O' Christmas Tree

Artificial tree vs. Real tree - Real tree you get the good smell and the upkeep of watering it. Artifical tree you get the joy of looking for where the pre-lit lights plug into each other.

Happy Thanksgiving

So many things to be thankful for this year. God, family, health, a roof over our heads, friends sum up the most for me.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Here We Go

You know it's not good when you hear one of your kids say "Mooooommmm" in that pitiful voice. This came from David last night as he was getting "sick" in bed. Since last night, I have washed 4 loads of clothes/bedding. Praying this is just a 24 hour bug.

Do Over

As we were getting ready to head to school, Ethan was telling me that there were only 2 days of school this week. He said "We have a re-do week at school". That made me laugh and ponder at the same time. Can I have a re-do week or re-do day? Sometimes it would come in handy.

Proud Mommy Time

Just wanted to share some photos from the week. In the top photo, Ethan and Josh are leading the Cub Scout Pack in the Cub Scout Promise. Ethan received his Bobcat that night. In the middle photo, David is headed out the door to his 7th grade band concert. He plays the baritone. I didn't get to attend since Ethan wasn't feeling good. They played 3 long songs, one of them was the soundtrack for "Lord of the Rings". In the bottom photo, Noah is ready to play his Alto Sax in the 5th grade concert. They played an assortment of learning songs. All in all, proud mommy moments and another busy week for our family.

1st of the school year

Ethan has come down with a cold - the first one for our house this school year. So far, no fever, just stuffy nose and a cough. As I went over the instruction of coughing and sneezing into your elbow, he informed me that the kids that sit by his desk don't do that, they just cough and sneeze on him and others. Nice. I so dread winter for this reason. Last school year, one of my 3 boys was in the doctor's office on average 1x a week from November to March. I joined them for my turn in February. Time to stock up on Vitamin C.

Weekend of Scout Events

This weekend has been full of scout events for our household. David had a Boy Scout campout that included hiking 6 miles with his full pack on and the weather wasn't really good either. He hiked in rain all day Saturday in about 40 degree weather at its warmest. Saturday evening was a Cub Scout Pack meeting where Ethan received his Bobcat. This is the first rank advancement in Cub Scouts. Noah's patrol also participated in the pack meeting with a skit. On Monday we are taking a group to tour the Toyota factory in KY - no school day for us. Whew! I'm looking forward to Tuesday when the house is all mine :)

Are you happy?

I am slowly catching on that David will open up and talk to me about anything if I'm in a good mood. Last night as I was getting Ethan to bed, David came in his room and said he wanted to hang out with us. After a few minutes of goofing off, he asks if I'm happy now. Me being me, says I'm o.k. He then lets me in on who is new girlfriend is - yep one of the girls that came to our door on Tuesday. I did have the grace to say, she is welcome to come over - just give me advance notice. I'm taking baby steps with this new world. Part of me wants to hold on tight and the other is ready to let him go take small steps into growing up.

Don't Open That Door

Today was a cold, dreary day. I was expecting a friend to stop this afternoon and upon hearing our door bell ring, assumed it was her. David got to the door before me and informed me that it was for him. Being the concerned (nosy) mom that I am, I peeked over his shoulder to see 2 girls standing on our porch. I didn't know them, didn't know they were stopping by, therefore I became Momma Bear. I didn't really want David hanging out with them, so I didn't invite them in. I had him talk to them outside. I know, not showing God's love at all there. It really bugged me that they came over, so I began to think if I did things like that in junior high. Yep, I did. I decided to bring him in within 10 minutes. Apparently I didn't scare the girls off, they showed up as we were sitting down to dinner. Help me now - I may not make it through junior high.

Green Dragons Tourney

The soccer season came to an end today for Noah. His team placed 2nd and went to the state S.A.Y. tournament in Milford. They played a rather rough (read: pushing, elbowing) team with a loud coach. Noah's team, the Green Dragons, played well but lost 3-2. The tournament field is bigger than regular play and they played 11v11. I am very proud of Noah for all of the running he did with asthma. Next up: Basketball!

What's my role?

I am pondering my role as my parents' daughter today. I have gone from needing them to drive me places and taking care of my needs to now going to the doctor with them and asking questions they would not think of. My dad saw a neurologist today for "the shakes". He has been experiencing depression/anxiety for at least 2 years or more and has developed tremors. This was the first time I went to a doctor appointment with my parents. I felt as if I should have a medical degree to answer the questions or at the very least, a copy of his file from his family doc. It was heartbreaking to listen to my dad try to answer or comprehend what the doctor was saying. Even more was that I had to answer my dad's questions of "When am I getting that MRI?" and "When do I see him (doctor) again?" three times before getting in my car to go home.

You see, my dad was a very large man when I was growing up. I mean large in size and has lost a huge amount of weight without trying - he at times as lost 10lbs in one week. This started the depression since no doctor could determine why he was losing weight. I have watched my dad go from a hard, factory worker to a depressed, no energy man. Our family doesn't always want to go to Papaw's house because he is never upbeat and is always complaining about shaking. I think what bothers me the most is that my boys don't have active grandparents in their lives. My parents live about 15 minutes away and my in-laws are in Florida. This saddens me very much.

Prayers for our family would be appreciated. Prayers for my role as daughter are coveted.

Exercise your Right

Election Day is upon us and soon all of the election ads will stop. For that, I am thankful. I am also thankful that we can vote without fear. I may disagree with you and you may disagree with me on who we think is the best President, but we both can vote with freedom. I have tried to stress to my boys how unique this campaign has been. I was excited to hear that my 5th grader will get to "vote" at school on the Presidential election and my 1st grader gets to "vote" to accept Heifer International as their mission. I have already voted and look forward to the outcome.