happy new year to all of you!

how did we celebrate? well, hubby worked until like 9 because for some strange reason all kinds of people want to enter the new year with cars that work and new tires and stuff. my brother came out and hung out with us at my in-law's house. he even spent the night...although i don't think he will be doing it again any time soon. something about trying to sleep on the couch with 4 kids one of which is so WIDE AWAKE he keeps asking you if you "want to watch this movie" or "uncle chris, you have to see this part!". all night long folks. i took him home at around 10 so he could actually sleep. it was really nice having him around.

my 4h meetings went well. there isn't much to say about the swine meeting...i have one other kid in there with my haley. it's funny...they are the same age and have the same last name...and yet are not related at all. now what's really funny is that this other little girl has the name we actually had talked about for our haley. anyway, we talked about what to expect with their pigs, how to choose, what they would need to do...most of it was stuff she could find out from her dad (his family raised pigs when he was younger).

the crochet meeting went well. i had 3 girls, and 2 of their moms stayed to help me. thank goodness. they needed some help! i wasn't sure how much they would know before the meeting...but i had to show them how to do it all. it made me a little self-conscious because apparently i hold my hook completely different than anyone else. i hold it like a pencil. none of the other moms did. and the 2 girls that had a little (i mean very little) experience were getting confused by the way i explained how to do it. i don't know, by the end of the hour, they were getting the hang of it. they each had projects they wanted to start...and i don't know if they were ready for it or not, but 2 of them started them. the other girl was still trying to get the hang of it. i think once she gets it, she's going to do really well.

well, i have high hopes for '09. i don't make resolutions anymore...i don't keep them. so i'm just going to make plans. plans for a bigger garden this year, plans for teaching my 4h groups, plans for our family...you know, hopes for a better year.

hope you all had a great 2008, and an even better 2009!

hello? anyone there?

hello there! well, it's been a busy week or so here at the zoo!

friday was our "breakfast for dinner with santa". i know, the name isn't the greatest. i have no idea why they couldn't come up with anything a little...um...snappy-er. but it is accurate. we had pancakes and sausage for dinner...and the kids were able to get their picture with santa. of course alex didn't want to go...so i didn't make him. i figured he got his "just desserts" by me not making dinner and his friends were all there having a great ol' time...and i let him know it. haley didn't want to look like a baby..even though a bunch of her friends had a big group picture with santa. i don't know what her deal was. but she was super helpful and i was so happy she was there. i pretty much talked the whole time i was there. well, until the work had to be done for the craft fair. we set up tables and chairs...we cleaned up...we brought in waters...it took a couple of hours. it probably wouldn't have taken as long if there wouldn't have been 10 kids (and one dad) playing basketball while we were trying to work. poor paul, he had been working out of town all week and came home just in time for his wife to have him come up and work setting up tables and measuring and well, work.

the craft fair went well. it looked very busy. i don't think it was as busy as we had hoped (another craft fair was going on at the same time across town...with santa arriving by HELICOPTER in the morning) but it was better than the first one we did. my sil did well with the doll clothes. i think there were other people that also did well...and there were people that didn't sell a darn thing. i got a couple of things. not much. i'm not sure i spent more that $20 but well, i can't see spending a bunch o'money on stuff i have no need for or that i can make myself. i worked there from 12:30 until about 5:30.

sunday we made cookies at my mil's house. i totally screwed up some snicker-doodles (added twice the amount of butter needed) but my sil fixed them and all was well. they actually turned out really good and fluffy looking. we cooked up there until 9, then i went home with the little guys. (hubby had already taken the older ones home) i love to make cookies. i really really do.

now i am getting ready for tomorrow...josh is joseph in his pre-k play and he has 2 lines in it. he is a little nervous and doesn't like to talk about it. the other kids were disappointed because it's at 11, and they don't get to see it. the girls are in their program on thursday too. haley is a narrator. she has more lines than any one else in the program. grace gets to sing. that is at 2 and again at 7. poor hubby, he has to miss all of them. he works 11 to close (like 9:30) and so he doesn't get to see anything. i'm going to get the video camera going and tape it (hopefully ) for him.

this friday the kids are supposed to spend the night at my dad's house and make cookies with my step mom's parents. well, haley has a girl scout christmas meeting that night. they are exchanging gifts and going caroling. so now i have to let my dad and stepmom know that she's not going to be there right away. hubby is off and i was planning on going out with him, but i'm not sure i will be able to since we may have to take haley over to grandma and grandpa's.

this sunday is the annual cookie bake at my grandma's house. it's also the day my hubby is going to chicago for training with work. i have to drop him off at 10 am sunday morning. he doesn't get back until sometime thursday evening. so i will be a single mom for almost 5 days. i am not looking forward to it. at least i will have lots of cookies to drown my sorrows in!

IT'S ALMOST FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my dad, my little brother, and my kids, are almost finished with the chicken coop. they had to work on it at my dad's house because, well, my brother is not allowed to leave the house. (long story, and not mine to tell) anyway, they started on it saturday, and for the most part, it's done. it just needs the nest boxes, and some stain, and i think i may put in some linolium (for cleaning). that's it! well, it needs a door, and it needs to be moved to my house.

my dad had the kids all help him. he was really impressed by zack though. he said zack was hammering like a champ. he was most impressed with the way he did it correctly (bending his wrist). how many 3 year olds do you know that can do that? shoot, i'm 30 and i can't!


alex leaves on friday for his "birthday present" trip with my stepmom. alex still doesn't know where he's going! i don't think he would ever check my blog...but i don't trust the kid so i won't say until friday where he's going.

this is bookfair week. i already have been there, and helped out. but i have to go back on thursday for the "family night" event. my sister in law and i run that. it's pretty easy. really really easy. all we do is make dinner for about 200. no sweat! we usually have about 6 helpers, and that's plenty. the money we raise goes to our library, and buying tests for the kids.

and apparently this is also the first day for the runners club at school. i thought it didn't start until next monday. i still have to send in all the sign up stuff to school. and bring clothes and snack and water up for my kids that are doing it.

that's about it for now!

soccer and a mayo sandwich

let's start with the mayo sandwich...i know you are all wondering "what is that?"
well, my boys like cheese sandwiches with mayo/miracle whip (same thing in my book). but i don't have any cheese today. hubby cleaned me out. so zack wanted just a "bandaise samich". he ate every bite. now haley used to eat pickle and mayo sandwiches.

no, i have no idea how my kids come up with such weird ideas.

on to soccer practice.

josh is having some breathing issues lately. i guess it's the asthma flaring up. i hope so anyway, as i was giving him breathing treatments. he did really good, considering he lost steam about 20 minutes into practice. we had enough kids to scrimmage. we worked on playing in our positions. i don't mean to sound like i know soooo much, but my half of the team played their positions...and even scored a couple of goals. coach d's team, uh, not so much. i made sure my side knew their jobs: offense-score goal, defense-stop the ball, goalie-catch the ball. coach d focused too much on just the offense, so his defense was playing in the grass. i think as long as you are making sure they are staying focused, it's an easy job. focus is the main thing they need to learn. they are little kids, so it's not easy. you have to make sure you praise them when they are doing the right thing. if they stay in position, that earns MAJOR praise. that's one of the hardest things for them to do. they have to focus on doing their job. it's really rewarding to see them do what you tell them to. and when it works, and they are scoring goals, it shows the kids they are doing it right.

hubby is taking haley to the doctor right now. she has poison ivy (i'm pretty sure) and in the week she's had it, none of the normal treatments have helped. in fact, it's spreading more. she has spots of it all over her lower leg. one is pretty big. we've tried caladryl, ivy dry, benadryl, and cortisone. all of that, and it spread. so off to the doctor. hopefully they don't put her on steroids. poor alex put on like 15 pounds the first time he was on steroids. well, i guess it doesn't matter as long as it clears it up. it's really nasty!

off to finish my lunch!

change is on the horizon

i'm not sure why, but i know some big changes are coming for our little corner of the universe. not "the" change for me...at least i don't think that's it...more like something is coming. i'm not sure what, i'm not sure why, but i can feel it. i'm hoping it's just a weight and inches change...but it feels bigger than that. i can't say if it's good or bad...just that something is coming.

soccer is going well. we had our first practice tues, and another one tonight. the guy helping me is really nice (i'll just call him coach d). but, well, a tad on the boring side. i kind of let him take the lead, and i think that was a bit of a mistake on my part. not major, he coaches his older son's team, so he just has his way, and i have mine. i think kids learn by doing. he likes to make them listen to him explain...and explain...and explain some more. out of the hour, i think the kids got to use the ball for maybe half the time. maybe. i just don't work that way. 4 and 5 year olds want to do, not be told how do it. they don't know how do dribble the ball, or kick it in the goal. they have no clue how to pass it to their team mates. that's not something you can explain. they have to try it. he wants to test them on what a corner kick is, or a fullback kick. uh, hello? they are 4 and 5. i didn't even know what they were until 2 years ago. they just need to get the basics of a) kick the ball b) don't touch it with your hands. this is tough enough.
sorry, i kind of started ranting on you. it's my hubby's fault. if he just would have let me rant and rave about it tuesday night, i would have been over it by now. instead he told me it was all my fault, and to either change it or shut up about it. (well, a little nicer than that, but you get the idea)

alex has his first baseball game tonight. they actually started on tuesday, but he had been sick with a stomach bug, so he wasn't allowed to go. (no school, no sports is our motto) he's pretty excited. they won the first game, and they had just had a soccer practice right before the game. haley has practice today. i don't think grace has it tonight. i think she's just on tuesdays. they are all so excited about games starting the 6th.

our parish picnic is this sunday. i love the picnic. we always have so much fun, and see so many people. i help out with cutting the pies (home made pies) and jeff helps seat people at the dinner. kettle cooked beef that is the best stuff around. i don't know how they make it, but oh my gosh, it's heaven on a fork. yes, it really is that good. there is also fried chicken, hamburgers, liver and gizzards (blech!!) and so much more! and that's just the food. they have bands, and beer, and wine, and a kids' section with games and inflatable rides, and a "train". i must say, i love working there. you meet so many other people in the parish you may not normally come in contact with. the kids are excited about it too. alex gets to work it too. kids in 5th grade and up get assigned stuff to do. he's working by jeff. i got to start getting stuff from the garden, they always need tomatoes and anything else from the garden. they have a country store they sell fruit and veggies, and anything homemade. jellies/jams, breads, deserts, anything.

well, i'm off to pick up kids from school.

field trip mix up

grace is in kindergarten. her teacher has been teaching for, well, i think this is her second year. she's a nice girl...she just didn't realize what she was signing up for when she signed the kids up for a field trip to orscheln's. you see, she thought it was a farm...not a supply store. they do have chicks and ducklings and turk-eh well, what do you call baby turkeys...hang on whilst i google...poults. the field trip was only supposed to last a couple of hours...but how long can you keep 25 kindergartners focused on a couple of chicks, ducklings, and poults..oh wait they do sometimes have a couple of baby rabbits. but seriously, they won't be able to hold any of them, and let's face it, what fun is looking anyway? thankfully, a mom heard about the supply store field trip, and offered to let the kids all come to her house. they have chickens, chicks and cows. i actually just got off of the phone with grace's teacher because she was hoping i could bring the pig over there too. sure, what the heck! she needs to learn how to travel anyway. the other mom is hoping to get some sheep from across the street too. that should cover the bases when it comes to having animals from a farm...even if the pig lives in a house.

speaking of pigs, i started walking again. yesterday i was up before the crack of dawn (5:45) and walked a whole mile. yes i realize how pathetic that sounds. i am sore today. yes, i realize that sounds even more pathetic. my oldest said he wanted to get up and walk with me, but come time to get out of bed, he opted out. i'm kind of glad he didn't go...i would have felt like a complete fool, you know being exhausted after a measly mile, not to mention that i was doing lunges and swinging my arms like a fool too. i'm sure the 2 people that drove past me were thinking the same thing. did i mention i'm a little bit sore today? not terrible or anything, but i can feel it in my calves and my back. why my back? no clue. the one thing that isn't sore, that i was really worried about, are my feet. thank you Jesus, my feet are better! those surgeries actually worked! i can't tell you what a relief it is, knowing i won't have to crawl around on my hands and knees because i walked in the morning and my feet hurt so bad in the evening. so if you live in the greater st. louis area and are in need of a good podiatrist, let me know...

by the way, i didn't walk today...not because i was too lazy to get out of bed, but because it was pouring down rain. i have been walking around the house and doing some stretches. i am going to try to get some crunches done today too. i seriously don't want to be this big going into my thirties. i am trying to figure out a good challenge for myself. i told my husband i would like to lose as much weight as the pig gains...but he said 14 pounds a week is unhealthy. so now i have to think of another one. maybe just walking 5 days a week? i don't know.

i will try to get an american idol post together, i was going to yesterday, but ended up not really feelin' it dawg. too much sadness to think about paula's "boobage" (to quote a good friend).

what a fabulous day!

yeah, april fool's...on me. i spent today cold and shivering at recess duty today...oh and i brought 4 kids with me. one of these kids (my own of course) peed in his pants. oh the joys of volunteering! granted, zack is only 2, and has only been going on the potty for a few weeks, but COME ON! i mean, i'm stuck out on the playground (i was the only adult amidst the 60 or so kidlets), i can't just leave the 2nd thru 4th grades out there by themselves. then, since today is my hubby's day off, i have haley call him from the office to come and get the boy (or all the kids i brought up, i wasn't going to be picky)...twenty minutes later, i just left. i told the office i was leaving, my husband hadn't shown up yet, and i had been holding very wet pants for the last 20 minutes. they were very understanding, they usually are.

yesterday we had so much rain, the pond overflowed! we had record setting rainfall for the month of march. more than 8 inches! the creek overflowed it's banks (it usually does) and got close to covering the road, but was about 2 inches shy. it was almost 70 yesterday, today it is so very very cold. if we get much more rain anytime soon, it may end up covering the road.

my hubby is going to the cardinal's game tonight. my stepmom had a "procedure" done on her foot today, so she won't be able to go. she was there yesterday. he is usually pretty excited about going to the games, but he wasn't today. i guess it's just too cold and wet to enjoy. that and the fact he is going in to work today for a few hours before the game. they are going to teach him how to do financing. he'll be able to sell you the car and a warranty, and finance it too. he's excited about it. sort of.

i had a great sunday. we went out for dinner. hubby had gotten $250 in gift cards from a friend he helped to get a really good deal on a new car (from a dealership he didn't work for anymore) and the guy gave him all these gift cards, and wouldn't take no for an answer. (funny thing is, hubby ended up making more than the salesman did! it was a $75 mini deal for the sales guy)
i had chapel hour at 6pm, so they dropped me off. i got to spent a whole hour quietly with God. our chapel is a perpetual adoration chapel. there is someone there every hour of every day. you can drop off prayer requests, and people pray for who ever needs it. it is really awesome. you feel the power as soon as you walk in the room. i like to go and crochet. i know that may seem like something you shouldn't do, but i like to. i am usually making a baby blanket, and i like to pray for the baby that my blankets are going to. crocheting is like meditating to me. my hands do one thing, my mind is somewhere else. it was so good!

why i love my little town

last night, jeff got home really really late. he had been pretty busy with customers all day. in fact his day, which was supposed to end at 3:30, didn't end until 10. yeah, it was a long day. and yet he came home in high spirits. believe me, that is not usually the case. he told me his boss showed him something pretty amazing...
i'm sure you remember my friend kathy's husband was diagnosed with als, and they have known about it for months, but just told everyone recently. my community, my fellow church members, my friends,(they are all one in the same) are building a house for dan and kathy. you see, they have been dreaming about building a house for years. they have the property, but were waiting until the older girls were out of high school to build. right now they live in a small 2 story home, and their bedroom is on the 2nd floor. that works for right now, but unfortunately it won't work well when the disease progresses. once people in our community found out, several started to think about what they could do for them. we have several builders, and contractors in our community, dan and kathy have lots of friends, like us, that are willing to help, so hopefully soon they will have a new home.

this is not an isolated incident. the generosity of my community is awe inspiring. when our principal started at our school, she had just lost her son to lung cancer. he was in his 20's. he left behind a wife and young daughter. his daughter was diagnosed with cancer while her daddy was still fighting the good fight. this family had struggled alot. his daughter beat the cancer (in her jaw area). unfortunately, it came back within 2 years...this time in her leg. her mother is one of the strongest people i know. parents of the other kids in the girl's class, teachers, and just other community members, got together and threw a benefit for her. they raised over $30,000 in one night for her. people donated so much stuff, and then spent so much money, all for a little girl they had only known for a couple of years. she beat the cancer again. she is doing well.

i know there are other communities that are just as generous out there. but this is my town. these are my friends. and this is why i love it here. i hope everyone can find a place where they are so inspired by their neighbors and friends.

the very busy weekend

hello again, it's time for another installment of "the very busy weekend"!

the "breakfast for dinner with santa" (what a long long name!) went well. except for the hour i waited in line for the breakfast for dinner part. yes, an hour. i'm glad the kids ate a snack before we came up! they got pics with santa, bought some presents for each other, and ate pancakes and sausage. alex opted out of coming with us. apparently there was nothing he wanted to buy for zack at the workshop and there was no way i could get him to take a santa picture.

the craft fair went surprisingly well. we ended up with about 20 vendors and an attendance of around 100 people. i had to take the kids with me (minus alex of course) because everyone was busy. they were so good. i stuck them in a closet and locked them in...hardly heard a peep!

just kidding, i didn't lock them in. they watched a movie in there, colored, and ate untold amounts of candy. it was right behind where i was working, so it was a perfect spot. the weather was rotten, but not nearly as bad as was expected. i think we may do this again next year!

sunday was the big car club party. they raise money every year for a children's home down south somewhere. it's for kids that were neglected, or their parents are meth addicts. they try to give these kids a good christmas, so they were able to raise around $1000 for the kids. they all talked about how cute my kids are (tell me something i don't know!) and i think they all had a great time.

unfortunately, the weekend was not without it's sadness...my great aunt regina died. she was a great lady. she always had a kind word, and i believe she was my dad's favorite aunt. unfortunately she had a weight problem, and i am sure this must have been one of the reasons she died so young (only 68). it also makes me think of my grandma. it will be 10 years this may. she died 3 days after i found out i was pregnant with haley. we hadn't even told anyone yet. atleast uncle dale will have his kids, and my grandpa to help him thru this.

aunt regina, you will be missed!

wink wink

my house is so quiet right now. i just have one extra kid at the moment, and i am relishing the peace. for some reason, my eye has been twitchy the last 2 days. i feel like those cartoon characters right before they lose it. this weekend it going to be mega-busy. there is the "breakfast for dinner with santa" friday night (who comes up with these names?), saturday is the craft fair for the playground (i have to work this one), sunday my in-laws have their christmas party for their car club at their house (we go up to help get things ready).

i am actually looking forward to saturday. i am not selling anything, but i have some friends that are, and i am looking forward to seeing what all will be there. not to mention the fact my kids will not be there. i hope anyway. saturday is not exactly a good day for finding a sitter. my sister in law that i can usually count on is going to have a booth at the fair, my mom in law is getting ready for her party...i wish alex was just a tad bit more mature, then i could just have him watch the other kids. maybe my mom or step mom will be able to take them. otherwise, i will just have to bring them with me. ugh!

well, the peace hasn't lasted as long as i had hoped. i must be off in search of a couple of 2 year olds, and a 3 year old. they decided to play outside for a while.

weekend potpourri

well, since last posting, we had a birthday party (well a half birthday party), kids' had a day off of school, we closed up shop at the bookfair, had 4 soccer games, and met the girl that broke nathan's heart about a year ago. it sounds like alot, but it didn't seem like much.

the birthday party for haley went really really well. it was a sand volleyball party for haley and her friend katy. all the girls from the class showed up, and one boy. (apparently the boys had a soccer game at the same time) the kids had a blast, it was really inexpensive, and the girls got a lot of very nice stuff. and the parents who stayed had a great time too.

today the kids were off school for teacher's workshop. alex spent the night at a friend's house last night, so i still have yet to see him. the kids here had a pretty good day. it didn't rain so they played outside for a while. they painted their nails, and they went to grandma and grandpa's house for a while. fun had by all but me...got a mean belly ache today.

closing up the bookfair was more of a hassle this year than the past years. the teacher that normally oversees us is a regular teacher this year not resource/gifted so she had to go to the meeting friday and i ended up closing it down with debbie, and a bunch of kids. not so easy. we were constantly having to remind the kids where they were supposed to be putting stuff, and making sure the teachers had all that they were supposed to have. not the most fun 2 hours i have ever spent.

the kids had their soccer games. haley played goalie again and didn't let a single goal get by. and they played a tough team too. alex's team won their first game. they had moved up to division A and the competition is fierce, but there is no reason why this should be the first game they have won. grace had 2 games, she played goalie in the first one and let 3 goals by...she didn't play goalie in the second game. unfortunately they haven't won a game yet...but they don't know that.

we met this girl last night. she and nathan started talking again recently. apparently she had an epiphany about how she is self absorbed (shocker?) and realized (with her parents telling her constantly) that she never gave the relationship she had with nathan a chance. she seems like a nice girl. jeff works with her. i don't know if they will start dating again. i told him that he needs to take it easy. she hasn't exactly proved to be someone he can trust with his heart. so i am really hoping that i didn't totally overstep there. i couldn't say i didn't like her, because the whole time he dated her (like a year and a half) she never once met his friends or his family. not one single time. he met her family, friends, acquaintances, whatever. she had no interest in his family or friends. strange, huh? oh well, it will work out the way god wants it to.

oh yeah, we have 6 boy puppies and 4 girl puppies. i guess the kids had a harder time figuring out which was which. but i think we have homes for 5 or 6 so far. not bad considering they are just over a week old. i hope it works out.

hey mom!

today, when my 3 year old son came out of the bathroom, he ran to me saying, "hey mom, my butt don't stink anymore, i brushed my teeth!".

ahhhhhh, the wonders of having a 3 year old.

apparently what he really said was breath, not butt. (but right now i am happy neither stink).

he also told my brother-in-law, jason, that he had dingleberries hanging from his tree. jason, who is 26 and has no kids, found this hilarious. so did my husband.

i am going to be very busy tomorrow with the bookfair dinner. my SIL (sisinlaw) and i have been in charge of this for the past 3 years. family night at the bookfair is also a "see the teacher/sign up for conferences" night. i am really glad i finally talked them into doing a dinner. we have been in charge of it for 4 years, but all i could talk them into the first night was some snack type stuff. i thought it was kind of ridiculous that we have this family book fair night right at dinner time, and offer nothing for families to eat. so now my SIL and i get to make chili and hotdogs and tatertots for about 150 people tomorrow. good times.

i have been thinking more and more about polygamy. i really hate housework. maybe if i had a sister-wife, we could divvy up chores to make it easier on us. i get to take care jeff and the kids, she gets to clean the house, do laundry, and make dinner. i think i need to do some more research on this subject, get jeff's input, but it just might work.

jeff has started working out...(did he see that i was thinking about getting another wife?) i am not going to let him get skinny before i do. i want to be in shape for our vacation in feb. we are going with the freeman brothers, their wives, and nathan and whoever he brings. i am going to be the youngest woman (by 5 years) in our group. but i am also the one with the most kids (bryan's wife has 2, and mike's has 1). i don't want to be the "fat one". so i am going to lose weight, and tone up. believe me, i will never, i mean NEVER, be in a bikini again. i just want to not scare small children when i get in a one piece.

1st full day, for my kids anyway

i'm still coming down from my "only have 6 kids in the house" high. today was the first full day-7:30am to 3:10pm-and it was awesome. ok, so i had to do playground duty for an hour and a half, but that's nothing! (playground duty definition: volunteering to go to school and watch the kids after lunch for play time) this included the entire school...pre-k thru 8th. they are all pretty good kids, fairly respectful for the most part. you will always have one or two that drive you crazy, but you will have that anywhere.

the girls are at a "high school musical 2 sleepover" tonight. crazy huh? i must say, as annoying as i may find the shows for kids on nick and disney, they are awesome for kids. you don't have to worry about any of the content or commercials. it isn't easy to find something that would entertain ages (almost)11 thru 2. they all love hannah montana, drake and josh, and zoey 101. it's pretty funny to see them all singing songs from these shows and dancing around the house! (even alex sometimes does)

my cousin, tim, left today. he had been staying with us since last saturday. he's a good kid, but definitely needs some guidance and a good kick in the a@@ to get him motivated. he is 17, a senior in high school, and has never had a job. now this wouldn't be a big deal to me if he was working hard on his grades, or in alot of after school activities, but he does NOTHING! he spent all summer at home. he gets bad grades. he has no ambition. he doesn't look adults in the eye when he speaks, he either looks at the ground or at his shoes. he has had trouble in school. i just don't know what to do with him. yeah, i know he's not my kid. but he is my cousin. when we went to see my aunt and uncle after tim was born, my uncle put him in my arms, and handed me the bottle. now coming from my uncle, this meant alot to me. his parents have always been there for me. my aunt babysat us when we were little, and this was before and after tim was born. i was 11 when he was born, and out of my 30 cousins, and 20 aunts and uncles on that side of my family, i am closest to them. i want to do right by them. i don't want my cousin to end up being one of those losers in warrenton you see smokin' meth and living in a run down trailer in a dump of a park. i hope my lecture about getting a job and figuring out what he wants to do in life, helped him.

and to rachel, and any of my supposed ssr's (secret stalker readers to any ssr that didn't find me thru rachel's site). thank you for reading. any comments would be appreciated. unless you are going to tell me i need to have another baby...seriously i think 5 is plenty of babies for this womb!

mish mash

i am counting down the days to my last school board meeting. yes, that's right, i was actually on the school board. of course it's pretty easy to get on there when no one else cares enough to run against you. since i was on the board, we have gotten a new playground (price tag $30,000), and have started a parade to the big BBQ Bash in May. i am on the playground committee, and we have had a pretty tough time. who would have thought that a playground for the kids would be such a divisive issue. i know it was a lot of money. unfortunately, our old playground was unsafe. in fact, while i was doing recess duty, i found a wood picket with a couple of rusty screws hanging out of it. now what would have happened if a little kid picked that up and started swinging it around? after that, the old playground was condemned (by an impartial 3rd party), and then taken down. our new one is pretty cool. the kids all play on it, k thru 8th. we have a pretty small school, only about 200 kids/100 families. thank goodness there were actually people who wanted to run this time. we had 5 people run for 3 two-year terms and then Msgr (our priest) picks one person to be on the board for 1 year. good luck people!

we have had a guest visiting us the past couple of weeks. this gray bird sits at the window by the kitchen table everyday, for hours. sometimes it sings to us, but for the most part it just watches. when you walk towards the window, it flies to the deck rail or the oak tree next to the deck. it's a plain looking bird. she has a light gray head and a dark gray body.

jeff is home from work today. his back has been bothering him again. he has been shoveling a bunch of rock...around our house, and his parents' pool. he is only 31, but he has a hard time doing a lot of physical stuff. and who knew that when you turn 30, you automatically get gray hairs? not on his head, but his chest and goatee. i have a little more than a year to find out if the same will be true for me.

ok, i need to call sara shuppert to wish her a belated happy birthday, and see if she is still up for joining a gym together. now that my feet are better, i can't wait to start working out again.