Really?

First, air really costs money? 75 cents? Really?

And the most unbelievable part for me is that the air machine takes debit and credit cards!

I could not believe that! Wow!

Front Tooth is out Finally

Just this past Saturday, Allison finally lost one of her front teeth. It had been just hanging in her mouth for about a week. She pulled it out herself.

Now, she can sing "All I Want for Christmas is my one Front Tooth!"

Very Cute Allison Moment

This happened a few weeks ago, but it is STILL very fresh in my mind.

I was helping Allison dry off after her shower, and she looked up and gave me a kiss and then she said,

"You're a good mommy!"

Oh, my heart melted. And all my problems, struggles, and stress from that day disappeared in that one moment and in that one powerful statement from a sweet little girl.

Collin is Playing Ball

Brad and I debated whether to let Collin play basketball this year at the Effingham Rec Center. He really wanted to play, so we decided we would let him try it. He is loving it. Plus, I think he is gaining some good experience, both game experience and handling his emotions experience.

His team is doing pretty well. They won their first two games, and they lost their third game by just 2 points. He looks forward to Thursday each week. (He starts counting down the hours as early as Sunday night.)

Yeah! "Snow Day"

First of all, I can't believe it has been over a month since I posted anything. Can you tell that the busy time of year is here?

Anyway, today is our first snow day of the school year. I know there is no snow, but evidently it was very slick this morning. Actually, my first phone call this morning was from my principal saying we were going on a one-hour delay schedule. Then, about 30 minutes later, he called back and said we weren't going at all.

So, I took that as a sign to catch up on my blogging. So, get ready!

Future Radio Personality "Collin the Commentator"

A couple of weeks ago, Collin was selected by the principal to go to the local radio station and record a commercial (public service announcement) for School Board Members Day. The superintendent took Collin and a junior high student to the radio station last Tuesday to record their parts.

The announcement is supposed to run from November 5-15. He thought that this was really a neat thing. He was so excited, but he admitted he got a little nervous at the station.

Some people have said that they think Collin has a future in broadcasting because of his love of the art of talking. Who knows - maybe this is the first step to a long, fulfilling career!

He can say it all started with an ad on the radio!

Tagged

I was tagged by Jessica about two weeks ago. So, I am a little slow, but here it goes.

So, here are the rules...

1. Post the rules on your blog.

2. Write 6 random things about yourself

3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post (or however many you want)

4. If you are tagged, just do it, and pass the tag along!!

Enjoy!!!

1. I still love to sleep late. I know that I should be more grown up and get up a decent time on my own. But when I get the chance (which is not very often), I still LOVE to sleep late.

2. Each night Allison likes to lie in our bed to fall asleep, and she asks me to lie down with her. I love that, and I know it won't last forever. So, I cherish those moments!

3. I really do enjoy teaching. Now, don't get me wrong, there are days when I really don't like my job or at least some part of it, but for the most part I enjoy the teaching profession, and I really do enjoy the kids.

4. I am such a lucky gal. I have four of the best friends in all the world. And, they each represent a different part of my life. One is, of course, my husband. He is a very important part of my daily life, and I can't imagine life without him. Another one is Jessica (who tagged me). She is so important to me; she is always there for me when venting is required (hehe), and she is just such an all-around sweet person. And she represents my daily life here in our community. Another one is Andrea. I work with her, so she represents that part of my life. Andrea is so supportive (also available for venting), and our thinking is so alike it is almost scary sometimes. My job is even more enjoyable because of her. And, the fourth one is Staci. Staci and I have been friends since high school, so she represents that part of my life. We have remained close friends through attending separate colleges and through homes that are 4 to 5 hours apart. I treasure the times we do get to see one another. We still talk on the phone once a week. (we have done that since we went to college) She is so trustworthy and dependable. We have always told each other everything. So, like I said I am one lucky gal!

5. I catch myself sometimes watching and actually enjoying some of our kids' favorite shows on nickelodeon and disney. (I have even continued watching a show after the kids have left the room.) Sad, isn't it?

6. I still love to go back home (my parents' house) and spend the weekend. I love to visit with them, I love to go places with them, and I love how they enjoy our children. I don't think I could respect anyone more than I respect Mom and Dad.

I only have two people to tag, but I look forward to their responses.

So, I tag Felicia and Greg. (same blog but I hope you both do it)

Proud Parents

It has been forever since I last posted anything. Life is so busy! So, I thought that our proud parent moment from this week would make a great comeback into blogland.

Report cards came home this week from school. This is the first year that Collin actually gets "real" letter grades, so he was very excited. (Really, not joking, he likes school and strives to do well) So, we are proud to say that Collin received all A's for the first quarter. He even got one A+ in math, of course. (his father's influence) Plus, he earned an O in penmanship, which I later discovered stands for outstanding. Wow, what a boy! We couldn't ask for anything more from him.

Allison's report card was great as well. In first grade, they don't do the letter grades, but they do G for very good, S for Satisfactory, and N for needs improvement. She has all G's except for one S+ in penmanship. We are so proud of her! She loves school, too. Wow, what a girl! We couldn't ask for anything more from her.

In addition, Allison had perfect attendance for first quarter! Collin went to school every day, but had to miss a couple hours on two different days for orthodontist appointments, so he didn't get perfect attendance. But, that is quite an accomplishment for kids this age. I hope we can continue all year. (Collin is a little disappointed about the attendance thing since he had perfect attendance last year.)

I really need to remember moments like this when I get irritated by some of their other behaviors. They are, after all, pretty good kids.

An AWFUL Awakening

There is nothing like being awakened from a deep sleep late at night by your young child who needs to go to the bathroom. I, of course, in a drowsy state, just told her to go. She did go, but had a few issues...... She hollers for me; I holler at her dad since he was still awake in the other room....this next part is classic.

Dad goes to the bathroom door, looks in briefly but does not enter the battle zone, and then turns to me and says, "This is going to require you."

I get up, still half asleep, and was quickly brought to full awake when I see piles of poop in my bathroom floor. Bless her heart, she tried to make it, and she was sitting on the toilet. There was poop everywhere, and there was a lot of it!

After much time cleaning her, the toilet, her pajamas, and of course the floor, I went back to bed. Brad brought supplies to the door, talked about the awful smell, and lit a candle in our room. What a trooper!

Another Collin-ism

Collin so boldly proclaimed to both his dad and me this weekend that once you're 30, you don't have any fun. (Unless of course you are playing with your kids - nice clarification, Son!)

Then, he went on to say that life is pretty much over at 40. So, I guess we better get busy having no fun since our lives will be over in less than a decade.

What a kid! We sure do love him, but his views are a bit distorted on some things.

Celebrations

I have really gotten behind with my blogging and with everything else, too!

So, in catching up, I need to send a few birthday wishes.

My best friend all the way back to high school is Staci. She lives in the northern part of Illinois. Although we don't see other that often, we have continued to talk on the phone once a week through college and beyond. Everyone just knows that Sunday night is "Staci night." Anyway, her oldest son, Justin, turned eight last week. So, Happy Birthday, Justin!

Next, my cousin Greg has a birthday today. He was an usher in our wedding. He is so funny and easy to talk to. He is just an all-around great guy! So, Happy Birthday, Greg!

Happy 9th Birthday, Collin

My oh my, how time flies! In this picture, I think Collin was 4 years old. (and they actually look like they liked each other)



I am a little saddened by this birthday because I realized that this is his last year in single digits. But I am so proud of the boy he has become and I look forward to many more proud moments as he continues to grow.

Happy Birthday, Collin Trey!

Collin Quote of the Day

Most days when I ask my almost 9-year-old son about his day at school, I usually get a response like, "It was good." But every once in a while, he just brings something up on his own. Today was one of those days...

While Jessica was cutting Collin's hair, Collin, Jessica, and I were discussing headaches. (I get bad headaches, and I think I passed that along to Collin.) Anyway, I said that we should send medicine with his Dad to school, and then came the Collin quote of the day...

"I wouldn't be able to go get any medicine from him because if you're not bleeding, barfing, or dying, then you just sit back down."

Evidently, his teachers have used that comment more than once. That just cracked me up. I think I will have to steal that one.

RHJH Softball

The Red Hill Junior High softball team placed second at state this past weekend. Way to go, girls!

Happy Birthday, Andrea!

I just wanted to send a birthday wish to my "Grayt" friend, Andrea! Her birthday was Monday. Although she did have to work on her birthday, I made her classroom very festive. Anyway, I sure hope she enjoyed her day and continues to enjoy her birthday week. The celebration never ends!

Prayers Please

As many people know already, I have a former student who is battling cancer. She just graduated from junior high last year. At this time last year, she was a happy-go-lucky 8th grader enjoying school and playing basketball. I can still remember talking with her and joking around every day at lunch. ( I have lunch duty with the 8th grade class each day.)

But then, in late November, she became ill. They soon discovered that her illness was much worse than they ever imagined. Right after Thanksgiving last year, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

This young lady, Melissa, is an amazing girl! She is so intelligent, hard-working, kind, and caring. She is probably the most respectful junior high student I have ever taught. Plus, her faith and love for the lord is truly awesome.

Melissa and her family have been through a lot these last 10 months. The treatments, the traveling to receive treatment, and the weight of the illness itself are unbelievable. I am not completely sure of the current status of her illness, but I believe that she is experiencing a very tough time.

She has been on my mind a lot lately. I really have trouble understanding things like this. I just thought that a few extra prayers might help. So, please pray for this young girl.

The Cubs Clinch the Division

YES! The Cubbies did it! Our family is very excited. We are big Cub fans.

Way to go, Cubbies!

Allison Sings "Keep on the Sunny Side"

Here is the video. (I will apologize in advance for the video quality - Mom's shaky hands!)

You might want to scroll down to the bottom of this page and stop the music player before you start the video.

Allison sings again

Allison sang the special at church again this morning. She sang "Keep on the Sunny Side of Life." We are so proud of her; she did a great job. We really appreciate all the kind comments and words of encouragement from everyone at church.

I am in the process of trying to upload the video to Godtube - very slow process.

I will post the video here too when I finally get it uploaded.

"Cooking" with Allison

We were fixing a quick lunch on Saturday, so Allison picked out what she calls "A Kids Meal." These are the frozen tv dinners called Kid Cuisine. My kids really like them. Allison thinks she is "The Cook" and wants to push the microwave buttons.

On Saturday, she actually questioned my cooking skills and wanted to read the box herself! My response = "I know how to cook - I can read the instuctions on the box!!!"

Perhaps I am not doing my full motherly duties if she thinks cooking is reading the box instructions. But then again, maybe I am just giving her life lessons in reality. Sometimes that is all we can do!

Whatever the case, it was still a pretty cute mother/daughter moment.

Football, Soccer, Cubs, and a Wedding

That sounds like a great movie title!!!!! But actually it was just a quick roundup of our weekend!

Friday night was of course the football game. Brad worked at the game, Dale took Collin and sat in our reserved seats that Brad won in the raffle, and Allison and I heard the game while we had a mommy/daughter special evening at home.

Then, bright and early on Saturday morning started this year's soccer games. Collin played at 8:00 and Allison at 11:00. I will have to remember to take my camera next week so I can try to post some pictures.

Then, the family went two different directions for the rest of the weekend. Brad and Collin headed to Cincinatti to watch the Chicago Cubs play on Sunday. Collin was not very pleased that they blew it in the ninth inning.

Allison and I headed to my parents' house and then on to a wedding with them. My cousin got married. We then spent the day with them on Sunday.

All in all, it was a good weekend. They always seem so short, and I never feel like I get everything accomplished that I should. I did enjoy spending quality time with Allison and with my parents.

Plus, I was happy to see some of my aunts and uncles that I don't get to see too much any more. My aunt, the mother of the bride, brought me something special from my childhood. An old friend of hers had seen a book at a yard sale recently and saw my name in it. So, she got it and gave it to my aunt and she gave it to me this weekend. How cool is that? It was my book when I was a little girl, and it still had my bookmark in it. Allison really like that!

Daily Irritation

Life can be irritating DAILY! I get so mad about little things some times! (such as Collin going to the orthodontist TWICE in about an eighteen hour period = incompetence) I can get myself all stressed out over things that really don't matter. Does anyone else do that?????? Or am I the only looney one around here? I know I am doing it, but I just can't stop myself in the midst of my own tiny little crisis!

But then later when I take a breath and put things in perspective, I begin to realize that I should appreciate the blessings in my life and not focus on all the struggles and stress. There are so many that have much tougher struggles than me - Just this week a little girl at my school lost her daddy. I am lucky I still have my parents as a very important part of my life. And I am so lucky my children are healthy instead of battling cancer like another child at my school.

Sorry for rambling on.....I guess this is my therapy for tonight since it was raining and I couldn't go for a walk/talk with my pals!

I must remind myself that life is short - Cherish every moment - and of course, eat dessert first!

Allison Sings about the "Good Ol' Days"

Allison sang "Grandpa, Tell Me 'Bout the Good Ol' Days" by the Judds. Her grandpa played the guitar as she sang the special at the Sunday morning service in early May. This is a very precious memory for me, so I decided to share the video here. (I apologize for the quality of the video - I am not good at it and I believe I was crying most of the way through the song!)

She practiced all week long and memorized all the words. We were so proud of her. She loves to sing and loves music and dancing.

She will be singing the special at church again in a few weeks. Grandpa will also play the guitar along with her. (I think he gets more nervous than she does.)

Happy Birthday, Friend!

I just wanted to send happy birthday wishes to my good friend (bestest friend), Jessica! We won't mention her age! (hehe)

Brad and I just returned home today from a small trip to Champaign with Bill and Jessica. We had a terrific time! Thanks for the invite, Bill. And yes, Jessica, I truly believe all of the surprises (or "lies" as you call them) are now officially over.

We hope you had a great birthday and a great weekend.

We were so happy to be a part of this very special birthday!

We Have Arrived!

After much "encouragement" and even more assistance, we have started a blog. We are just beginners. I hope to improve with each learning experience.