Happy Valentine's Day!

Wow what a fun, busy day!

Sarah and Addy arrived yesterday afternoon.  I have no trouble speaking for the family and saying we are all glad they're here.  We enjoyed the evening together highlighted by watching Addy dancing and playing chase with Jake.  Suzy got in the spirit too running victory laps around the house.  It was adorable.

Addy loves to play dress up.

She's wearing one of Annie's old dance costumes.

Everyone got to sleep in a bit this morning except for Jack and I.  We attended Annie's parent-teacher conferences.  It was uneventful but got some insight.  Her English teacher said she'd like Annie to participate a little more during 1st hour (Annie's a little sleepy first hour - she has the same teacher again 6th hours and she does great then) and gave us the Honors English Summer reading requirements, her Biology teacher wanted to make sure she was taking Honors Biology, her Social Studies teacher (whom she's had for two years) said he's really seen her mature this year and thinks she will absolutely love high school, and her math teacher said she'd like to see Annie do the examples when she's teaching to make sure she knows what's going on.  She was on the fence about recommending Honors Geometry for next year, but I am thankful she did not.  

We came home and Jack took Jake to school - Thursdays are late arrival.  (Annie and I didn't have school today.)  Annie and Addy ate breakfast and Addy and I watched Dora the Explorer while Annie and Sarah got ready.  It was an episode I had watched with Annie when she was little.  It was a surreal moment.  Annie came down and joined us before it was over - so crazy!

Matt sent Addy a Valentine's surprise.

Here she is checking it out with her Papa watching on FaceTime!

The girls and I went to Paradise Park.  Addy and Annie played in the play place and Addy was introduced to booger balls (what we call a ball pit) - she thought it was great fun.  There was also a water take with boats and animals, an imagination area where she could play in a bank, house, pizza shop and grocery store, then on to the foam factory - which turned out to be a little loud for her.  She had fun "playing" a few of the video games.  It was LOTS of fun!  We came home for lunch, then nap time for Addy and Annie went to meet friends for lunch.  I had planned a little Valentine's party for Addy but had to leave before we had it... I didn't plan very well.  

(my camera died, so the rest of the pictures were taken on my phone)

 

Addy's party craft.

(I wish I would have taken a picture of the cookie she decorated,

she really, really likes sprinkles.)

This afternoon we had Jake's parent teacher conferences.  Again, uneventful, but we got some good information.  We learned for the very first time ever that he needs to show his work in Geometry.  It was very helpful information.  (I realize sarcasm isn't always apparent in writing, so please re-read the 3rd sentence...)  Jake has heard us ask, beg, plead for him to show his work since 3rd or 4th grade.  His German teacher commented on his anxiety about public speaking - she was confident that her class will greatly help him with that.  It is nice to see that his teachers really know him, even with 30 students in most of his classes.  He really likes his English and Biology teachers and that feeling is reciprocated.  

I had gotten a heart shaped pizza for Sarah and the kids and got their dinner before Jack and I left for our evening out.  We don't usually do much, but he had seen an announcement for a Valentine's Day dinner at COR with live music by Soca Jukebox, KC favorite steel drum band.  They definitely got us ready for Spring Break!  They were really good!  We would both like to see them again!  He giggled at me more than a few times because I was singing along and dancing in my chair.  They had door prizes and guess what!?  We won a gift certificate to one of our favorite restaurants!  The other winners were calm and gracious and Jack and I gave each other a high five.  As the last song started Jack stood up, grabbed my hand and said... well I don't remember exactly what he said but he asked me to dance.  As we walked to the dance floor I said, (a bit louder than I expected) "It's a Valentine's Day miracle!"  Which drew a big cackle of a laugh from one lady on our route.  We both laughed about it.  The dance floor was packed.  I was worried Jack would get claustrophobic but most people around us were short.  No matter what, I loved it!  LOVED it!  He hadn't danced with me in years.

Conversation starters which included:  Dream date?

If money were no object what would you buy your spouse

that he/she would be most blessed by? 

The band - Soca Jukebox

   

Me and my date with the winning envelope.

While we were gone Jake and Addy had a ball.  I think - hope - Annie enjoyed watching it as much as Sarah.  Jake built her a fort and got her to wear her eye patch for a while, among other things.  Addy is usually a girls girl - not giving boys other than her Papa much attention, but Jake got a kiss on the cheek for all his effort.  How sweet is that?  I think it's positively adorable!

Today is my brother, Scott's, birthday.  I sent him a text this morning and said I'd call this afternoon.  I forgot until now and it's too late.  Scott, I'm not sure if you read this or not, but I apologize and I will call you in the morning!  I hope you enjoyed your day.

xo

long winded and all over the place

Sunday, February 10 p.m.

I'm very tired so my post will be short.

My iPhone has had issues today.  I am not attached to it, but it's just weird to be without it.  I didn't realize how often I text.  I send quite a few short messages.  It was a little disconcerting the first hour or two, but I survived.

I realized I have a lot of telephone numbers in my phone that I don't have written down.  That makes me uneasy and a little crazy.

Jack is sitting next to me trying with all his might to preform CPR.  So far he's had to start over 4 times.  I'd be hitting my head against the wall by now.

Monday, February 11 p.m.

My phone was not fixable.  There is a chance it will work with a new battery.  Jack ordered one on eBay.  I am so thankful that he works in a job where he can bring me home a substitute to use until mine is fixed or it's death is confirmed.  It could be a motherboard issue which he would not try to fix.  I jokingly posted on Facebook that I was thinking about giving up my cell phone for Lent.  Jack nixed that idea when I told him.  (Lol!)  I have survived two days without it but any longer and I would have developed a severe twitch.

Ok, this is where it might get confusing.  I started this last Sunday - and now it's Tuesday, so I'm now going to try to recap what's been going on since my last post.  :-)

Thursday, I woke up this morning to the sound of rain.  I have to say, it might be my favorite sounds.  It has magical powers.  (That's all I remember about Thursday.  It rained.)

Friday night the kids and I went to see The Wizard of Oz at the high school.  It was awesome!  I am continually amazed at the talent.  I think back to my high days in Guys and Dolls and there is NO comparison.  The kids both showed interest in future productions so I will look forward to seeing what they undertake.

Saturday, I asked Jake to try on his band concert attire to make sure everything fit, was clean and accounted for; shirt, pants, belt, dress socks, shoes, etc.  In the afternoon Aunt Sue came over and she and I tried our luck at Hollywood Casino.  It was smoky and luck was not with us today.  It was still fun and I always enjoy seeing her.  I got home in time to jump back in the car and head to church.  We took two cars because I had a 6:30 hair appointment.  My hair is now short - chin length.  I needed a little change.  It's basically the same cut just a shorter bob.  It's amazing how much quicker it dries and how much faster I can get ready. 

Sunday, I got up early and exercised before anyone else got up.  We went to Sunday School.  While we were waiting for the kids we were told that a new Pastor had already been announced.  I was in disbelief.  I didn't think that decision was usually made this quickly, but it was true.  We spent the afternoon in Topeka visiting my parents.  I should have taken pictures but I forgot my camera and that is the day my phone died so I was running free of electronics.  We were delighted to hear that our new Pastor is held in high regard by both of my parents.    

Monday, no one wanted to get up.  I had to take Jake to school, since he has never tried to take his tuba on the bus... and I'm not going to have him start.  School was good - we had three out sick.  The afternoon flew by.  I made cookies for the band concert and Addy's Valentine's party.  Jake has tuba lessons and I ran to the grocery store after I dropped him off.  I completely lost track of time (I don't wear a watch because my phone tells me the time - oops, still no phone.  Darn, I should have worn a watch!)  I rushed back to get him and hurried home to unload my groceries, make dinner, put it in the oven with instructions for the kids and rush back out the door to a Band Booster meeting.  Jack and I arrived at 7:05 p.m., thinking we're late.  ?  BUT the meeting didn't start until 7:30.  Oh dread.  We could have eaten dinner!  (One important rule of healthy eating is DON'T EAT AFTER 8:00 p.m., I've eaten past 8:00 the last three nights.)  We waited.  It was a good meeting.

Tuesday, early morning.  Jake has sectional, which means he needs to be in his chair with instrument in hand at 7:00 a.m.  Another uneventful day at school.  We still had two out sick. (And we had two parents tell us their little ones didn't go to bed before 11:30 p.m.!?  Needless to say they were a little sluggish and hungry.)  It was a busy afternoon.  I was productive.  I picked Jake up at school, this time because he needed to sell some ad space for the program to an upcoming jazz band event.  And hopefully off set his expenses for band next year.  I had called our dentist to see if she would have a few minutes to talk to him and was told to stop by anytime.  I really wanted Jake to start off with a success, since it was his first attempt at sales.  It was cute, as we pulled in to the parking lot I asked if he wanted me to come in with him.  "Yes!"  We discussed the basics and he was nervous but ready.  We walked in and he walked up to the receptionist with confidence.  He came and sat next to me while we waited for her.  She is so sweet and came out to greet Jake.  I think she was expecting to hear his pitch in the lobby but I could almost see the sweat form on his neck, and she asked if he wanted to go back to her office.  "Uh, yes?"  Ha!  I stayed put in my chair in the lobby and let him do his thing.  He came out a few minutes later asking, "who the check should be made out to?"  :-)  He was still nervous.  After a few more minutes he returned with check in hand and a big smile.  We stopped at a couple other businesses without success.  He followed one up with an email, as requested.  He found out the managers will be in tomorrow at a couple others.  My fingers are crossed that the fire has been lit beneath him.  This is the easiest fundraising opportunity. 

I should have been on Level 2 - day 10, but I was too tired to exercise and I ate 1 1/2 frosted sugar cookies.  I shared one with Jack this morning and at lunch I just couldn't resist.  Mmm, it was SO good!

We picked the girls up from musical practice, came home, I ironed a shirt for Jake and then Annie and I were out the door headed to church to help with a pancake feed fundraiser for the youth.  Jack and Jake left soon after for Jake's band concert.  Of course this wasn't before calling me to say: a) Jake's pants are too small.  And b) Jake can't find his belt.  !?  Seriously!?  I was livid!  I wasn't home, it wasn't my problem.  This is an instance when it would have been so much nicer to just NOT KNOW!  I calmed down and called back and offered some suggestions.  Now that I think about it, I'm so glad I didn't know a) or b) before I left home and I should just be thankful for that!  

The pancake feed made me miss my church family.  I look forward to our reunion in July!

Jack said the band concert was outstanding.  This is the concert when 8th graders at the two feeder middle schools play, as well as the Concert Band, and Symphonic Wind Ensemble.  Jack said it's so wild to think of how painful middle school concerts were and this was the complete opposite.  The Symphonic Wind Ensemble will be performing next weekend at the Kansas Music Educators Association convention in Wichita.  Selection involves blind audition tapes being sent.  They were placed in the coveted spot when no other activities are scheduled.  All ears will be on them.  It's a huge honor.  (Jake is in the Concert Band.)

And again, it's late and I'm exhausted.  (Jack says I've been long winded lately, please forgive me.  Someday the kids might find the little details interesting.  ?  Or not.  Lol!)

Sleep tight!

xo

what really matters

What really matters?

Faith, family, friendship...

Love, hope, grace... 

Doing your best...

Taking time to listen...

Random acts of kindness...

Words cannot express how much I love my niece, Sarah.  She lives 500 miles away but she is so important to me, so much a part of my life and who I am.  We rejoice in each others successes and share our tears.  We listen and laugh, sometimes to the point of tears.  We are honest and real, there is no subject that is off limits.  She is more than my niece, she is my sister, my friend.  She is going through a rough time.  She and her husband, Matt went into a situation with a family member full of hope, they had the best intentions and it just isn't working out.  It's horrible.  It's hard.  It's sad.  It isn't over yet.  Please keep Sarah and  Matt in your prayers.  

Jake got his test back in Geometry.  He got a B (not a bad grade, but not high enough to get his grade in the class up to a C).  I want him to be proud of the fact that he did better than the last test but he can't see it.  He was so disappointed in himself.  He's down.  I feel horrible, but he's still grounded.  :-(  He was sure he was going to get an A but made a some little mistakes.  Jake is so smart.  He studied so hard.  Be strong, Jake.  Learn from your mistakes and be thankful you have three months to bring up your grade.  

I may have been harsh with a parent yesterday, but today I celebrated with her because she took responsibility.  She did a simple task.  She found success in something small.  I thanked her.  I made a BIG deal to her child.  It was the perfect start to our school day.  It was much better than yesterday.  MUCH better.  Thank goodness!

I'm had dinner with a friend tonight.  I wish we had more time together.  She is smart and funny and full of great advice.  I need to make more time for Julie.  I will make more time for Julie!  

Jack made chili tonight.  He's taking it to work tomorrow.  I've heard me say more than once, "It's not a contest," sarcastically.  Hmm.  Someone sounds a bit too confident, to me.  What could possibly go wrong when you've talked smack?  (I stand corrected, he said nothing about his awesome chili, TODAY.)  He prepared the meat.  He cooked it.  He decided to put it in the food processor for a quick chop AND... came out with hamburger dust.  !?  One of the things I like best about his chili is the hamburger chunks.  Now, I find myself giggling about his predicament because if it didn't have beans in it, it would look like spaghetti meat sauce.  Does it really matter?  No, of course not, but it's just so funny that he was talking up his chili.  In my head I'm singing O Be Careful, Little Eyes 5th verse, "O be careful little mouth what you say..."  :-)      

What really matters?

Taking the time to rejoice in every success and learn from every failure or short-coming.  

Continuing to learn and grow in knowledge and faith.

Take care of the ones you love.

Preach the gospel at all times - use words when necessary.

xo

Is it really February?

This morning was horrible!  From the way our class acted you would have thought it was August - maybe early September.  Students crying, wetting their pants, arguing... no hitting, no biting, thankfully.  It continues to amaze me how some families are completely controlled by their preschooler.  I know morning are difficult for some but we have students that don't have a bedtime.  ?  Sounds crazy but it's true.  We have students that I'm convinced come straight from bed.  They have neither eaten nor gone potty.  ?  Ridiculous, I know.  

I had a conversation with a parent this morning asking for a little help before their child arrives to school.  She was very passive.  "(insert name) will do it for you, but not me.  I try."  My response?  "Try harder.  You're the parent."  I know it's sounds harsh but Mary has said many times she needs to start a parenting class.  I could teach a session on carpooling too!   :-)  ha ha!

This is what I found this morning.

Parked in the carpool lane...

in the middle of the crosswalk!

I was speechless.

And no, I never saw the driver (luck for them).

My friend Kristi sent me this link... I think it's awesome!  Feel free to send it to anyone that needs a reminder.  10 Steps to a Successful School Drop Off  Thanks again, Kristi!  

It's was a beautiful day.   Sunny and warm.  I exercised (Level 2, Day 5 - half way through the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.  Woo Hoo!) and then Suzy took me on a walk.  She has gotten out of practice on the leash.  I'm a bad doggie Mama because she was totally in control.  The walk did us both good and she was snoring in no time after we returned.  

We've been eating dinner in the dining room.  I have to say, I really like it.  No distractions, just us, eating and enjoying each others company.  

We are still waiting to see how Jake did on his Geometry test yesterday.  It still hasn't been posted.  And until it is... Jake is still grounded.  Ugh!  It's horribly painful to wait but wait we must.  Jake comes in every 30 minutes... "anything yet?"  Nope.  He's itching to play video games    

Annie has been waiting weeks for a magazine and signed poster of her favorite band (Pierce the Veil) to arrive.  Today, it finally arrived.  She is over the moon excited.  Do you remember when you were young and there were posters in magazines?  They were 4x the size of the magazine.  Sometimes it if was just the right person you might hang it on your wall and stare at it for hours?  Maybe?  Annie's "poster" was 8" x 10" on card stock.  ?  I didn't say anything.  Each band member signed their name in silver metallic ink.  It did look cool, I admit that.  But... hmm.    

Jack is close to having a new golf swing.  I don't think they have very many patrons that have truly utilized their facility like Jack.  I'm not sure if he's on a first name basis with the entire staff but they all know him.  :-)  Ok, I asked Jack when he got home and everyone DOES know his name.   tee hee!

Still no test grade... so we will continue to wait.  

xo

It's a Monday and I'm ramblin'

Today, I am on Day 4 of Level 2 on the 30 Day Shred.  It was tough.  And when I was finished all I wanted to do was take a nap.  But I didn't.  I can't say I was super motivated to do anything but I got Jake to his tuba lesson and Annie picked up from school.  I made dinner.  I think I'll go to bed early.  :-)

Have you ever been in a carpool line?  I was on the street with just one car in front of me before the turn into the circle drive.  The line of cars behind me was long.  And today of all days, a woman decided she was in too big of a hurry to wait with everyone else and came from the other direction 5 minutes before musical practice was let out and blocked the street with her turn signal blinkering impatiently.  I knew what the right thing to do was... let her in.  I heard more than a few cars honk at her as they tried to get around her and continue down the street.  I waited patiently with my fellow rule followers.  One student came out early and the line moved forward one car length.  I was like glue to the truck in front of me.  I was interested to see how this was going to play out because I had my heels dug in and I was not gonna allow it.  Another student came out... and she almost side swiped me.  She honked.  She yelled.  I tapped my wrist, shrugged and said, "I've been waiting, sorry."  She honked and yelled some more.  Annie and Shelby were the next ones out of the building, thank goodness.  I didn't waste any time leaving.  Now, that I've had some time to think about it... this was not a proud moment for me.  I have had a case of the Mondays.  I wasn't ready for the weekend to be over and I didn't want to get out of bed this morning.  Today just wasn't the day for Miss Hotsy Totsy to mess with me.  I realize I am being horribly judgmental, shame on me.  Does it matter than she was driving a big fancy SUV?  She acted like she owned the road.  Ok, I have to drop it.  It's taken me a few hours to get my blood pressure back in normal range and this isn't helping.    

Jake told us a story at dinner about a snake getting lose in his Biology class.  The teacher hadn't seen it in weeks.  Today it decided to visit some girls after they had finished taking a test.  Only one of them screamed.  8-/  I sure would have.  It was a 4' long black snake.  Yes Jack, this story freaked me out enough to be blog worthy.  ;-)

Jake has been talking about getting a new mouthpiece for his tuba.  Today his friend Chall gave him his old one (he cleaned it first).  There are three classifications of mouthpiece.  Chall his the top.  Jake now has the second step.  Very cool!

Annie was quiet at dinner.  She has been watching The Walking Dead season 2.  She borrowed it from a friend and has to take it to school tomorrow for another friend.  Yesterday she was nesting on her little blue couch in the sitting room and I peeked around the corner at her.  She was wearing headphone.  I waited patiently and grabbed her shoulder at a scary part.  She jumped and screamed.  I laughed like all good mothers do in these situations.

Watching and texting

Multitasking.

"Hey Mom... can I have a snack?"

This girl is always hungry!

Jack is cutting Jake's hair... actually he called it shearing.

 

< That's a lot of hair!

> New do!

Jack printed off all our cruise documents today.  Woo Hoo!  Only 39 days until we leave home!  Double woo hoo!

I checked in with my Mom.  No news on the car.  They talked to the insurance agent and the adjuster hadn't looked at the car yet.  They took the key down to the shop.  Tomorrow she goes to court to pay her fine.  Does it seem a bit quick or is it just me?

Thinking of Sarah, Matt and Addy.  I love you!

And in case you missed it, here is my favorite commercial from last night...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sillEgUHGC4

So, God made a farmer.  God bless the farmers!

Ok, that's enough from me for one night.  

xo

Super Bowl

Today is the Super Bowl.  I must have been living under a rock because I didn't realize it until yesterday that the opposing coaches are brothers.  I'm usually such a news hound too, I have no idea how I could have missed it.  Add to that, they have a brother that lives here in KC, so it's been all over the news.  ?  Crazy.

The youth group had a Super Bowl party at Elizabeth's house.  Jack and I made plans to go out to dinner, so we didn't stay.  

Jake was sporting his Raven's ware.

He's such a cutie!

We recorded the game... so that we didn't miss any commercials.  We got home and started fast forwarding through part of the game.  It was odd and confusing to stop and watch the commercial breaks rather than speed on through like usual.  We found ourselves stopping and going back more than a couple time.

So far my favorites are (in no particular order):   

Smile! (VW)  

So, God made a farmer (Dodge trucks)

Seniors eat taco's (Taco Bell)
Clydesdale foal (Budweiser)

Annie had a bad headache so we picked the kids up after half time.  She looked a little pale today, but no fever.  I hope she's not coming down with something.  Please keep her in your prayers.  

It is an exciting game.  I hope your team wins.

xo

Dog Park

We took Suzy to the dog park today.  I think we could all agree it was good to get out and stretch our legs.  (Well, Jack, Suzy and I that is.  Annie stayed home and Jake is with friends having a grand ole time at the paint ball park.)  The snow has melted and left the park nice and wet.  I didn't take any pictures during our walk because I had gloves on but here are a few of Suzy after... what a dirty dog.

a happy dirty dog

she was soaked from the belly down

her paws looked like she'd been four wheeling

she had mud and pebbles caked in

We wrapped her in Jack's coat

in hopes of containing the mess

She was exhausted and fell asleep

And my back seat got dirty.

We gave Suzy a bath as soon as we got home and now this...

Still damp and already snoring away.

My Mom got into a car accident today.  First and foremost, she's ok, thank goodness!  She cut a corner too close on a left turn and hit a truck as she pulled into the neighborhood.  The airbag didn't deploy... thankfully.  She didn't have the cell phone and neither did the man she hit so he ran home and got his.  Another thankful moment was that Scott was at the house at the time and came down with Dad.  Scott took care of so much... he called the insurance, the tow truck, and was there for moral support.  Mom said it took the police an hour to get there.  She got a ticket and has to go to court in a couple weeks.  The officer said she has a great driving record - mom said, "I use to."  :-)

Marlene called while we were in church and I called her back on the ride home.  Mom had called and left a message on the home machine.  I called Mom and she didn't seem to rattled.  We are all thankful, that is for sure!

Please be safe on the road.  I've seen and heard of a lot of accidents lately.

xo

Oh, one last thing.  Tonight's sermon was on Evil in the Name of God.  Rev. Hamilton only briefly touched on the group in Topeka.  He told a story and showed a picture I have never heard nor seen before.  While walking around the Washburn University campus a woman and her son saw the Westboro Baptist group with signs in hand.  This young boy told his Mom he wanted to make a poster of his own.  

If you can't read his sign says "GOD HATES NO ONE."  

What an incredible little man!  

If you'd like to read the whole story here's a link:  
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/15/westboro-baptist-church_n_1518901.html