We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, ... and a happy New Year! :)

I can't believe it is already the 11th of December. My friend Tricia and I went to Oklahoma City a few Saturdays ago and I was able to get a lot of our Christmas shopping out of the way. That makes it sound like a chore I dislike, which is not the case. I enjoy Christmas shopping, especially for the kids. And it felt good to make so much progress. Still have some to go, of course, but the kids are done.

One of my paper route customers was very sweet and baked us some muffins and bread. Very yummy! I would like to bake cookies for our friends this year. I've always had thoughts of doing that but have yet to make it happen. I feel a little more on top of things so far this year, though, so we'll see. As for Christmas cards, well, if those don't get out at least I have a different excuse this year. I do not have access to all of my addresses at the moment. I keep them on my Palm Pilot, but I let the batteries run out on it. Usually that's not a problem because everything is saved on the computer as well so I just download it back on. However, we got a new computer around last Christmas -- gee, has it been a year ago already?? -- and we never loaded the software onto it. And then, we packed up everything we own to move into this new house and have not yet unpacked the box with all our computer stuff in it. Thus, I am address-less. Crazy, isn't it? I think I'll keep a hard copy from now on!

My dad has been in the hospital for the past week and a half. Actually, he went home today. He went to the VA hospital the Monday before last to sign up for medical care in hopes of getting help for his knee (he needs knee replacement surgery). Well, while he was there, he mentioned that he'd been having shortness of breath so they did some chest x-rays and were surprised to find water in his lung! They immediately admitted him to the hospital and there he stayed. They were able to get the water out but are still not sure of the cause. At any rate, please keep him in your prayers.

What are your holiday plans?? We are going to Texas to visit with Greg's side of the family. I just got my paper route covered today so I'm pretty happy. I love my route but it's hard to find a sub, especially over holidays! My boss at my testing job is going to fill in for me. She did Thanksgiving, too. I am very grateful and I hope that it will not interfere with her holiday plans at all.

Earlier this week we got some snow and ice! Today it's mostly gone, but yesterday there were still some patches of snow and slick spots here and there. The base had delayed reporting on Tuesday so Greg was around to help with getting the kids ready. That was great; I could really get used to it! :) They are predicting a nice weekend but worse weather for next week -- freezing rain and sleet. I wouldn't mind so much if I didn't have to get out in it in the middle of the night!

The town of Waukomis has a tiny little park with very old rusty metal equipment (slide, broken swings, monkey bars) that they have decided to update. This was exciting news in itself! But here's the cool part: four different playground sets were chosen and the children of Waukomis got to vote on which one to purchase! The vote took place at a town council meeting Wednesday night and only the kids got to vote, no adults! There were probably about 20 kids there, give or take a few. The set that won was the one Susannah and Makaley voted for. Most people I heard state their preference had chosen that one, too, so maybe it was an easy decision. It was a cool experience and I'm glad our girls got to participate.

Well, I'd better post this. I have to make my posts long in case I don't get another one written for a while!

Well, the holidays are upon us. I am very excited. Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I still have to pack for our trip, and we are leaving in the morning. Yes, I seem to have waited until the very last minute again, but well, my mom always says I work best under pressure.

Sammy & Pejo went home almost three weeks ago. I miss them alot. We all do. It's amazingly quiet around here these days. Their family is finally reunited, and that's a good thing. Andy got home from Iraq almost a week and a half ago. We'll get to see them this weekend.

I hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. And after that, let the Christmas carols play nonstop! There is a station here that has already started playing all Christmas, all the time. I love it! :)

Happy Holidays!

Mouse #2

Well, Cuddles captured his second mouse this morning. I can only hope he's finding these things in the garage and not in the house. I haven't seen any current evidence of mice like droppings or anything. But, Greg did install the cat door on the door between the garage and the house so it's likely he's finding them out there and bringing them in. This one was rather small, about the size of our last pet mouse, Comet. It was already dead when I saw Cuddles flopping it around in the hallway, at least. (For my sake, that was good. I didn't feel the need to run and hide that way.) It was 2:30 am and I was heading out to do my paper route at the time and couldn't coax the kitty out the front door. Greg was too asleep to get up and handle it so I figured we'd deal with it in the morning. Well, I forgot all about it while doing my route. Sammy found it, though! She was the first one in the bathroom and she walked in and right back out in a hurry. :) She was a good sport, though, and got a laugh out of it. Then we all gathered in the hall to watch Greg carry it out by the tail. What an exciting life, huh?

Nail Polish Episodes

One Saturday afternoon several weeks back, Sammy and Pejo were gone to their Nannie's for the weekend, and Susannah and Makaley and I were sitting around painting each other's nails. Greyson came up and asked if he could paint his, too. I hated to leave him out, but I told him that only girls paint their nails. Instead of being offended, however, he said then, "Can I paint your nails?" Well, of course, there was no way I could deny him that after he'd been so sweet and understanding. Plus, I was impressed with his line of thought! So, I agreed. Well, Greyson, as you may know, is quite the artist so he was not content to paint with just one color, nor was it a quick project. By the time he was done, my fingernails (and a significant amount of my fingers themselves) were pretty much tie-dyed. And of course, the finger nail polish remover is nowhere to be found. But hey, it was a good conversational piece, right? And I discovered that a shower will remove the excess polish so by the next morning, my nail job was perfect.

A couple of weeks ago on a Friday morning, Greyson and Pejo woke up super early, but I just had to get a little more sleep. I turned on a movie for them and proceeded to doze in the recliner. Apparently, the movie I chose didn't draw them in. I was in and out of sleep for a while, but was soon awakened by the boys with a request to admire their latest handiwork. A new drawing, you think? A tower of blocks, perhaps? Well, no, not exactly. With these two, you don't leave anything you don't want messed with in view, much less in reach. I guess we girls forgot this after the last nail-painting session and accidentally left some polish on the edge of the counter. When I sat up and looked at them, both boys were proudly sporting prettied-up toenails! They were positively beaming. I regret that I did not get a picture that very day, but alas, it is not too late. I still have not located the nail polish remover, but since they usually wear tennis shoes, I didn't search too hard and have left it on their toes to wear off. Surely it will, eventually ... Seems to me, the girls' polish hardly lasts three days, but of course, the stuff just will not leave the boys' toes. What am I going to do with those two? :)

Too Funny!

Yesterday morning in church, Susannah and Samantha were getting ready to start that game where you take turns connecting two dots at a time to make squares, then whoever makes the line that completes a square puts their initial in it, and the one who has the most completed squares when the grid is full, wins.  You know that one? Well, Sammy said, “I love this game.  Grandma always lets me win.”  Susannah then turned to Sam and said, “Well, I’m not Grandma.”  J

Rise and Shine!

Okay, now this is just gross! I'm sitting here at the computer in the dark because no one else is up yet, and I hear Cuddles (one of our kitties) growling. This is unusual for him, but I think that maybe he and Britt (our older cat) are having a stand-off. It continues so finally I get up to investigate. He is in our bedroom with me but I see that he is the only cat in here. Wierd. I walk over to turn on the hall light and upon doing so, I suddenly notice that he has a dark shadowy form in his mouth. Oh my! Sure enough, it is a mouse! I inform Greg of the situation and then head for the living room in search of something high to perch myself on. Cuddles is on the prowl, too, wandering with this wiggling thing in his mouth. Greg manages to pick Cuddles up, still carrying the mouse, and I open the front door so he can deposit them both onto the front porch. Patchy is all out of sorts now, too. She knows something is up and paces the house meowing constantly. Cuddles wants back in and we see that he has succeeded in killing his catch and has left it as a gift on the front doorstep. How sweet! Now we let Patches out to satisfy her curiosity. I've got the heebie jeebies, but nothing like an exciting story to get the girls out of bed for school! They can't wait to see the mouse for themselves!

Checking in ...

Hello, hello! Thought I'd check in. Life is speeding on by and soccer hasn't even started yet! We've been staying home more than before, but it doesn't feel any less busy around here. Five kids in the house gets a little loud at times. Well, okay, it stays loud most of the time. But it's usually happy noise of children at play.

Greg went on a week long business trip to Massachusetts recently, and during that time, my grandparents came and stayed with me. It was really nice to have their company (not to mention their help), and I hated to see them leave on Friday. Sammy and Pejo got to visit with their mom and nannie this past weekend in Oklahoma City. They hadn't seen Hannah for right at a month, so that was a happy reunion.

This weekend is the Garfield County fair. We are looking forward to going to the carnival on Friday night. It's always fun for the kids, albeit expensive for the parents. :) We usually go with friends so we all have someone to enjoy it with.

We are still appreciating the extra space we have in the new house, but I still can't say I've done much unpacking. I need the moving in fairy to pay me a visit. I suppose that's what I should be doing right now, huh? Perhaps it's a time management problem on my part?

Well, sorry to be brief, but I gotta get. My poor parents haven't heard from me in ages so I think I'll give them a call.

Till next time ...

Still Alive and Kicking!

Gee, it’s been forever since I’ve posted anything.  Sorry!  I know I have a few faithful readers out there.  Life has been crazy lately.  Sammy and Pejo came back on Thursday, July 31^st.  They are planning to stay with us until Andy returns from Iraq in December.  Having five kids hasn’t been too difficult, as they all play together really well.  As I’ve said many times, those boys are just two peas in a pod!  They can be a handful, though.  Like yesterday when the girls’ had dentist appointments.  I had to take everyone with me, and I thought we’d never get out of there.  The receptionists probably collapsed in relief when we finally did leave.  It’s a small waiting room and the boys really terrorized it.

The Friday morning after Sammy and Pejo arrived, I took all five kids and drove to Hot Springs, AR, to spend the weekend with my family.  We had a really nice time.  I missed a turn on the way there and drove a good 60 miles out of my way, but we eventually got there.  Greg stayed home to work around the house and also covered my paper route for me while I was gone.

I’m working Friday afternoons in August in addition to my regular Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday mornings.  I’m glad the extra day isn’t a permanent addition, but I haven’t minded it like I thought I would.  I like coming in at 1:00 instead of 9:00.  I’m always in such a rush in the mornings!

School started back yesterday, the 13^th.  All three girls were really excited about going and each had a good first day.  Makaley is in Kindergarten this year and doesn’t mind at all going all day.  Susannah did not adjust to the all-day thing very well so I’m glad Makaley seems fine with it.  Susannah is in 2^nd grade and her teacher is her 1^st grade teacher’s mother.  I thought that was pretty neat.  Sammy is in 4^th grade (wow, that sounds so grown up!) this year.  She will turn nine on the 22^nd of this month.  I don’t know if I can accept that.

Next week Greg has yet another business trip, this time to Massachusetts.  We won’t get to tag along on this one, but I am really excited because my grandparents are planning to come stay with us while he’s gone.  I needed someone to be here so that I don’t have to take all the kiddos with me on my paper route each night, and they volunteered!  It’ll be awesome to have them here, and they will enjoy getting to spend time with their five “great-grands.”  Hopefully they will still be sane when they head back home …  J

I have really gotten into listening to books on CD or tape lately.  I listen to them mainly while doing my paper route, and I think I’m addicted!  The other night I was in between books and felt rather lonely driving around with just the radio on!

Well, I had better end this update and get home from work.  Happy Thursday!

Status Check

Well, I am happy to say that our old house is very close to empty, FINALLY!! Did I say that in my last post? Well, we are really there now. There is one more truck load sitting in the living room waiting to go over, but it’s all boxed up and ready. There’s also one, maybe two, truck loads waiting in the garage, but they are out of the way and can sit there a little longer if necessary. Inside the house, I’ll just need to gather up a few loose ends, and then vacuum the floor and bring in the toys scattered in the backyard we almost forgot about. (Oh, and have we emptied the shed??) After that, I officially hand the reins over to Tricia to get done whatever she wants in order to prepare the house for her daycare. This Saturday she’s having a “working pizza party” where she’s invited friends and family to help clean and paint the house. I am not sure I was invited (because she figured I’d need to be unpacking now), but I invited myself and definitely plan on being there. She was absolutely instrumental in helping us get everything packed, and I figure the best way to repay her is to return the favor.

There is a town-wide garage sale next weekend (Aug 2^nd) that we plan to participate in. I know we have a lot to put out, but I’m not sure how much of it I’m going to be able to find. We may end up having another sale of our own in September. I need to spend a good part of next week focusing on it, though. We are going to set things up at the old house in the empty garage (it will be empty by then) and pair up with Tricia’s family, which we do every year anyway. They even buy sodas and water to put in an ice chest and sell. That idea usually goes over well in the August heat.

The kids and I will be leaving on Friday for my side of the family’s annual weekend in Hot Springs, AR. Greg actually volunteered to stay home and do my paper route and handle our part of the garage sale. While he will miss seeing family, I think he will get more relaxation out of being able to work on unpacking and his other projects uninterrupted and on his own schedule, than he would traveling 8 hours one way for a mini-vacation. The work waiting at home would weigh on his mind and stress him out to where he wouldn’t enjoy himself in Hot Springs. Me, on the other hand, I am the queen of procrastination. It won’t bother my conscience one iota to take this “break” and spend a weekend away doing nothing!

My brother Andy is currently home in Kansas from Iraq for his 2-week R & R. He was supposed to go back on the 26^th, but is expecting to get another 2-week extension. Due to some family issues he is dealing with right now, he has requested that he be allowed to stay home permanently and not finish his year in Iraq, but I don’t know that he is going to be granted that wish. In which case, Samantha and Pejo might be coming back to our house to stay for a while again. We are looking forward to having them, if it works out that way. Especially now that we are in the new house and have considerably more room!

Well, this is what we have going on right now. With a little work and other activities tossed into the midst. School starts back in three weeks on August 13^th. The s are both very excited about going back, which is good. They have really been playing well together this summer and using their imaginations to come up with new games. I’m always happy to see that. There’s been plenty of fighting, too, but we’d be worried if there wasn’t. Greyson has grown up so much, it almost makes me sad. He’s definitely a little boy now. I keep asking him to stay my baby, but he says, “No, I can’t be a baby. I’m Greyson!”

Have a great weekend!!

The Never-Ending Moving Process

I have decided that moving is too much work.  There was a night last week when I actually did change my mind.  There’s still more stuff in the old house than in the new, so it would be easier to just go back, right?  But I don’t know why I entertain such thoughts since that’s not even a remote possibility.  Nor would I truly want that.  There’s so much more room in the new house that I know it will eventually be worth all this work.  But the moving process is dragging on and on and on and on …

The problem is that we spent most of Greg’s week off work and the time our company was here working on painting and things in the new house.  So now, we are having to actually move our stuff just whenever we can find time -- in the evenings for Greg and for me, in between running here and there during the afternoon.  And it’s not like we have every evening free either.  If only life would just pause so we could get this finished up, but I know we’ll eventually get it done.  I just hope it’s soon!

Right now we are working hard to clear everything out of the old house so that Tricia can start getting set up for her daycare to be up and running on August 1^st.  In case I haven’t mentioned it, our neighbor and good friend across the street is going to rent our house to expand her home daycare.  She is so excited about this that she has been packing up my house for me!  I daresay she has done more of the work than I have so far.  Or at least as much.  Plus, we’ve been using her husband’s truck regularly for our trips back and forth.  I don’t know how we’ll ever repay them.  They are good friends.

Losing our Four-Legged Babies

Well, yesterday was a sad day for our family, as we buried the third of the five pets we’ve had for the last 12 years. Our dog Shelby (the brown one) developed a devastating back injury over the weekend. We aren’t sure what happened, or if something did happen. Our vet suggested a stroke, possibly, but we’ve been noticing some behavior changes, so perhaps it’s been progressing towards this point for a while now. Dr. Shimanek didn’t really give us much hope after looking at her yesterday. He just said she’s in really bad shape and a lot of pain. I expected to hear that he could perform a $1,000 surgery to prolong the inevitable, in which case we’d at least have an option, but there was no alternative. So, as hard as it was (and still is), we had her put down shortly after 5:30 yesterday afternoon. This was made all the more difficult for us, especially Greg, because July 14^th is also the day his mother died in a car four years ago.

The other two pets we have lost this year were cats. We found Willow, our calico, under the kitchen table one morning back in February. That was a real shock because she was healthy so far as we knew, and our youngest pet at 10 years old. Then about a month ago, our part-Siamese cat Lexi, disappeared without a trace. The previous night when Greg was calling for the cats to come inside, he heard growling in the alley, like the start of a cat fight, but when he went to check it out, he didn’t find anything around. Neither of our cats came in at that time, though, so he left the door open during the night for Lexi and Britt to come in later. The next morning, Britt was there, but Lexi was not and we haven’t seen her since. We searched the neighborhood and the alley behind our house in depth but found nothing at all. Because of the noise Greg heard, we suspect that something attacked her. And in fact, we heard from a neighbor that one of the two pit bulls who live a street over was running loose around the same time. Part of me still wants to believe that someone just saw our pretty kitty and decided to take her home for their own. I noticed for a couple of weeks afterwards, however, that Britten would go outside but very hesitantly and he would also stay close to the house. My theory is that he witnessed whatever happened to Lexi, and it must have been bad to traumatize him so.

Our house is still far from empty, though. We still have our dog Shanna, our very first pet, and our orange tabby cat, Britten (pet number four), plus our new baby kitties, Cuddles and Patches. Oh, and let me not forget Comet the mouse and Cowboy the Beta fish.

Speaking of Cowboy … on Monday morning, Greyson came to get me, wanting to show me something in the s’ bedroom. I went with him and he pointed into the sink at something black-looking and slimy. Well, my first thought was that a kitten went potty in the sink. My next thought was that an eel of some sort had come up the drain. Finally, the truth dawned on me as I heard Greyson saying, “Fishy in sink!” It was only then that I noticed the lid was off of the fish tank. Apparently, my little boy climbed up on the sink counter, fished Cowboy out of his tank, and then dropped him in the sink. Fortunately, Greyson was so proud of this accomplishment that he came and got me right away to show off his handiwork, so it had not been too long and I was able to put Cowboy back in his water and he swam off very much alive, although probably a bit stressed. This little incident won Cowboy a new spot of honor on the mantle in the living room. I do not think that anyone (cat or boy) can get up there so he’s safe for the moment. At least until the next time Greyson comes across the step ladder …

Update from previous post

By the way ...

Hannah, Sammy & Pejo left last Monday to go home for a few days. They had planned to come back to be here this weekend, but while they were back in Kansas, Hannah's grandfather passed away. So now they are in Oklahoma City, or will be headed there soon, where her grandparents and mom live. He had been ill for quite some time.

Also, I had mentioned our air conditioner problems. We did get that repaired last Friday after only five days of sweating to death.

And in other good news, our closing costs were much less than we anticipated and were prepared to pay, so now we have some cash to put towards a riding lawn mower. Woo-hoo!

Goodnight ...

Closing, FINALLY!

Well, it is official now. We own two houses. We have two mortgages. YIKES! :) This is good news, though. We finally closed on our new house this morning. It's been more than two months since that auction back on April 18th.

We spent this day working over there, painting and putting up a fence. My grandparents are here, along with my uncle David, as well as my parents. We have lots of good help! Greg was off today and will be off all of next week. If he can keep himself away ... He has a hard time breaking away from work because he always has so much to do. Job security, I guess.

Anyway, we got most of both bathrooms painted, the front one a really pretty medium blue, the one in our room, the perfect shade of lavendar, my very favorite color. I was a little surprised Greg said okay to that, and as it turns out, I guess he was just doing it for me. Today I asked him if he liked it, but all he would say was, "It's purple." But whatever his reasons, I accept because it's LOVELY!! We plan to paint the kitchen and dining room a pumpkin-y orange color. It should be bright and cheery, I hope. The living room and hallway are going to be a brown color called Covered Wagon. Not too dark but not tan or anything. The girls room will be an ocean theme with the bottom of the walls a really bright blue for water and a light blue like sky for the top. Greyson's room is a really pretty green -- "Ivy Green." If you ask him, he says green is his favorite color. I would guess this is due to the green shirt from Steve off of Blue's Clues, but I could be wrong. Our bedroom is going to be a really pale green to match the flowers in our curtains and bedspread. It's just going to be a ton of work.

Granddad, Greg, & Uncle David are working on the fence outside. They made what I would consider to be remarkable progress today and are hoping to finish up tomorrow. With any luck, it will cool off a little and the wind will die down, too. It got up to 102 degrees today and the wind was just out of control. I was glad my job was inside the house. :)

Well, I'd better get my kiddos in bed. They have Vacation Bible School tomorrow and I'm going to need to be up and ready to work around 6 AM if I am going to keep up with my grandparents. I sure don't want to be sleeping while they are working! I'm planning to do my paper route and then just head on over.

Have a great weekend!!

Life in General

Wow, has it really been a week since I last wrote? I can't keep up! We are finally closing on our new house early next week. It's been two whole months since that auction. We've only been in the house once, and it was closer to three months ago. It doesn't feel real anymore, more like a vague dream I once had. We plan to paint the rooms next weekend and start moving our stuff during the following week. I just need to get motivated to pack things up. Yes, I am admitting to you that I haven't really started.

Lately I've been spending all my time doing laundry. The kids play in the water constantly so I'm forever washing towels, wet clothes and swimsuits. The swimsuits I can let dry and only wash every now and then, but not the wet clothes. They start smelling like mildew within a day! I am really enjoying my new washer and dryer, though.

We did buy a pool this summer, a 10-foot one, but we decided not to put it up until we are in the new house. The directions say to find a spot at least 15 feet from your house, away from trees and on level ground. Well, we didn't find anywhere meeting all those qualifications in our current backyard. Besides, why create more work for ourselves by putting it up, taking it down, then putting it up and taking it down again, all in the same summer?

The girls have been VBSing for the last two weeks since we returned from San Antonio. Next week I won't know what to do with them in the evenings! Our church is having its VBS all in one day, Saturday, the 28th. Guess that will occupy them while we paint.

Sammy and Pejo are still here, and their mom Hannah is here now, also. They will be staying with us for a while. It's really been nice to truly get to know my niece and nephew. We've all lived in different states far apart pretty much forever, so we are trying to take advantage of the fact that only four hours separate us right now. My brother, Andy, gets to come home from Iraq in July for his R & R break. I wish they'd stop sending him over there.

Oh, there is a little drama going on at the moment. Our air conditioner in the house has stopped working. It was Sunday when we noticed it, so I had someone come out on Monday. He was able to get it running again, but that only lasted until late Tuesday. Turns out we are going to have to replace the unit. Again, it's a really good thing we got a nice income tax return and that economic stimulus payment this year!!

Well, I will sign off for now. Better get back to the dishes and laundry, maybe pack a box or two. Maybe. Tune in again soon for the latest update in the ongoing saga of my life! :)

Extras kiddos

This week we acquired a couple more kids! Our niece Sammy and nephew Pejo are here to stay with us for a while. Our kids are thrilled! We are all enjoying them. They arrived Wednesday night and have been having a grand time playing together every moment since. Greyson and Pejo are both three; they were born one month to the day apart. And they are two peas in a pod! It's sort of like having twins, very busy twins, but I am especially enjoying watching them interact. Samantha is eight -- almost nine, actually! -- and she and Susannah and Makaley all also get along really well. I am glad for them to have some time to really bond. I'm attaching a picture. It's from a previous visit in February, but you can tell that they are all good buddies.

That Patchy!

Today we had an interesting experience. We took Cuddles & Patches back to the vet for their second set of new kitty shots. I didn't have the cat carrier ready to use so we just let them roam around in the van on our drive there. That worked fine last time. Well today, Patches went under the gas pedal and up into the area behind the front part of the van's interior and got stuck! I could hear her meowing but I couldn't see her or reach her. It was quite an ordeal. Susannah was nearly hysterical, as you might imagine. We had to call Greg to leave work and come help. He and our friend from church, Kelli (who works at the vet), finally managed to locate Patches above the glove compartment and get her out safely. But what a nightmare! Poor baby was pretty stressed out, but everything turned out okay. Guess next time I'll make preparing that cat carrier more of a priority ...

Vacation

Well, we are back from our vacation in San Antonio.  It was a wonderful week!  We were ready to be home, though.  I think it was just about the perfect amount of time to be away.  Greyson survived without one episode of Blue's Clues.  Poor guy, he had to go cold turkey!  J  He only asked for it a few times; I was surprised.

Greg's class went well, and the kids and I had fun staying busy while he was gone.  We got to the hotel on Sunday night and settled in.  The next morning, Greg went to class and the rest of us slept in.  Then we spent the afternoon in the swimming pool.  We really had it rough, didn't we?  J  Swimming was probably the highlight of the whole trip for the kids, especially the girls.  They got to swim every single day, and sometimes twice in one day!  Most evenings we ate at a restaurant on the Riverwalk.  Monday we went to the RainForest Café.  Greg had been there before and was anxious for the kids to go.  It is a neat place set up like a rain forest with animals that come to life every now and then.  We sat right on the 3^rd floor right next to a waterfall.  After dinner, (sorry, Dad, I meant supper …) we rode the boat through the Riverwalk.  You can't go to the Riverwalk without doing that, no matter how many times you have been there!

On Tuesday the kids and I ventured out of the hotel and walked a couple blocks over to the Children's Museum.  That was a neat place, three floors of cool things to see and do and learn about.  On Wednesday we toured the River Center (mall).  It was a long walk to get there and then more walking inside, but fun.  And good exercise, right?  Then we went back again that evening with Greg to eat in the Food Court.  On Thursday we got the van out of the parking garage for the first time all week and drove to the San Antonio Zoo.  That was a lot of fun.  It turned out to be a cloudy day, too – perfect zoo weather!  The animals were all out and about and it was hot, but not like it could have been.

Friday, Greg's class ended at noon, so we met up with him and checked out of our fancy hotel.  Then we drove across town and checked into our Super 8, where the girls immediately donned swimming suits to try out that pool.

The next morning, which was Saturday, we got up and took ourselves to SeaWorld!  We were there from 10:00 AM to about 6:30 PM.  It was really a lot of fun.  We went to the killer whale show twice.  The first time our section didn't get splashed and Makaley was devastated, so we went back again later.  And oh my goodness, those whales made up for it that time!  The trainers have them stick their tails up out of the water and splash the audience.  Our section got it five times -- and that is no exaggeration!  They have very strong tails, too.  They can splash sixteen rows up!  Of course, we were on Row 3 so you can imagine that we were actually dripping.  But the girls were smiling so I guess it was worth it.  :)

And now we have been back home almost a week already.  Although I have yet to finish unpacking.  This, too, has been quite a week!  Life is never boring around here.

San Antonio, here we come!

This next Sunday we are leaving to go to San Antonio for a week – assuming I find paper route substitutes in the meantime!  Greg has a business trip there so he will be in class all day Monday – Friday, but the kids and I are going along for the ride.  I’m sure we will have no trouble finding things to do to entertain ourselves during the days.  If nothing else, sitting around in the hotel room sounds nice.  No housework looming over me.  I could read and do puzzle books … ahhh, I’m relaxing already!  J  Oh, and there will probably be a swimming pool.  That will make the girls very, very happy!  The hotels they book for these business trips are usually pretty fancy ones.  Not the Super 8 where we normally stay!  We’ve gone to San Antonio at least once before, and I think it was the Holiday Inn Express, which was really nice.  When we went to St. Louis several years ago, we stayed in a place that was just unbelievable.  It had an indoor stream with a waterfall, running right through the lobby.  And there was a red carpeted staircase that wound down through the middle of it.  Oh, and glass elevators.  It was first class!

I am thinking I may take the kids to the San Antonio zoo one day by myself.  I can put Greyson in the stroller or on his monkey leash, and it’ll be fun.  On Saturday before we head home on Sunday, we are planning to go to SeaWorld.  Hopefully one day will be enough to spend there.  I just need to get online and plan out our day to make sure we know where to be when.

One of the main things I am looking forward to is getting to eat out every day.  That probably sounds silly, but eating out is something I really enjoy, even if it’s just Taco Bell.  Or actually, especially if it is Taco Bell.  And it’s not because I’m getting out of cooking.  My husband is the real cook in our house, anyway.  And he likes doing it.  Go figure!  Didn’t I get lucky?  J

Happy Tuesday!

Videos Added ...

In case you are interested, I went back and added a couple of videos to Greyson's birthday post. One of Greyson blowing out birthday candles and one of Makaley doing the same. You'll have to go back to the Older Posts page to find them, though.

Annaliese Coker

I had to add just one more thing before I go to bed ...

Many of you know about my friend Kelly (and her husband Kenneth) who waited for what seemed like forever before they finally got to adopt a second baby girl this last February. I thought I'd post a picture of her since I talk about them so much. Anna was born February 18th. Hard to believe it's been a whole three months!! Anna is a beautiful little girl and a very content baby. I am amazed at how attentive she is. She really takes in the world! These pictures were taken last Tuesday.

Susannah's Talent Show Performance, May 20

Storms!

Today we had an adventure. We were just hanging out around the house when a friend of mine called and asked if we'd been watching the weather. Of course, we hadn't, so I was grateful that she called. Turns out there was a tornado heading right for us! It was about 2:50, and it was expected to hit Waukomis at 3:02. So we rounded up the older dogs and cats and put them in the bathroom. We stuck the baby kitties in a Rubbermaid tub with air holes in the lid we once used for a mouse cage and ran with them and the kids across the street to our neighbor's house. As we filed down into their shelter all soaking wet, I couldn't help but think about how nice it will be in our new house to have our own storm shelter in the garage!

We stayed in there for quite a while. Greyson probably didn't understand exactly what was going on, but he kept looking up towards the cellar door and asking, "Is it coming? Is the storm coming?" The tornado never did make it to Waukomis, thankfully. There were several funnels touching down in different directions all around us that the news followed all afternoon and evening. But we were fine. A pig farm not too far away was hit, but amazingly, the pigs all survived!

The rest of this day went along uneventfully. Susannah, I'm afraid, seems to have come down with a fever. Funny how our kids always seem to get sick on weekends. We very seldom have to miss work due to illnesses, but one of us is always missing Sunday church services to stay home with a sick child!

And now that it is about bedtime, of course, I have finally gotten some energy. I felt pretty blah most of this day and struggled to be productive, so it's tempting to stay up and make use of it. But I'd regret that decision tomorrow. You know how that goes!

Kitty Update

Well, our baby kitties had their first vet appointment a week ago Friday. They are doing well, except for a pretty severe case of ear mites. The doctor said they probably got those as soon as their ears opened, as bad as it was in both of them. And of course, those are incredibly contagious so our other four pets had to be treated as well. Not a big deal, I guess. We did get some surprising news, however. Turns out Patches really is a girl! :) We thought she was a girl, and then we thought she was a boy. Guess we were right the first time. Who knew?!

I'm attaching a new picture of them. They are just best buds, and I'm so glad we got both of them so they will always have each other. They are still really friendly with us, although that may change if Greyson does not start being more careful with them. He wants to hold one of them constantly, but then he swings them around and tosses them. He also squeezes their tummies and pulls them by the neck. Ornery, ornery!

Child #3

And now for #3. Greyson Jay was a little bit of a surprise. I wanted a third baby, we'd always talked about having three kids. But Greg was thinking of backing out on me. I was trying to change his mind but had been unsuccessful so far when I found out I was pregnant! (Greg was happy once it happened, of course.) I so expected this one to be another girl, too. What a shock when we found out it was a boy! At 17 weeks, the doctor said it was early but if he were to guess, he'd say boy. Well, I thought about that and then decided, "Nah, it's a girl." Then we had the big ultrasound at the hospital, and because of his position, I guess, the technician couldn't see much of anything she was looking for -- not the heart, the lungs, nothing. She said we'd probably have to reschedule, but by the way, she was pretty sure it was a boy. Well, I really scoffed at that. I mean, she hadn't been able to see anything else! By our next appointment, however, I had begun to think maybe it could be slightly possible, but I was still unconvinced. But not for long. That ultrasound left no mistake. And so it was, we got ourselves a boy on April 21, 2005.

And quite the boy he is! Greyson is one busy guy, but for all his running around, he has an amazing attention span. He loves to write and draw. His magnadoodle is his favorite toy, although he calls it his markerboard. His other passion is Blue's Clues. He's been into that for an entire year now, and it is a very educational show! The other day Greyson asked me to hand him something, which he called by name but I just couldn't understand what he was saying. Finally I realized he was wanting an empty toilet paper roll that was sitting on the counter, but he was calling it a telescope! A little later, we were watching a Blue's Clues episode, and sure enough, they were using a telescope. I should have known! :)

Greyson also loves music and dancing. After church every Sunday, he heads up to the front of the auditorium to find the cordless microphone they always leave laying on the front pew. And then he's up on the "stage" performing. I need to remember to stick the camera in the bag one of these days.

Greyson is good at his job as the little brother. He picks on Makaley constantly, it seems. They have a good relationship, but he does enjoy making her scream. He and Susannah don't bicker too much, as she tends to mother him quite a bit. But Susannah and Makaley now, they argue. In fact, if the last 3 days are any indication of what's in store, this is going to be a LONNNNGGG summer. :)

Child #2

Makaley Beth is our second baby, the middle child. Born April 6, 2003, she just recently turned five years old. She is very outgoing and a bit headstrong. I used to worry about how we were going to handle her, but she has turned out to be pretty balanced. At least at this moment in time, she knows what she wants but she can be swayed to see the light when necessary. J Makaley doesn't seem to worry about much; her demeanor is more carefree. She enjoys doing a lot of different things and just takes life as it comes.

Makaley has just finished up Pre-K and will be moving into to all-day Kindergarten next year. She is excited about this. I am curious to see how she will do; it was a difficult transition for Susannah. Makaley also does well in school and has made a lot of friends.

Her interests also include soccer and gymnastics. She really got after that soccer ball this year! She is a surprisingly aggressive player, but we shouldn't have been surprised considering she had watched Susannah's team play for so long. She knew what to do and was ready to do it! This summer, Makaley is really looking forward to taking swimming lessons.

Child #1

I thought it would be fun to write a little about each of my kids, so here's my first entry:

Susannah Grace is the oldest of our three kiddos. Born December 7, 2000, she is almost 7 ½ years old. She seems to fit the descriptions you find in birth order books to a large degree. She's definitely a pleaser. She wants everyone to be happy and she tries hard to make that happen. She's also pretty sensitive, however, and gets her feelings hurt occasionally. I don't think I would say she wears her heart on her sleeve, but she does take things personally sometimes. She is also a worrier, but that's probably a learned behavior she got from her daddy. J

Susannah really does well in school and enjoys it, too. I can't believe she will be in 2^nd grade next year! Her teacher says she is a leader in the classroom. She is the most reserved of our three children, so I am relieved to know that – at least so far – she doesn't seem to be as shy as I always was.

Her interests include soccer and gymnastics. She talks a lot about cheerleading, so maybe that is in her future as well. I was almost surprised when she came home recently and said she had signed up to enter the school talent show! There was nothing that could have made me do that when I was her age, but she was excited. This was another encouraging moment assuring me that she will fare well socially in the world. She decided to perform with her skipper, and was very happy the morning after the tryouts to see that she made the list. The talent show was this past week and she did wonderfully. We were very proud!