Val and Chris

2009-01-19T19:08:00.002-06:00

OK, you guys have waited all week for this. Was it worth it?
Chris is aces. He is such an adorable guy. We have all met him,and all agree that he and Val are really sweet together.
They really enjoy spending time together. Today, they went to the mall and saw the MALL COP movie. I guess it was funny. They thought so.
Anyway, I was mostly excited to get a picture, so everyone has a face to put with the name.

I Think They Are All Vampires

2009-01-17T07:24:00.002-06:00

Val had a great time last night, but no pictures. None of her friends wanted her to take them. I am going to require them next time. Haha! Maybe they don't show up on film.
Mark was pretty easy going with Chris. They talked about track and field and other stuff like that. He went to SEAS, so, since Mark doesn't know anyone from there, they kept it on sports, and treating his daughter right.
I think Chris got his seal of approval.
I think I will send a camera with Mark and Emily tonight. He is treating her to a WSU women's basketball game. Emi usually is sitting on the sidelines while Val is going out, so this is a nice treat for her. I know her time will come, and she knows it too, but it is hard to wait.
So, we are going to fit in as many basketball games as we can today. We are at least going to 8th grade boys and Emily's. Got to get ready!

Two Timer

2009-01-16T16:40:00.002-06:00

Gotcha!
Not Really.
Emi is the Free Throw Champion (again) for her age group at school. Next, she will get to compete at the District Competition in February at St. Peter Schulte.
She also got to compete last year. That time, she was in a shoot off for 1st place, but this time, she was the clear winner!

She Shoots, She Scores

2009-01-11T06:26:00.002-06:00

I know you are going to kill me, but I don't have any pics to put with this blog about Emi's basketball game. I just can't remember to take pictures while I am concentrating on the game, and this one was such a nail biter!!!!!
They played St Mary's Derby, and they are 6-0. We are 0-6, so I was thinking major blow out all day, but you know, who knows@!
Emi scored the first basket of the game in the first minute. Then she made a foul, the team was playing great. Like, you could tell they were playing basketball. They were doing awesome and the score was tied at the half 10-10.
So, we get back to the game, and the score is very even. We called a timeout and the whistle blew, so Emi and her teammates were back on the court and in position, and they gave the Bobcats a warning, they didn't leave their huddle, they gave them a second warning, they were still ignoring the refs, so they said, throw the ball in, and Allison, passed it off to Emily, who took off, and made a lay up, her 2nd basket of the game. She did get another foul under her belt too, during her time on the court. And, the thing about Emi is , when she does foul, they are very blatant. Like, you know you've been fouled, if it was called on 23 Gold.
It came down to the last minute, and we were winning, 20-16. Lisa Longstaff and I were over confident, and St Mary's stole the ball and made a basket. Then, one of our girls committed a foul, on a girl that Emi used to dance with, she made one basket, then, with like seconds left, they stole our pass in, and scored again, making them ahead by one, with 1 second on the clock.
20-21.
They played great though! THey play again on Saturday, I hope they play like they did today, because it was awesome, and I just know that they will win one. This just wasn't their day.

Happy Happy Birthday Baby

2009-01-07T06:03:00.002-06:00

Memories

2009-01-06T17:21:00.002-06:00

Valleri was not a planned pregnancy. In fact, I thought I was never going to be able to have children, at all.
So, when I started to wake up and feel sick, I thought flu. I couldn't shake it though after some time, so I kind of got the feeling it was something more, but for some reason, would not admit it to myself.
One early June evening, Mark came home, and had been playing basketball with some friends at Athletic Park. He had really banged up his knee, and for some reason that is what sent me into hysterics. Really!
I asked him if he thought he should go to the Emergency Room, and he said no, he just needed some ice, and I remember crying and telling him, that was good, because we were going to need our money, because I thought I was pregnant. Well, this was the first he had heard of this, and he jumped up, and ran out, and bought a test, and it was (of course) positive.
Looking back, Mark must have thought I was crazy!

It was not an easy pregnancy. I was sick morning, noon and night. Every day. For the whole time. Never a day that I was well. Never.
I had panic attacks, at baby showers, I was in and out of the hospital for dehydration, I was on bed rest for early labor, I had to go in weekly for stress tests. You name it, and it happened to me.
My OB built on to his home the same time I was his patient.
A lot.
Took some vacations too.
Exotic ones.
Expensive ones
You get the picture.
Poor Mark, was driving me to Wichita one morning on his way to work, because I was pretty much an invalid, and I remember, he had just bought our first brand new car, and I just knew I was going to be sick. He jumped a curb and almost hit a mailbox, and that scared me so bad, I didn't have to throw up.
Anyway, as the delivery date approached, I was going to the doctor always, and he decided to induce me. Lovely man. I enjoyed that very much. I didn't have to worry about when or where this would happen,and we had the evening before to plan everything out. I enjoyed it so much, when I found out I was pregnant with Emi I requested to be induced at my first doctor appointment, and I was too.
So, we were in the hospital. They had to break my water, of course, nothing was easy, remember?
Mark's dad bought him Arby's and I remember, I was ready to push, throwing up ice chips, and he was snarfing down 5 roast beef sandwiches. It is a funny memory, but those couple of minutes with his dad are priceless memories now!
I finally had the little darling at 7:18 pm. I remember my anastesiologist name was Charlie, and was a friend of my mom's, and went and got all the grandparents, when I started pushing, and left the door cracked open, so they could hear. I think they went back down to the waiting room, to wait for Mark after that. I was just happy that I had the epidural at that point, so didn't really know what was going on.
Mark, and a procession of well wishers followed Val down to the PICU, because ( nothing was easy), she couldn't breathe, so that left me alone with Charlie, who sat with me, while we waited for everyone to come back down.
The next day, I remember, Gram was visiting, and the nurse came to take her for some hearing tests, and she stood in the hall, to be sure noone absconded with our little bundle of joy. That is another memory I remember.
And, Mark's friends come to see us, Val was the first baby, and one of them, Jon stood at the foot of the bed, for like 3 minutes, and I didn't even notice him, but he said he was grabbing my feet, and I didn't even know it (epidural).
Precious memories of my not a baby anymore, 15 years old tomorrow, Valleri Anne.

A Few Of My Favorite Things....

2009-01-01T17:47:00.002-06:00

This is how we spent New Year's. We went to Noah's birthday party. Then, Val and Hunter and some other friends went to the movies. That was it. Mark did come home. We were kept up all night by fireworks, from the neighbors.
I mostly just thought the pics of the girls were so cute, so I thought I would share them.
Tomorrow, EMi, Tarah, and Shanae, invited Chase, Lorenzo and Ky to the movies. That should be interesting! Just ask Val. She has all kinds of opinions on that double trio.
Only time will tell....

Megahn

2008-12-31T19:37:00.002-06:00

There is not a lot to say about this. I just thought it was a funny picture. When we went bowling today, Megahn and Brian brought their own bowling balls, and this romper was in her bowling bag. Apparently, she uses it to wipe her ball down.HAHA!
Anyway, I dared her to put it on, and she really has no shame, so she was more than willing.
I love her though. She is a good time! She fits perfectly with my brother, Brian. They are quite a match.

I Don't Wear Shoes For Just Anybody...

2008-12-31T19:25:00.005-06:00

THis is how much I love Noah. Happy 10th Birthday!!!!

PS- I bowled a 91, a 37, then we only got another 1/2 game in, and I got 50, but that is only because Val bowled a strike for me.
I don't think I will make the tour any time soon.

All Is Fixed

2008-12-31T12:24:00.002-06:00

I called ATT and got the internet fixed. My new password is ******. Really, did you think that I would give that away? Not even to you, my dearies!
So, now I can get email.
I am off to go bowling for Noah's birthday. I need to show off my skills. I think I will try to take pics.
Then, we have to pick up Hunter, cuz he is taking Val to the movies for New Years.
I think Mark will be home tonight....
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!