Vacation #1 - Done

It's been a quick week....our first vacation week off from work this year.
It wasn't a vacation....

• trip to a quiet resort
• filled with romantic music or dancing
• filled with 100% privacy

But it was a vacation...

• in our new home and we had time to rest after being sick
• filled with time we spent sitting on the deck watching the sunset and making smores around the campfire
• where we spent time with family and grandkids
• that we ate out a few times, by ourselves and with friends and enjoyed each moment
• where we completed projects together and held hands while walking into Home Depot
• filled with together time and that's what count in my book!

I'm very thankful for this time and all it's blessings. Any "together" time we spend with our spouses will give us the opportunity to build our relationships stronger. We need to pray for each other's marriages and relationships. We are all truely blessed and I'm sure we're all anxiously awaiting those next vacations.

The good and bad of summer...

I LOVE these kids at school! As we are winding down the year, I realize just how much I'm going to miss these little guys. (The "bad" of summer.) Robert (4 yrs. old) and Sophie (5 yrs. old) just came to the office to bring me "Robert's Map." He has punched out the continents (from construction paper) and glued them onto a flat globe. They brought it to me to laminate. I told Robert (who was VERY proud) that is would take awhile for the laminator to get hot enough. He looked me, very concerned, and said, "but then I will go home." I assured him it would only take about 20 minutes and I'd be sure to get it back to him before noon. He also told me that his name was upside down on the back. I jokingly flipped over the map and said, "but the world would be upside down!" He just grinned and had this devilish sparkle in his eye. I said, "how about we just let your name be upside down?" He thought that would be best. I absolutely love being part of their learning world and seeing their pride in accomplishing these amazing tasks!! Where's a B.A. degree when you need it???

HI there

Hey ladies, just saying a quick HI as Bill feeds the girls their lunch. The weather has been so great, we've been working outside a lot and I am still trying to play catch-up from our trip so haven't had much time online. I am looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow for a nice visit! Looks like the weather should cooperate again!

Anway.......who watches Grey's Anatomy?!?!!>!> WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We will have to talk about that tomorrow as well! Man, what an ending!

See everyone tommorow!

Melissa ------

Strangely enough we did go swimming this past weekend.
I did debate weather or not to "suit up" - and I took the plunge and got
in with the girls, as it was the first time this year that Lauren had been in the pool she was very nervous.
I am glad I did -not of course to the whole of Massillon to see me- but to enjoy the time with the girls. Once I got in the water I felt much better. But even if I was as toned, minus the stretch marks and several more pounds i still would have been nervous.

But I say do it !!!!
I did, not for myself for my girls and we had a blast!!!!! and that is what counts!

Dr. Appointment

Just a quick update -

Went to the doc this morning and everything went well. The pregnancy test we took there showed positive very quickly and very strong - she said that's a really good sign of high hormone levels. . .that and my nausea. . .yay me! She said all signs point to higher hormone levels than last time which is great news. We have not scheduled an ultrasound yet. We are going to wait and see how we feel as we get closer to 9 weeks, which is where we were last time. If we really are feeling anxious, she said there's no problem scheduling it as long as we're ok with paying. At 11 weeks, we hear the heartbeat, so if we can make it to that - I think we've done well! We're just taking it one GOOD step at a time! Wanted to update you all!

And we're off...

Well gang, at about 11 pm tonight Bill, the girls and I are heading out for Charleston, SC. Bill's brother is getting remarried on Saturday evening. I hope all goes well. He went through a nasty divorce about 4 years ago. This new woman is the only serious woman he's dated since. They are both strong-headed and opinionated. Bill's family is worried that he's getting married again just so he's not alone. He just says "we are compatible". I hope he finds happiness. She's a nice girl, but has already had some "issues" with the family. They are getting married on a boat, I hope nobody ends up getting thrown overboard. I am so thankful for my wonderful husband (frustrating as he is sometimes).
I may or may not have time to blog while away, probably during the girls naps or something. If not, see you on the other side!!

Do I Have To?

Ok, here's a scary thought to me. Anna's been taking swimming lessons (started last week) and wants me to take her swimming tomorrow after school. This means that I must finally face the swimsuits in my closet...HELP! I haven't even looked at them, much less try them on. And she wants me to wear one in public??!! As I get older, nature is NOT kind to me! This is cruel and unusual punishment for moms. Is anyone else dreading the approaching season as much as me?

Jen-I think you should call and ask them if they do that for
anyone who has lost in the past -have you called to check ?
Maybe they would move up your first ultra sound and then give
you anther later if you want to find out the sex of the baby?
They gave me two but all insurances are different so not sure-

Need Your Thoughts

Ok girls. So Em and Melissa asked me about my preg. update and first appointment, etc. My first appointment is Monday. I'll be almost 6 weeks by then. Em and Melissa both asked if I would be getting an ultrasound at 8 weeks, especially for my peace of mind. I know it's not covered by my insurance and the cost would be $200 out of pocket. Sue - did you have an ultrasound at 8 weeks? Do you ladies think I should ask for one and just pay for it? I have to admit, I would love to have one and see the baby and ease my worries, but am not sure what to do.

Update on the teacher situation. He's leaving the school. There were other circumstances as well, but I'm still saddened that he's going. This was going to be Anna's first grade teacher and she loved him! He's so good with the kids and it makes me sad to think that he doesn't believe he did a good enough job. Anna has been going to "first grade" on Friday mornings and I just don't know how I'll tell her that there will be someone new. I just keep reminding myself that I'm happy with our decision to keep her there--I still believe highly in their method of teaching! I know she'll be fine. So, for all you educators--keep up the good work!!! You DO make a difference to lots of kids!

Wet Oatmeal Kisses

Hey Melissa, is this the "Wet Oatmeal Kisses" poem you were talking about? VERY NICE, and I have a feeling.....oh so true!

http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/texts/topics/children/wetoatmealkisses.shtml

Happy Monday to all
Hope everyone is doing well--
We had a great weekend, I went shopping for furniture for Jeff's
new house, it is wonderful that he's officially home.
We are thankful that he will now be able to
enjoy some small things like coming over a few times a week and spending time with the girls
and also his mom. We visited his new house yesterday with the girls and they loved it!!
He will be eventually getting a dog and maybe even a trampoline( the girls are never going to want to leave his house!!!)-
But today's blog is about being thankful for what I have.
The time we spend with our friends and family, the memories we make, the fun we have in life.
I am glad that we have a place to be able to share our joys and good days with each other, and also place to be able to vent and get all that is bothering us out it helps me see that while life could always be better it also be far worse----Love to all have a good day!!!!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!

It's on!!! WE'RE PREGNANT AGAIN!!!! This time, it's going to be great and we're going to have a beautiful, healthy baby come January 2010. We appreciate AS MANY PRAYERS AS YOU CAN MUSTER!! :) Love you!

Dieting Tip

I certainly should be the last person giving dieting tips! Geez, I've struggled alot with this. However, I have one great tip! Don't listen to your kids!!! My little "angel" said to me this week (in the middle of my weight-loss campaign I have going) "Hey, mom, you know what would be REALLY good? If we got brownies with ice cream..." See what I mean? Don't listen to the kids! Just for the record, we did NOT get the brownies and ice cream! :-)

So, have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE Anna's school? They have the coolest things for the kids to do--I want to go to school all over again! Thought I'd post a fun picture from Tuesday--it was Cinco de Mayo, you know! One of the "stations" in the classroom was a "Make-Your-Own-Taco" stand, complete with the outfit!!! Anna has never eaten a taco in her life, but maybe now I can convince her to make a run for the border with me!

Best gifts

Well, a day after the big 32. My b-day was nice. I am constantly reminded of the gifts we get everyday, not just the one's that come around as a celebration of a special occassion. An old friend that now lives in Indiana was in town for a few days so she came yesterday and visited with the girls and I for about 5 hrs. What fun! Bill took me out to dinner, but 2 potential babysitters fell through, so the girls went with us. They were complete angels in the restaurant and it was great to have them with me. The absolute BEST PART of my day was after I got the girls up in the morning and dressed Bill put them in our room and told me to wait a few mintues before I came in. When I walked it, both of the girls were holding a card for me.....complete with drool and slobber because they had been chewing on them. HOW PERFECT.

So, as I am 32 plus 1 day, I blog this......we may be a year older, a few lbs off where we want to be, a few $$$ in debt, a couple hours behind schedule, but at least we have each other and a lot of people that love us and give us priceless gifts every day!

Wow I actually did it this is my first official blog!
Does anyone know where the word came from? If you do I would be interested to know-
I had a crazy day today and can not wait to get home! Hope all are doing well.
FYI the girls will be at moms this weekend as I am going to help our friend Jeff
buy furniture for his new house.
I love to spend someone else's money HA HA--

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday to Emily!!! Hope your day is great!

I wish you enough

I recently took 2 classes through Walsh University and the first one was really amazing. Through many studies, stories, theories, etc., I learned a whole new way of thinking about life - and it's really not that new. The class was called Life Power - and it focused on reducing stress, the power of the positive mind, etc. I learned calming breaths to help me stop negative thoughts or calm my mind down in a bad/stressful situation. One of the stories we read was the one I'm linking you to. You may have heard it before, but it's worth another read.

I wish you ENOUGH, girls!
http://www.bobperks.com/wish.htm

Jen

Surprises

So, a bit of unfortunate news at school/work today. Something I was not expecting! I've had time to stew about it, think about it, analyze it...all those things you do when you're taken by surprise. This isn't something that's directly affecting me, but it will affect Anna next school year. In the grand scheme of things, it's not earth-shattering, but leads me back to an all too frequent question. (You educators will LOVE this!) Why is it that more and more parents today are refusing to take RESPONSIBILITY for their own kids' actions (or lack of actions!) It seems that their answer is, "it must be the teacher's fault"--when did this happen? Do you guys remember when you wouldn't have DREAMED of getting in trouble at school because it was 10 times worse when you got home?? Apparently, this has fallen by the wayside. We had the unfortunate event of a few parents harshly criticizing a teacher and completely upsetting this person. A WONDERFUL, CARING teacher, by the way, in their first year at the school. I'm just livid that these so-called "professionals" are behaving like 10 year olds. Why don't we look to our kids to explain why they didn't do well on their test scores and teach them responsibility for actions; or better yet, look to ourselves as parents and ask "are we doing all that we can and helping our children the best we can?" Hopefully, all is not totally lost and this teacher will reconsider staying at the school. I hope!! Thanks for listening--it was a trying day!

Strong Friends

HI all, here is a link to an online article I read a week or so ago....about the power of friends in our lives, especially strong female friendships. As I read the article I found myself thinking of the friends I have that fit each of these categories. Hopefully you think of the friends that fit each category too. And, if you don't have a strong female friend that fits a category, I encourage you to meet someone and welcome her into your inner circle of friends. http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/simple-moments-of-joy/articleglamour.aspx?cp-documentid=18764660

I think we all know how important friends are, but we just don't realize how much we come to depend on them for so many things. There are the ones we are silly with, serious with, creative with......or the ones we just love to sit around and talk trash with. Sometimes, the friend covers more than one category.

As we each struggle to deal with our daily lives (kids up at 2 am, trying for babies, struggling with finances, wanting to lose weight, find a new job, preparing to move etc).....I hope we all remember that our friends are there to support us and lift us up.....but also to sometimes provide an escape and forget about those things for awhile.

Have a great day!
love,
Em

Recipe

OK - so this has been a HUGE fav for Matt and I - and it's SO EASY! There are easy ways to vary it, so I'll put those in ( )s. You can totally make this healthy by using low fat soup, cheese and limit the tortillas or chips!
Enjoy!!
CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
1 lb, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips (we use Tyson Fajita Chicken Strips - 3 packages)
2 cans cream of chicken soup - 103/4 oz cans
1 soup can water
1 cup salsa
1 15 oz can of black beans
2 cups frozen corn
1 tsp. cumin
4 6" corn tortillas, cut into strips (or - don't use these and serve with tortilla chips!)
1 cup cheddar cheese (or the fun taco or mexican cheese!)
3/4 cup fresh cilantro

Mix in chicken, soup, water, salsa, beans, corn and cumin. Cook in slow cooker (crockpot) on low for 4.5-5 hours (or on high from 2-2.5 hours on high) - or until chicken is cooked through (if you use Tyson strips - it shouldn't take as long). Then add tortillas, cheese and cilantro. Cook for 15 more minutes on low. Serve and enjoy!

Not sure how many servings it makes. We devour it.

remote...

I'm so NOT awake yet. Maybe not a good time to try blogging?
Madeline was up again last night at 2am and was up at 6am.
She's talking to the tv remote on the floor and probably leaving some teeth marks on it.
We're leaving this morning for another trip to Mount Vernon... this time for dr. appts.
Thank goodness Gram has agreed to watch Maddie while I get my eyes checked and Emily and I get our teeth cleaned.

OK... Madeline now has the tv on...

Children are a blessing.
Jenny, I know you and Matt will be blessed soon.

Things are good with all of us here...
We're still have high hopes of getting a house this summer.
Tony really likes teaching in Mount Vernon and I'm hoping for an interview soon for an elementary job in Mount Vernon, too.

Well, the morning MUST start.
Happy Cinco de Mayo to all ... and to all... a good day!