Emma is 10!

Today is Emma's Birthday. We are saving all the special stuff for Saturday when we do a ceramic painting party...but she did get to pick the place for dinner, so to the ihop we went.

Emma with the Smiley Face pancakes...

Goofing off with dad...

Nolan eating the leftovers...

My fam...

What to do....

What do you do with an old window frame? Why you get creative (ok, I stole the idea from a store) and put pictures where the glass went. This is something we are going to hang in Emma's room. I think I'll go back and paint yellow & green dots or something around the outside of the frames edge. Emma got her own digital camera for Christmas so she will be able to take pics and change them out herself.



This is one i did years ago and have up on the wall in our bedroom. The kids were still very little (3 and 5 I think) so I thought it would be great to have black and whites of the kids with prints to remember them by. I went out and found hand made linen paper and used a green that is in the bedspread.



I've also "used" their ideas about getting ceiling tiles and creating cork boards for Nolan's room and using a metal sheet, painting on it, drilling holes (my neighbor had to do this) in it, and hanging it in Emma's room (I also did one for my neice).

I think the store is onto me, I get people watching me as I take pics with my camera phone!! Oh well...

Christmas - the third time

Well, Saturday we went to my mom's house to do the Christmas thing. I was working a wedding that night i was about 1/2 hour later than I wanted to be to get Christmas started. Here is a pic of mom's tablescape. This is the same one - minus tree branches, that she used for her Sunday School dinner. OK, your not supposed to have competitions with your fellow SS attenders over tables, but believe me...it happens.

In this picture you can't really capture the ambiance, there were lights that ran along the table.



We had a lot of good food and conversation, then the kids excitement got too much and we headed in to open presents.

Mom got the three girls a pair of gloves, Amy and I got black and Ash got ruby red. So of course what else do you do with that?

Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil (have no fun)

We then opened our next gift which was pepper spray. Morgan ranked as one of the women this year and was given pepper spray also and of course the "Charlie's Angels" pose came to mind.

The new Charlie's Angels

Random acts of gifts.

you can't beat Under Armor!

What boys face doesn't light up at an Xbox 360... you would have thought it was a red rider BB gun!

There is just never enough dress up clothes!

Just plain havin' a good time.

CHRISTMAS MORN 2008

Well, since the kids are bigger and we've adapted the 3 present rule...let me go ahead and explain this so I don't get hate email. I heard a few years ago from a friend that they had gone to the three present rule. "Baby Jesus got three gifts for his birth...why should we get more?" Now, with extended family...your still bringing in a haul, so it's NOT as bad as it sounds; and yes technically Baby Jesus' gifts were in the realm of uber expensive. Anyhoo, the kids get to ask for three gifts. Now mind you they are 12 and 9 so the gifts can be fairly expensive. So far they pulled in a PSP, a new digital camera, PSP games, a desk, and games for the Wii (that Todd's side of the family bought the kids), and airsoft gun, Itunes gift card, gift card for more PSP games, Auburn shirts, Magnetix and a webkinz. This is all before we do the Christmas thing at my moms house on Saturday. When the kids were small and we thought we had to spend a lot of money, we became so disenchanted with Christmas morning because we realized the kids got stuff just to get stuff. They didn't really play with it all, it had been more because we felt that they needed more under the tree. Once the 'ol Santa thing was no longer believed in, we went to the 3 gift rule.

The first Christmas I spent with Todd's family it was like a wildlife experience. His brother and sister were still very young (Matt was three when we met and Megan was born that first year) the paper came flying off the presents at a horrific speed. A paper cut from one of the wrappings could cause you to have stitches. At my house, we had always taken turns so that everyone could see what you got and then you passed the wrapping paper to my dad who threw it into a trash bag. (This was our tradition for as long as I can remember, don't know if it actually worked when we were toddlers). Anyway, Todd has made fun of us for years, even though his brother and sister had to admit, most of the time they couldn't recall what they got once they had tossed the box to get to the next.

So here is Todd who has now conformed to our ways and Yemma is oblivious that Todd has charged her digital camera and has been taking pictures with it.

Of course the morning starts out with Christmas cheer and love. Here are Emma and Nolan expressing this... Todd and I have bets on how long it will last.

1st day of Christmas Break

I slept in until 10:00. I didn't know I could do that anymore. I figured I was starting to be like my dad who couldn't sleep in after 6:00 each morning because he had been getting up at that time for many years. (In retirement he can now sleep in for an extra 1/2 hour)

Anyway, The first thing that I find out is that Todd's G-ma Betty died in her sleep last night. She had been failing in her health but because we are so far from them I don't think that we realized how far she had gone. (She lived in Watertown, S.D.). He is still trying to figure out if he will be able to go to the funeral on Tuesday.

The glass guys are coming out to give us a quote on replacing the kitchen window that I shattered. (I'll tell the tale of how at a later time)

a look at the window

Emma and I went to see the Tale of Despereaux. She had read the book in school so we were waiting for the movie to come out. We met up with the Atherton's (beaus family) and some our other school friends to see the movie. Once it was over, we headed straight to Basketball practice.

The Atherton's are out of town for a few days so we are keeping beau again!

Got Talent??

My girl does!!!

Today started out with a basketball game at 10:00 as well as our art exhibit. Luckily they were both at Briarwood so we were able to sneak upstairs to see all the art after we took our team pictures and before the game started.

Emma picked out her dog picture and her sunset picture to be displayed.

We then hit the courts. Todd is one of the assistant coach's this year.



We were off to the 2nd performance of Holiday Show offs. I didn't get a picture of her in the first outfit they wore, but she was basically dressed like a candy cane. The second number was in the "overalls". They sang about sleeping on the hardwood floors, christmas cookies, and gettin' nothin' for Christmas.

(we couldn't take pics during the thing so i had to do it backstage)


Next, she was the top Ring of the 5 Golden Rings for the 12 days of Christmas song.



here are 3 of the 5 golden rings.


My red eye isn't working on the camera so this one isn't great, but you see how high up she was. The tree behind her was 10 feet.



We had friends come and see the show as well as her teacher.



It was a lot of hard work but we had a great time!

December

My December is crazy. I know, I know, you are all saying DUH, it's December. Well this one is the craziest one I've had in a long time. Emma is in a show called Holiday Show Offs, it is a derivative of her Summer Show Offs. The 3rd and 4th grade have most of the songs in this musical number so they are practicing Monday - Wednesday for the first two weeks of December. We are talking 2 hour practices. My night time supervisor is on vacation at the moment so i am having to supervise the night events at the Church. We had nursery on Wednesday night for the choir and then on Thursday night for a Visitor's Dinner. Today is Saturday and I am finally getting a little more of the Christmas decorations up. Emma, Cat (girl that works with me), and myself are headed to the BjCC tonight to catch a Christmas montage of songs from various recording artists such as Casting Crowns. Up early tomorrow as i have to be at work at 7:00 in the morning and then I have to work tomorrow night also. This Wed - Friday we have the walk through nativity at the church. It used to be a drive through but about the 4th year so many cars were coming through that there wasn't enough time in between scenes for everything so they changed it to a walk through. Now, you can stroll at your own pace and if you miss some of the story being told you can wait to hear it again. There are live animals in the scenes as well as a petting zoo for the younger ones. Coffee, Hot chocolate, and cookies are served in the fellowship hall. After this week my night supervisor should be back so the double shifts will be over with - PRAISE GOD.

Emma went home with a friend for a birthday part this friday, she has only done this once or twice before but those times were with people that knew more about her diabetes. I was a little freaked this time, and of course she forgot to call me before she ate dinner...but she did prick. I'm trying to get her to be more independent but i still need her to call me with a carb count and for me to make sure she has pricked. Maybe I will get the opportunity to go to Auburn after all!! We then went from that party to the Pelham Civic Center to watch her friend Caroline in an Ice Skating program.

Two days after Christmas we have a wedding that needs Nursery...yup, that's mine to do also.

CALGON ..... take me away. (if you remember this, your old like me)