Redneck Jeff

I ran out of room for this picture in the last post, but it is too good not to include.

Parents Night Out & Pigs

Wow! What a weekend. I really feel spoiled going out 2 weekends in a row after not getting to go out but one time without kids while in Canada. First, I had to include a picture of Spencer. He got his preschool shirt on Thursday and had to put it on "right now." He made a monster at school and carried it around for 2 days. If only the hundreds on dollars in Christmas presents lasted that long. Saturday our "fun" friends rented a limo bus for a night out on the town hitting all the halloween parties and costume contests. It was great, safe fun. I was little red riding hood and Jeff was a redneck. We've got 2 big boxes of dress up clothes for the kids so we just all wear halloween costumes out of the big box. Sunday, we went to a football award party on one of parents' pig farm. There was bon fire for weiny roasting and hayride. Sethie and Doc were amazed to see where the bacon they love so much comes from.

A beautiful season

Since we missed 2 entire fall seasons while we were in Canada, this season is striking me as especially beautiful. So with camera ready, if I spot a colorful tree, I point and shoot. These colors will only last a short time until all the leaves fall.

Oh Tooth Fairy!

Doccy lost his second tooth on Thursday after a couple weeks of wiggling. He finally had enough and twisted it out. He was so excited to share with his class and get his name on the lost tooth chart. Oh, and the cold hard cash the fairy brings. Not to be outdone by her little brother, Sierra pulled her molar the next day. Now that's good healthy sibling competition. Sierra can't whistle anymore and all Doccy wants for Christmas is his two front teeth.

A Table for 3

Land that I Love Yesterday's Pep Rally K-8

JoJo's my blog partner - I bore him to sleep.

Last night we got to make reservations for a table of 3. We had grandma come over so we could go out for Jeff's birthday with friends of ours. Now that football is over and hockey and basketball are in full swing yet, we had to seize our free Friday. Our friend got called to an emergency job so three of us had dinner. What a dinner it was. Jeff and I are still talking about how good it was. It is a restaurant that is not very kid tolerant so we took advantage of the opportunity to try it. The filet medallians were outstanding and the escargot - perfect. Jen even worked up the courage to try one! The downtown area has really grown since we were in Canada. It is nice that you can park your car and walk to different clubs downtown. And the crowd was professional and our age. It was a nice evening and company. Our friends are the only people we know that make us laugh (hard belly laughs) every time we're together. Thanks John and Jen!

Lion Pride!

I think once a cheerleader, always a cheerleader. I am busting at the seams with pride for our school. Today was the homecoming parade and pep rally at our Lutheran school. I am so amazed that a high school that was just started 4 or 5 years ago, now has about 40-50 per class, a soccer team, an undefeated volleyball team, an award winning scholastic bowl, awesome basketball teams for boys and girls and CHEERLEADERS. They are pretty good too. But not as good as they'll be when I coach (when Sierra is a freshman.) I just love the underdog and I feel like our school is the underdog that is up and coming. LSA Rocks!

GO LIONS!

Sierr making Sierra Spook Cakes for the concession stand.
We did it! We had our first Staff vs. Lions flag football game yesterday. I can't believe we pulled it off. We even raised enough money to buy a goal post - around $800. Not bad for two weeks work executed in 2 hours. We seeded our lawn on Sunday, and it hasn't rained all summer - so I was confident it wouldn't rain. Well at kick off, if started to sprinkle and then it just gave a good steady rain. Not a downpour, thank God. But you know what, the parents, kids and grandparents came out and supported our school anyway, rain and all. It was just like our season; we didn't have enough players so we had to borrow from the 6th grade team to play. Most of our players were 7th graders and hadn't hit their big growth spurt yet. All the teams we played had at least 2 strings of players and were BIG. Our boys played the entire game - Every game. They showed true courage and might. We suffered broken bones and 2 concussions, but we never did forfeit. I am so proud of all the boys and parents for sticking with it. For our first season, we have everything to be proud of! Unfortunately, I was so busy with the admistration of the game I didn't get any pictures.
My Lymphatic system exam was Monday also, and I feel pretty good about how I did. I have a wonderful professor and she makes me look foward to going to the class. So I really don't worry much about the tests because she lectures in a way that I remember it.

Another Awesome Autumn Day

Skyler rolling noodles with grandmother's rolling pin.

Doccy enjoying our roasted pumpkin seeds.

Poor sick JoJo
Skyler cutting noodles - Sierra critiquing - usually noodle making is her job.

Well, the day after I stated in one of my previous blogs that I'm looking foward to seeing the kids in their new school clothes...guess what - It got chilly. The 50-60 degree weather was a welcomed change; the reason why we love the midwest so much. So we drug out the jackets and bought some pumpkins.

Spencer happened to catch the bug that it seems everyone has. Yesterday, I had day planned for house cleaning, flag football game preparing for and studying. Have you ever heard the saying "if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans?" We'll, Spencer woke up with a 103 degree fever. He held his ears a little and my time in Canada led me to believe that even if it was an ear infection, the doctor wouldn't presribe an antibiotic unless it went on (the fever and ear pulling) for over a week. Well my inner mommy wouldn't let it go so I called the doctor and the receptionists said "yes he needs to be seen immediately." So much for my instinct. Anyway, he is seen by the doctor and is deemed "fine" with just a virus. What I thought, and a wasted 2 hours of study time but I did feel better anyway. Motrin is doing the trick like the Dr. said so I took Sierra and Doc to their swimming and tumbling and soccer today, picked up ribbons for our football game, got groceries, and more Motrin and came home. That's when our awesome Autumn Fall day began.

I made my "cure what ailes ya" chicken noodle soup and Skyler made the homemade noodles with grandmother's recipe. It always seems to make you feel better when you're sick and even if you're not. JoJo didn't eat much but he did get some broth.

We then carved our pumpkin, Skyler scooped and Jeff carved. It turned out really good this year. We roasted the pumpkin seeds to boot. They taste like chex mix a little and the kids were surprised at that. Jeff even made a fire and the kids roasted marshmallows.

Hope your Autumn is awesome as well. What a great season!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Wait until I show this picture to Skyler's girlfriend in about 6 years.

Sethie enjoying Daddy's cake

Right:

JoJo's very first book order from preschool.
Far left bottom: We love you Daddy!

Yesterday, we celebrated Jeff's ??th birthday. He wouldn't let me throw him a party, so our family tried our hardest to make him feel like King for the Day. First, we made him a breakfast casserole the night before so he could go off to work with a hot breakfast, then we took him a cupcake cake to work with balloons - balloons that I had to blow up myself with a helium tank since Walmart doesn't inflate them anymore - all the while my big test on Monday still needs studying for. Just when I thought my work was done and we were going out to dinner, he decided to grill steaks at home. So off to Kroger I went to get filet mignons and potatoes for baking. As I was cleaning the kitchen, he said, "see with a party you'd be doing lots of cooking and cleaning." I looked at him with my hands full of Dawn and agreed.

Now's my time to whine.....

I can't believe how much I've overcommitted myself since being back from Canada, on some days I don't know which way is up. I'm in my second Anatomy and Physiology class, I'm on the booster club as secretary and had the idea to host a flag football game with our kids versus the staff/coaches/parents. And, if I learned anything from group meetings, it is if you suggest the idea, you get to run with the ball (no pun). Well I just had the little idea, and now everyone looks at me at the meeting for leadership. So when I can, I look at the president...haha.

Anyway, this idea popped into my head a week ago. Our game is Monday, October 15. Not a lot of time to prepare but luckily we have 10 booster members that attend meetings and more on the club. I pray it doesn't flop and moreover that it is profitable, to the tune of $2000 for our goal posts. We don't have a football field of our own to host home games

Anyway, back to my overcommittal; I said I'd help with our LSA Auction, held November 10 - our school's biggest fundraiser, as classroom coordinator. That job has turned into working for 2 hours every friday creating bid sheets and documenting silent auction items and calling on retailers for donations. Mind you my college class requires 14 hours of study time/week outside of lab and lecture time. Also, Skyler has confirmation training on Wednesday nights and we have adult bible study as well. Spencer goes to preschool Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and speech therapy on Friday. Sebastian gets reading tutoring on Thursday after school and soccer practice on Wed and Fri with games on Saturday after his swimming class. Sierra has tumbling on Saturday, Nutcracker rehearsals on Sunday and Girl Scouts twice a month. At least football is over and basketball doesn't start until next Thursday. Whew, I'm tired just thinking of it all. Almost forgot, I also started this blog.

But it's nice to vent.

Oh, yea, Jeff also is doing training for Black Belt - an intense analytical course for his job and is a Lay Minister at church - he and his team will visit the homes of all 2000 church members. Also, he happens to be a wonderful husband of almost 15 years and an amazing father that we'd all be so lucky to have. The children and I are blessed to have him for a husband and father.

We also are in a new and quickly developing neighborhood with friends to meet and socialize with and playdates to arrange.

At least with us both studying, we can declare a quiet study time with no TV.

I have decided if I can get through until December, I'll have it licked.

But you know what, I wouldn't have it any other way. God is carrying me this semester and I give Him thanks. God is Good!

Annual Curtis Apple Orchard Visit

On Columbus Day we did our annual Curtis Apple Orchard visit. We have gone for several years now and it just isn't fall until we go. We usually go with Grandma, the Lancasters or the Merrys or a combination of the three. This year we went with the Lancasters and took our annual picture in front of the "How Tall this Fall" board. Someday I'll get all the pictures out and compare how tall they've grown each year.

Sethie did his first hay jump. Spencer was more adventurous this year also. Seth loved the ponies, and the bigger kids enjoyed the hay maze and inflatables. To wrap it up, we all enjoyed the tractor-pulled wagon ride. I am thilled that even almost a teenager, Skyler still enjoys going on outings like this with us. And very happy that his friends do too, which helps.

We didn't pick apples at this orchard because they raised their prices to $9 for a little bag - guess we'll have to visit Okay Valley orchard for the picking from now on.

This is still a must visit fall attraction though.

Fall is here - or is it

It's funny how we all run to the stores and get back to school clothes in the middle of August, only to be still wearing shorts mid October. I'm not complaining though I am anxious to see the kids in all their new clothes.

This week brought a flurry of fun fall activites. Last Friday, another Cat mom who is new to the area and I took our kids to an apple orchard. It is smaller than the one I usually go to but there were no lines and we had the place to ourselves. It ended up being a quick outing - we picked our apples, played on the equipment, bought our cider and were back home in time for my class.

Since Skyler's football game got moved to Sunday instead of Saturday, we took our much anticipated trip to Starved Rock State Park. We hiked a total of 6 miles (with 40 lbs on my back) and took in the beautiful scenery. The trees were yellow and red and leaves fell through the canyons. The kids and I ventured off the trail to explore the caves. It was a great time and to top it off, we found a family lodge nearby with an indoor waterpark and amusement park - reminiscent of our many trips to West Edmonton Mall. What's even better is it's only 2 hours away. It truly was so beautiful, we didn't feel like we were in Illinois.