One Proud Mama

Merry Christmas!

Life has been so hectic and it’s just been a very stressful year, but we have faith that 2009 will be the year we get back on our feet and get ahead once again.  So Merry Christmas to all our family and friends and here’s praying everyone has a much better new year than the one that is almost over.

Because today is a holiday, my husband has forbidden me to work!  So, because I just can’t seem to get away from the computer for even one day, I’ve taken the opportunity to update this site.  I’ve converted from a blogger.com hosted blog to a full WordPress local installation and given it a refreshed look.  I hope you like it.  I’ll be converting the photo gallery for family and friends as well, so stay tuned for new family photos! 

God Bless and have a great holiday!

Happy Fathers Day to all you dads!

This past months has raced by, as they all seem to do anymore. Lots of happenings:

Last weekend was the kids’ dance recital. They looked wonderful as usual. Angela enjoyed being a ballerina and has already decided that she wants to do ballet again next year. Keith was a hit again this year, being the only boy in his class and one of a very few boys in the recitals (I think it’s like 3 boys to 400+ girls!) He even had some of the girls fighting over who got to sit next to him while they waited for their turn!

Angela turned six this past Tuesday and she got to share cupcakes with her kindergarten class. School ended on Thursday and we celebrated Anglea’s birthday with friends and family yesterday. The kids had a great time just playing in the backyard in the beautiful weather. Angela got lots of Barbie dolls and Barbie accessories (that’s all she asked for), so she is very happy.

The kids are looking forward to having their new babysitter come over tomorrow. I found a sweet, responsible girl to come to the house for a few hours each day so I can get some work done in my office. I am looking forward to being able to have some set hours for my clients. This arraingement will at least get us through the summer, and hopfully we will know about Mike’s job before the summer ends. We still have no answers, but morale is so low at his workplace, we are all just hoping they will shut the doors so he can collect unemployment and go back to school.

Till next time…..

Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there!

We’ve had a great day! I was awakened by Keith and Angela presenting me with some beautiful handmade Mother’s Day cards (pages from their coloring books). They woke up and made them all by themselves while daddy and I were still sleeping. I could hear them talking down the hall, trying to keep quiet, so I knew they were up to something. It was a wonderful suprise, especially knowing that it was all their own idea!

We’ve just been hanging around at home, spending most of the day outside. Daddy was edging the driveway while Keith and I tried to shoot some baskets. (Tried is the key word there!) Daddy reclaimed over 12 inches of width in the driveway (boy, that needed to be done - ya think?) Keith and Angela rode their bikes in the driveway, then we went out back to play on the swings, then back out front to draw with some chalk. Spread some grass seed, too, to try and get some grass in all the bare spots left over from last years construction. Then it was off to a wagon ride around, and around, and around the driveway, until all three decided to hop in and mom decided she couldn’t pull anymore!

Dinner, baths, and bed is all that’s left! Then is hockey for dad and I - Go Wings!

Long time - no updates. Sorry about that.

I’ve added some new photos to the gallery and moved last years photos into the archive. The boys’ birthday and easter pictures are now available.

The boys, of course, got spoiled on their birthday and Chris has now officially entered the terrible twos!

Easter was most enjoyable as we spent the afternoon at Mike’s folks house with all the family. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins all afternoon and we all ate way too much of a great meal. Turkey, Ham, and all the fixin’s. I was stuffed for three days!

Not much else is new. We are preparing ourselves for Mike’s potential job loss at the end of July. His plant is scheduled to close if they can’t find a buyer. It’s not looking promising, so we are keeping our ears open for job opportunities, but in the mean time, I’m gearing up to add more web design clients in case it takes a while for him to find a new job. The economy is so bad here, people are fleeing the state in droves to find jobs down south. We are die hards, though, and have no intention of leaving. We’ve prepared ourselves well and have the advantage of my business, which is not dependent on the automotive industry or the state economy. It won’t be easy, but we’ll be just fine.

Christmas was a great success! The kids got spoiled as usual. Is is me, or does everything take batteries nowadays? It should be illegal to not include an on/off button on toys! Oh well, the kids love it and I think I say the same thing every year.

The addition on the house is as done as it’s going to get this winter. We’ve got some paint touchups to do and we have to finish reattaching the deck to the house as well as put shelves in the closet and that kind of stuff, but we’re definitely done and using it now. There’s some finished pics in the gallery of the inside of the new room. I’ll get some new outside pics when it’s not so cold outside!

We spend much of our time in the new living room now, and laundry is definitely easier now that the washer and dryer are not in the bathroom closet anymore. It sure didn’t take long for the kids to fill it with toys! We can park both the van and the truck in the garage for the first time ever. Mike is really going to enjoy not having to brush the snow off the truck before he goes to work in the mornings - that is if we ever get any snow!

Well, gotta run - Chris has somehow found a jar of vaseline (God only knows where from) and I better go chase him down.

Only a week and a half to go before Christmas! The kids are getting excited. Keith and Angela both went to Santa’s Workshop at school yesterday. I get to send them to school with a list of people to buy for and a dollar for each gift. They really enjoy buying gifts for mom and dad and each other. Now I get to sit down with each of them and help them wrap their gifts to put under the tree. It’s a neat little treat and a great opportunity to teach them about giving.

Angela kept asking why she didn’t get to buy herself anything and I explained to her that the purpose was to buy for everyone else, not yourself. She was a little disappointed, but I assured her that Keith didn’t get to buy anything for himself either, but she bought a gift for him and he bought a gift for her. It’s cute to see what small trinkets they come home with and they are so proud that they are able to pick out and purchase their own gifts for the family.

I’m still not done shopping. What a hectic year. I’m not ready. I don’t even have the Christmas tree up yet. Although I did cheat a little and bought a bunch of gifts online instead of dealing with the shopping crowds at the store. The addition on the house still isn’t done yet (hence the lack of Christmas tree!) and there isn’t a Christmas decoration in sight yet in or outside this house. Enough ranting - I’m sure I’m not the only mom stretched to the limit this year.

On another note, the kids are getting excited about Christmas. They know it’s coming soon. I think I’ll sit down with them tomorrow and make our usual Christmas countdown chains. You know, the kind where you link strips of paper together and tear one off each night before bed until Christmas.

Poor Chris is finally getting over his most recent sinus infection, but it is really hanging on this time. Tomorrow is his last dose of antibiotic and he still has a nasty cough. I pray it doesn’t relapse and we have to start all over again. He’s been so good since spring, where we couldn’t seem to keep him off medicine for more than a week without getting sick again. I pray he outgrows this tendency for sinus infections.

Better get back to work. Have a good night.

Halloween was a great success. We decided to celebrate for the first time this year, but instead of “trick-or-treating” we held our own party here at home with games, crafts, friends, and lots of candy!

Angela was a beautiful princess.

Keith was his favorite superhero - LarryBoy!

Chris was none other than Bob the Tomato.

Gee, you can’t tell we’re VeggieTales fans around here, can ya!