~~ My life ~~

Spring is here!

2011-03-18T20:28:00.004-05:00

Two days from today, but who's counting?! Spring is my favorite season, and I'm so excited for the warmer weather and sunshine. Hopefully we'll have some nice weather this coming week, as the kids and I just started spring break. I'm looking forward to cleaning & some yard work. The garden needs some TLC as well as the rest of the yard. I noticed today that some of my daffodils in the front yard have already bloomed! I've got to get out tomorrow and get some pictures of them.

This past winter we spent several weekends at swim meets with Lenae, as well as on the hard court watching Ryan play basketball for the first time. Lenae did great, and even qualified for divisionals in the 50 fly. She was pretty excited, but I think Kerry and I were more excited for her! Ryan had fun at bball, but he really needs to get some height on him. He joined McPherson Strikers for the spring and is enjoying his new soccer team. He seems to do better at soccer. I think being on the smaller side in soccer isn't as much of a handicap as it is in bball. So far all of his sport experiences have been rec league, so, I am looking forward to watching him play his first game in a "real" uniform.

Kerry is running for city commission this year. He's been doing a radio show each Wednesday. I haven't been able to listen since I'm busy teaching when he's on the air. He's told me that he's heard good feedback from his friends. I know he really wants to get in and make a difference. It's so the opposite of me. I like to fade into the background if at all possible. Give me a room full of kids and I'm great. Put me in a room full of adults and I would just die! Funny how that works.

It's been a while

2010-10-02T22:50:00.003-05:00

Wow! I really need to write something! Let's see, since my last update, we've been quite busy. We took a short trip to Colorado this summer to visit Kerry's cousin. We brought Kerry's dad along with us too. It's been around 20 years since he'd been there, and Kerry really wanted him to get away to see his brother and sister. We spent the bulk of the summer between the ball field & swimming pool. Ryan played coach pitch for the first time, and LOVED it! He also took swimming lessons at the YMCA. Lenae was on the summer AquaPups swim team where she earned 16 ribbons for the season! We spent every Tuesday evening at a meet, and Wednesday evenings at the ball diamond. We had a great time cheering them on.

At the end of July (the day after Ryan turned 6) we left for Tennessee. Having never been there before, we were all really looking forward to the trip. We spent a couple days in St. Louis first. Took the kids up in the Arch and played lots of cards with my Aunt Sharon & Uncle Clair. We then spent a week in Fairfield Glade, TN. While we were there, we spent a day at Dollywood, and another day in Nashville. We even went to Dave Ramsey's studio and got to watch him tape the last few minutes of his show. Of course we missed meeting him in person by just seconds. We were wanting to yell our DEBT FREE scream - live on the air. Instead, we bought some souviners. I got to meet one of my online scrappin' friends, Rhonda. That was fun, and we hope to meet up again.

After our week in TN, we headed to Kentucky to spend a few days with some friends that used to live here. We had a great time with Gerry & Cheryl and their girls. We got to spend a nice day with just the "adults" too! The four of us celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary. Gerry & Cheryl and Kerry & I were married on the exact same day, July 30th! We went to "Shaker Town" for lunch and then walked around the area. It was a lot of fun! We wound up the trip by spending a couple more days in St. Louis before heading home. It was a great vacation, and we hope to get back to that area again. Tennessee & Kentucky were absolutely gorgeous! I've never seen so many trees and winding roads!

Now, school has been in session for about a month and a half. The kids seem to be adjusting well, along with myself. I get the privilige (I think - LOL) of having Lenae in one of my classes this year. Hopefully it isn't all bad for her. :P Ryan is loving 1st grade, and being at the big school all day long. After school can get kind of crazy with trying to get things done with them both in my room, pestering each other. Of course there's after school activities too: Angel Choir and Winter Swim Team for Lenae, and Soccer for Ryan. It sure makes the days go by fast!

Hopefully I'll get back here before 5 months pass by again! Until next time......

Almost summer...

2010-05-15T08:06:00.003-05:00

You'd think that after many years of teaching that I'd figure out to wear sunscreen on play day. Nope! I got home yesterday only to walk in and hear Kerry tell me, "Your red!" Of course you always feel it more the day after. My face is tight and my chest and arms are a little tender. *sigh*

Speaking of school, there is only one more week left for this year. My 6th grade homeroom students will be graduating on Tues. evening, which will be the last time I am with them. They were a pretty good group of kids. We had our challenges this year, as well as ups and downs, but overall I can honestly say that I am proud of how they conducted themselves as the year went along.

With that said, I am SOOOOO looking forward to summer! Back in March or April, Kerry and I made reservations at Wyndham Nashville. We were supposed to be going for a week in mid June. Of course with the recent flooding, our reservations have since been cancelled. I found a video on youtube showing just how high the water was at the resort...chest deep! The resort is right near the Cumberland River and just down the street from the Grand Ol Opry. So, we revamped our vacation plans. We are now going to Fairfield Glade, TN (another Wyndham resort) which is an hour and a half east of Nashville. We are still hoping to spend at least one day in Nashville. It'll be later on in the summer though.

Well, we are off to a graduation reception today. It's raining and chilly out, but what can you expect for spring?

Another day in the life

2010-02-13T09:29:00.004-06:00

It's Saturday, finally! This week has just been a long week. Not for any particular reason, it just has. I think as spring and summer grow nearer, the anticipation of both make them seem like something far off in the distance.

December and January were busy months. I did most of the Christmas meal to help my mom out since her back surgery. She still did too much, but unless I was to lock her in a room, I don't think I could stop her, LOL! We both had a good time right before Christmas when I took her to Hutch to do some last minute shopping. Luckily, every where we went the stores had those motorized carts. If not, I don't think we would have been able to shop as long as we did. We both finished up the shopping we needed to, and we got to spend the evening together - bonus!

Kerry, the kids, and I rang in the New Year with our friend's the Jakaboskys. We always have a good time when we get together. We spent the night at their house out in the country, and then got up and made a New Year's breakfast. It was a good time, with even better friends!

January was spent driving all over. Lenae finally had her first swim meet on Jan. 9th in Topeka! She did great...even though she had nervous jitters the entire day before the meet. We had the next weekend off - in which I played catch-up. The following weekend we spent in Wichita with my brother since she had a meet there on Sat. & Sun. Then the last weekend of the month was spent in Salina and her final meet for the short course season. She ended up earning her first ribbon at the Salina meet - 6th place in the 100 IM! WOO HOO! That gave her a ton of confidence, and some acknowledgement that she really is competition worthy.

It's been exciting being a "swim mom" and I know this summer will be filled with running around to different towns for meets. I hear they are less hectic, except for the divisionals. Either way, I'm looking forward to it! Oh...and throw in Ryan's activities of soccer and probably t-ball too. We are finally starting to be what most families are for their kids...taxis! I love it!

The Christmas Countdown is on!

2009-11-29T09:55:00.006-06:00

Well, I missed a couple of months, but here I am. September was spent getting back into the swing of the school routine. I had to convince Ryan that he has school every day now. He loves kindergarten, but is ready to be at the "big school" all day. September also brought us a new experience...soccer! This was Ryan's first year for being on a team. He sure had a great time playing and running around with the other kids. The coaches were awesome, and we can't wait until spring to get him going again.

October brought a new experience for Lenae, swim team! She does such a great job too. It amazes me how many laps they do at practice. I think I'd be dead after the first 10 minutes. She was supposed to have her first meet Nov. 20th, but after arriving we found out it had been cancelled. That was pretty disappointing. She spent most of the day in a funk until she and her other team member got together in the evening for a movie at the theater and a sleepover.

Mom had back surgery in November. I spent 4 days in Wichita with her, and have been trying to help out Dad as much as I can now that they've been home since the 10th. She's recovering quite well! I know she feels slow, but I can see how much better she moves now then pre-surgery. She still has several weeks/months of recovery since it was a pretty invasive procedure. I'm excited for the summer when we'll get to do so much more together with my kids. This year we had big "dreams" but nothing came to fruition because of her pain.

Mom and I did Thanksgiving together. She'll tell you that I did it all, but that's not true. She helped a ton! The only rotten part was I got sick the night before. I started out with a headache and fever and then it went downhill from there. I ended up with the flu, bronchitis with developing pneumonia. YAY! I've got one more day of "drugs" then my treatment will be complete. I ended up being down with a fever for 10 full days, and missed a week of work in the process.

Monday, the 7th was my first day back, and then yesterday and today were snow days! At least I've gotten some extra time to recoupe. I took a much needed nap today.

Now it's time to get in the shopping mode. With being sick, I haven't done a darn thing. I have a feeling I'll be out at the last minute this year, which I hate, but I guess I gotta do what I gotta do. Don't want to let the kiddos down. :) Hopefully I'll have another post over the holidays, but if not, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Summer Accomplishments

2009-08-07T22:25:00.003-05:00

I have officially 4 days left of *MY* summer vacation, and I got to thinking...we've really done a lot this summer! So, I thought I'd see if I can remember what all we've done.

1. Traveled to 8 states: Oklahoma(twice), Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, and Colorado.

2. Visited 4 National Parks: Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, Zion & Arches

3. Watched Lenae overcome her fear of diving off the block into 5 foot water - something the swim team has to do to compete.

4. Finally convinced Lenae that she's needs to join the swim team. Well, actually someone else made a comment that he thought she had some budding talent and that she should join. Thanks Doug! I owe you!

5. Hauled in 9.5 tons of sand to make a pad for our pool. Doggone it, this year it's gonna be level!

6. Saw Ryan finally JUMP into the water, allowing his whole head to go under, and LIKE it!

7. Sold some of our backyard stuff on craigslist so I can get my patio back to how I want it. It's great for BBQs and entertaining now!

8. Listened to Kerry's doubt on what he didn't think was going to be a successful garden. I've harvested TONS of cucumbers and tomatoes. I've also gotten 5 canteloupe (so far), many peppers on the way, my carrots are getting good sized, and the 2 watermelons are almost ready. Oh, my sunflowers were HUGE!

9. Painted Lenae's room.

10. Re-finished Lenae's wood floors after we ripped out her carpet.

11. Watched Ryan watch Lenae diving...he wanted to do it too. HE DID, and he does a great job too! Now, to learn to swim without his life-vest. :)

12. Almost forgot - We went camping for the very first time! Well, Kerry has camped before (in the army) and has always said he'd never do it for "fun". His cousin can get him to do just about anything though. So she invited us camping, and we went! It was so much fun!

That's all I can think of for now. If I remember more, I'll come back and add to my list.

Ryan doing the hula hoop!

2009-07-28T09:49:00.001-05:00

Summer Vacation

2009-06-26T08:50:00.017-05:00

Wow...what a trip! We left for Arizona early on May 24th. We arrived in Gallup, NM that evening and spent the night at a hotel. The next morning we drove to the Petrified Forest National Park (probably 30 min. to an hour away from where we were). We decided to do the "drive through" tour, and figured we'd be through the park in about an hour or so. THREE hours later, which could have been a whole lot longer had we taken some of the trails, we finished our tour of the park. The kids earned a Jr. Ranger badge and were pretty proud of themselves.

Off to the Grand Canyon! We drove up through Flagstaff and then headed to Grand Canyon National Park, the south rim. When we arrived, we unloaded our stuff at the Yavapi Lodge. Of course we were greeted by ELK roaming just feet from the door of our motel room!

The Canyon was beautiful! The pictures we took don't do justice to how huge and majestic this place is. It is so incredible how vast and deep, and yet it is so still and quiet. The kids had a great time, and they earned their 2nd Jr. Ranger badge. After our two night stay, we headed further west to Lake Havasu, AZ.

We stopped briefly in Kingman, AZ so Kerry could introduce me to some of his co-workers there. Let me do a little back-up for a second. Kerry works as an "Information Technology Manager" in the office at PizzaCo. Inc. which has 24 (I think) Pizza Hut restaurants mostly located in Central Kansas, but 7 are in Arizona. Each year the name's of the office staff & managers get put in a hat to win a trip out to Arizona, or for the AZ people - a trip to KS. Kerry won last year, but we were busy with his parent's house remodel we didn't get to go. So this year we made it our family vacation.

Okay...back to the trip. After our stop at the dine-in restaurant in Kingman, we drove on to our "main" destination in Lake Havasu. We stayed a week and a half at Kerry's bosses' house. She lives here in McPherson, but also has a home there (and a couple other places too!). The house was beautiful & we had a great time. Kerry put in 40+ hours working at the various Huts while we were there. This is the main reason we were gone so long. It was getting up to 110 during the days, but humidity was pretty much nonexistent. The same goes for mosquitoes! ABSOLUTE HEAVEN! I love the palm trees & cactuses, but I really missed green grass!

We left Havasu and headed for the Hoover Dam and Las Vegas. I've seen pictures of the dam before, but until you see it, I didn't realize just how big it really was! They are working on the construction of a new bridge & road that goes around it. Once it is done you will no longer be able to drive across it, how sad. Terrorism at work in our country! We reached Vegas in the late afternoon and found our hotel in the Old Downtown area - Fremont Street. We stayed at the Fremont. When the sun went down we loaded up the kids and drove the strip. WOW! When we returned to our motel, we decided to walk up and down Fremont Street and take in the outdoor shows going on. There were three live bands playing at different areas, and an FANTASTIC LED light show that goes on over head. It was pretty cool!

The next morning we headed for Zion National Park in Utah. We didn't have a lot of time before we had to be in Moab to meet up with my friend from college, so we took the shuttle tour of the park. We got off at the furthest point the shuttle takes you and did a little exploring on the "Riverwalk Trail". The scenery was breathtaking. The kids had a good time walking in the river and climbing around on the rocks. Unfortunately the requirements for the Jr. Ranger program at Zion would have taken too long to complete, so the kids didn't earn a badge there.

We loaded back up and headed to Moab, UT. The drive there was gorgeous. It seemed as if the scenery changed every five minutes or so. It would go from mountains to canyons to buttes and mesas to cliffs and back again. I think it was one of the most beautiful drives that I have ever taken. We arrived in Moab just before sunset, and met up with my friend Karen. We stayed at a motel and got everything ready for our adventure the following day at Arches National Park.

In the morning Lenae had to get a little swimming in at the hotel. Afterwards we got all packed and ready to head just outside of town to the park entrance. If you've never been to Arches, you can drive through the park and stop at the various "points of interest" along the way. There are also tons of trails that you can use to go exploring even more. We were able to take a mile hike behind the north and south windows (famous arches). The kids did pretty good. Again, pictures of these natural rock formations just don't do them justice. If you ever get a chance, you have to go!

That evening we headed back to Karen's home in Glenwood Springs. We stayed with her for two days. While we were there we did a lot of catching up. We also drove to Aspen and to Independence Pass. Going from over 100 degree weather to 50s while on Independence Pass was a little shock to the system! We even saw some snowflakes.

We headed to Aurora, CO (Denver) to visit Kerry's cousin four a couple of days before making our way back home. We had a good time as always. We were able to go out on the lake, and the kids got to go swimming at the pool in the sub-division where they live. Of course Kerry had plenty of fun harrassing Beth too. We are planning on going camping with them in OK over the 4th of July. Ought to be fun!

We arrived back home on June 12th. I was so glad to finally be sleeping in my own bed. Vacations are a great break from "life", but make you realize how wonderful "home" really is!

Quick...I have but a second

2009-05-16T12:39:00.002-05:00

Not really, but I do need to get some things accomplished today. Only 4 days left to go for school. Lenae will be old enough to be in my classroom the year after this coming school year! ACK! Where does the time go?

We are heading out for a family vacation soon to Arizona and Colorado. We'll be staying in Lake Havasu for two weeks, then slowly making our way back through Colorado. We hope to visit the Grand Canyon, The Arches, Hoover Dam, and some other place. I need to purchase one of those tether strap thingies for Ryan. I don't think I'll be able to do the Grand Canyon trip with out it. Either that, or I'll bring a roll of duct tape. I don't think he'd appreciate that much. LOL!

My garden is going well this year. I started by planting seeds, Unfortunately, with all the rain I wasn't able to get them in in time, and they got too big for the seedling tray and started to croak. Some of my cucumber seedlings made it and they are doing well! I ended up buying plants and got them in the ground about two weeks ago. We have 2 cantaloupe hills, 1 watermelon hill, a bed of carrots (from seed) and another of lettuce (from seed), 4 cucumber hills, 1 jalepeno plant, 1 chili ancho plant, 2 bell pepper plants, and four tomato plants. I've also got a nice row of mammoth sunflowers (from seed) growing along our fence. Oh...Lenae's class is competing in a 50 lb. cabbage plant contest, so we have one of those too.

I suppose that's all for now. I've got to make a trip out to the grocery store. Ta ta for now!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T21:35:00.007-05:00

Spring Break! It's been an awesome week so far, and it's only Tuesday. I've gotten tons done around the house. The kids and I have worked outside and cleaned up a bunch leaves left over from fall, and we've got the garden about 3/4 of the way ready for planting. Today we took a break from all the "work" while I prepared a special St. Pat's day meal. We invited some friends and their daughter (who is leaving on Monday to volunteer in Africa for 6 weeks at an orphanage) for supper. Lenae cleaned off the patio table and we ate outside. It was BEAUTIFUL weather for enjoying family and company! Enjoy the food photos...of the leftovers! LOL!

Mmmmmm....corned beef brisket with carrots & cabbage (no leftover potatoes)

Ramen noodle & cabbage salad....YUMMMMMMM!!!!!

Lemon Meringue Pie with a twist - it's green! It was refreshing!

Gotta have some shamrock cookies!

Tomorrow I plan to head back out for some more yard work. Kerry cut down one of our big Austrian Pine trees this past weekend, and I need to finish raking the pine needles and twigs. Unfortunately with the "pine wilt" disease making it's way through our area, we've now lost 2 trees to the disease. We'll probably take down a third tree in the near future. It doesn't have the disease yet, only "tip blight". However it won't be long until it will succumb to the disease. Bad news is that there is a fourth tree right next to it that will need to come down eventually too. :( I guess on the good side we'll get rid of those darn pine cones and needles that cover everything! Oh, and our red maple tree will be able to really spread! We also need to pick out some replacement trees. Exciting...but planting trees are a lot like caring for newborns. LOTS and LOTS of work.

And speaking of planting here is a quick picture of my gardening stuff for this year (including Lenae's new gardening gloves that she coerced me to buy-LOL). I'm going to get the seeds started tomorrow I think. Yay! I've got two flats with 72 peat pellets each. Ought to be plenty. *I hope* ;)

Can I back date?

2009-02-14T12:43:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I never said I was a regular blogger, but I really didn't plan on going this long between posts. LOL! Maybe I'll make a late New Year's resolution: post something at least once a month. There it is, in print. Now, let's see if I can keep it up.

I suppose since I last posted, a lot of things have happened in life, including mine; but nothing that is really monumentous. Well, in my life anyway. I suppose having our first African American president is pretty important, but I don't agree with him much anyway. I will however to continue to pray for him, and particularly for God's guidance in his decisions.

As far as our family, we took a much needed vacation over Christmas break to Branson. We stayed at our timeshare for a week and had a great time. Kerry and I cringe now that we purchased the thing some 10 years ago. Knowing what we know now, about how they are such a rip off, we definitely won't be "upgrading". However it is now paid-for, so we'll keep using it. Our condo was comfy, and just being away from home and the hum-drum of daily life was such a nice break. My parents came up and stayed with us as well.

The only bad part of the whole trip was when we thought we were going to an "update" type of meeting and it turned out to be another blasted sales presentation. They really didn't like hearing that we do not borrow money, nor do we use credit cards (GO Dave Ramsey!)for any type of purchases. I don't think they thought we were serious. I mean really, just how many times did we have to stop them and say we were not interested? It was nuts! It was fun being educated though on "sales pitch techniques" through our Financial Peace University class and then watching them all being used in their stupid sales pitch. Right down to the exit interview/quality control lady that was supposed to fill out a survey with us. She asked us ONCE if we were treated nicely. Then proceeded to talk us into buying. Um, NO! Oh, and just incase you are wondering - I'm referring to Wyndham Resorts. However we bought into it when it was Fairfield Vacation Resorts. Oh the beauty of sales people finding young, in love, and totally clueless people!

Dang...I don't harbor any bad thought's about that do I? LOL!

Today is Valentine's Day. I need to go take a quick snap-shot of the beautiful flowers Kerry had delivered to school and upload it with this post. I'll do that here in a bit. While I'm doing that, I'll get one of Kerry's balloons too. He likes to embarrass me when he can, so I made sure to get him back yesterday. I sent him a HUGE balloon that plays "Wild Thing". Of course I sent it to the office where all the people he works with would get a kick out of it. He said it got played quite a bit, and sent me a text that said I was bad. Heck, he got a KU windsock and chocolate & nuts too! What more can a man want?

Well, I'm glad to be on the down slope of winter. I'm so ready for spring, even though we've had a very mild winter this year. I suppose I can't complain too much. I'm starting to decide what I'll be planting in my garden this year. I'll be buying seeds and all the stuff to get the seedlings started soon. I've also got to get the ground worked up and find out what I need to add to my soil to have a good harvest. I'm really excited to get started on time this year! I hope the kids will enjoy watching everything grow as much as I will.

Off to take a couple snapshots, and post some pictures here in a bit.

*update* Incase you didn't notice, the added pictures are at the top. :)

This N That

2008-11-02T16:05:00.004-06:00

For starters - Thanks for the idea Tigger....love my new background!

Fall Conferences 2008 - CHECK! They went great! Grades were pretty good this quarter, so I didn't have much to give parents to complain about. :) My kids's conferences were good too. My daughter likes to talk a little too much (who knew?!) and my son is getting better at using his words. Ahhhh boys!

Pumpkin Patch Visit - CHECK! It was a great day, windy, but great! The kids had fun along with Kerry and I too. Well, except for that small moment in time where we figured out we lost the camera. Thanks to some honest person, we got it back though. Note to self - don't let 8 year old go to the bathroom with camera...it will get left behind. Oh yeah, I am to blame too. LOL! We went to the Pizza Hut after all the pumpkin patch excitement. Drive off after having supper and about 2-3 miles out of town I realize that I left the camera back at the restaurant. DOH!

Halloween 2008 - CHECK! I can't believe that is over and gone!?! Christmas will be all too soon, but then again, I'm really looking forward to the break and vacation with my family. Of course, giving presents is always a joy, and Midnight Mass is my favorite of the year. You can't forget the lights and sounds of the season either. I love Christmas!

That's all for now...hope you enjoy the photos!

Just how long is too long?

2008-10-24T16:52:00.002-05:00

So it's been about 4 months since I posted. Yeah, I'm due for an update! As I look back over those months, I notice time has really flown by. One of the biggest pieces of news: We moved Kerry's parents into their newly remodeled house a couple of weekends ago. Kerry still has some smaller inside jobs to finish up, as well as getting the yard cleaned up and the fence put back up. But it can be lived in, and that's what matters most!

Lenae is doing well in school and enjoying 3rd grade. She's getting taller by the day and I fear she'll soon pass me up. Ryan had some trouble adjusting to preschool. We finally got the potty training down right before school started. Well, for the most part anyway. But, he had a rough first day and has never really let that memory go. I still battle it occasionally with him, but he's doing better.

Lenae just completed her first marathon this year! A full 26.2 miles! The kids at school ran 1 mile each day for 6 weeks. Last week they had their final mile and a big celebration afterwards, complete with t-shirts, medals, necklace charms, and a snack.

I just finished up with parent teacher conferences today. 1 quarter down, three to go! It's going by FAST too. Conferences went very well, and overall, I had good reports to give. Sure makes it easy (for me and the parents) when most everything is positive news.

My dad's mom died this week. She was 89. She'd been sick for a while and had spent the last 8 years in a nursing home. She went peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday morning. I wish I would have been closer to her, but we just never had that connection. I really enjoyed hearing my cousin talk about his memories of grandma. It showed me a different side of her, one that I never really experienced.

My thoughts are drying up, so I guess that's my cue to bring this to an end. Till next time...

It's a blur

2008-07-27T21:14:00.004-05:00

Summer has gone by incredibly fast, as usual. Unfortunately it didn't take us anywhere this summer. In fact, the farthest that I got was my class I took in Wichita ~ how sad! With the closing and remodeling of Kerry's parent's new house, our time to get away has been completely squelched. We are possibly thinking of taking a trip over Christmas vacation though. We'll see what happens. All I know is, someone better be darn thankful when Kerry's done...cause it's been 4 months of non-stop fixing, moving & remodeling.

Ryan is officially 4, and is finally making some pretty good progress in the toilet training department. I knew he could do it, although I spent many a day being a skeptic. It's been a frustrating journey, but we are finally seeing lots of progress. It looks like he'll be able to attend preschool!

Lenae is bored, and ready for school to start. We bought school supplies and more uniforms over the past couple of weeks. She's officially ready to go! Well, except the whole registration thing. I think I might get her in to have her hair cut. She looks really cute in shoulder length hair, and I think it would be easier on the morning routine.

Well...I'll leave by posting a slide show of various kid pictures taken in July. I did add a few photos on the end of my new hobby. I think I talked about it in an earlier post this summer. It's really been a lot of fun starting this garden. Although I planted everything about a month and a half late, it's looking pretty good. My pumpkin plants are really getting big, as are the watermelon plants! I can't wait until next spring. I'll be on the ball then. Hopefully I'll also expand and have that whole section of the yard behind the fence into a garden. This year was just an experiment. Oh...my dad brought me some fence to keep the critters out. :) I just got it all up tonight.

Till next time!

Are you kidding me?

2008-07-07T10:09:00.003-05:00

Take a look at this:
CNN: Communion Wafer Held Hostage
Sometimes it really does anger me that people can get off by saying just because, "I give you money" they have the right to decide what's right and wrong. As in this case, this college student believes that it is his right to remove a consecrated Eucharist from Mass to show it to his friend who has questions about the faith because the college faith community receives money from the school. What? Are you kidding me? I have no doubts that many do not understand our belief of the Eucharist and what it means, but if your friend has questions...take him to Mass, talk to someone who knows about the faith, READ a book! For crying out loud there is a vast array of possibilities where you can investigate the beliefs of our church, but don't take what is considered one of the most sacred objects from our celebration and put it in a ziploc baggie! I also can't believe he is shocked that someone tried to get it from him! DUH! If you believe in the faith, and the Eucharist, and what it is - he should have expected it!

Okay...I'll get off my soapbox now.

Toad-a-ly Awesome!

2008-06-25T16:00:00.004-05:00

As I've said many a times, he's definitely a boy! He's outside playing with this little guy as I'm typing this. And yes, that is the dog's water dish that is now the toad's swimming pool!

Mid-summer already?

2008-06-22T20:15:00.004-05:00

Time has flown by as usual this summer. Lenae attended a soccer camp for the first time ever, and she said she enjoyed learning about the game and playing. She and Ryan have also been taking swimming lessons. This is Ryan's first year taking lessons, and I was worried about how he would do. He LOVES going, and gets pretty upset when it's Lenae's turn and not his again. He was quite entertaining to watch during the first lesson. There were 2 teachers and 5 preschoolers. Ryan wanted all the turns. He kept telling them, "How about me?" It was too cute!

This weekend we accomplished another "first" at our home. Lenae's first slumber party! I'm sure they'll be many more in the future, but this time we decided to get our feet wet by only allowing her to invite 4 girls. One wasn't able to make it, so we ended up with 4 girls total, including Lenae. They had a ball! Lots of swimming, pizza & popcorn, more swimming, and of course a lot of laughter. The only thing we need now is a bigger house!

This week Lenae will be attending Totus Tuus (Bible School) here in town. Hopefully she'll make some new friends. I am always concerned about that since she commutes with me 35 miles away to go to school. Most of her friends (like the ones she's pictured with above) are all out of town, and I'm sure that is difficult for her.

This past week I also took a class in Wichita at Botanica. It was called "Gardening in the Classroom." It was an awesome class! I have a lot of ideas for the teachers back at school to use with our new school garden that was started at the end of the year. Hopefully I'll be able to tie somethings into my social studies classes as well. It would be much easier to tie things in if I was doing science (although I would not want to teach science anyway). With this class I am now done with getting college hours until 2010...when I renew my certificate. Then I'll have 5 years to get 4 more hours. I'm just glad I'm done for now, and that I ended on a high note.

Keep crossing your fingers with Ryan and his potty training. He's getting there bit by bit. He knows what to do, it's just getting him to consistently do it. He can tell me and he can get up on the big potty himself (he doesn't like the training potty). But to get him to do it on a day to day basis...forget it! I'm still trying to be patient, but 4 year old preschool starts in August! He's already enrolled, and this year I really want him to go.

Until next time ~ enjoy the sunshine!

A few photos

2008-06-10T11:55:00.000-05:00

An update, if you please!

2008-06-03T21:52:00.004-05:00

It's been a while and I thought I'd do a laundry list update.

April 4 - My inlaws moved in with us
April 6 - Lenae turned 8 *cry* my baby is growing up WAY too fast!
April 9 - My brother's birthday
April 11 - 1 week with inlaws here
April 12 - Found a house for inlaws, just a few blocks away...put in an offer
April 14 - Offer accepted! Closing July 1
April 18 - 2 weeks with inlaws here
April 19 - Found a buyer for their farm
April 25 - 3 weeks with inlaws here
April 27 - Lenae made her first Communion - pictures will be added later, and again, my baby is growing up!
April 28 - My 6th graders put on the 2nd annual "Medieval Festival". It went SO much smoother than last year.
May 2 - 4 weeks with inlaws here
May 6 - 6th grade Field trip to Hutchinson Underground Salt Museum/Mine - We had a GREAT time!
May 9 - Mother's Day Mass - 6th graders did a fabulous job & after Mass, I took the rest of the day off!
May 9 - 5 weeks with inlaws here
May 16 - 6 weeks with inlaws here...MOVE OUT DAY!!! They moved to a rental about 4 blocks down the street. We also begin working at their farm packing things up. Oh...the stories!
May 19 - 6th grade graduation...my last day with this years class. This year was definitely a bittersweet occasion. I REALLY enjoyed my class this year. They were one awesome group of kids.
May 20 - Last day of school! Wa Hoo!
May 21-June 1 - Continue working out at the farm trying to get it cleaned out.
May 27 - Lenae lost another tooth (she pulled it out because she "needed money") Poor girl has BIG gaping holes in her mouth. I hope the permanent ones come in soon.
May 31 - Closed on their farm
June 2 - Lenae started soccer camp (and she likes it - YES!)
June 3 - Ryan's first ever swimming lesson. He did great and was a hoot to watch!

That's it for now....I'll get some pictures up soon. :)

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!!

2008-04-07T22:59:00.009-05:00

OH Yeah baby! Awesome nail-bitting game, with a dream come true ending!

Way to go KU!

Spring Break!

2008-03-22T21:11:00.006-05:00

Beautiful aren't they? I was hemming some pants, and they put what I cut off on as hats. LOL!

We just got finished playing cards with some of our friends. Sadly, I have to report that the girls lost 3 to 1. Oh well, sometimes you have to let the boys win so they'll keep wanting to play. Yesterday was our first "official" day of spring break. Kerry was diagnosed with Strep throat, Ryan played with his 1 million hot wheels, and Lenae and I made the yummy cookies that are pictured! Frosted sugar cookies are my absolute favorite cookie! YUM!

Lenae will be making her first communion next month. She's very excited about finally being able to go to communion with us. We found a dress this past week (thanks mom!). I picked her up so shoes that just happened to match too! When the day arrives, I'm sure I'll have plenty of photos to post. She'll also be turing 8 here in a couple of weeks. YIKES! Guess I better figure out what we'll be doing for her birthday too.

Ryan is wearing us out as usual. He has taken a liking to the phrases, "you're a pain in the ying yang" and "meanie". He's also FINALLY decided that going to the potty is fun! Now, to get him to tell us that he has to go, instead of us playing the guessing game. Maybe by the time he turns 4 we'll have it down!

Happy Easter!

Hardest thing I've had to do this week....

2008-01-16T21:26:00.000-06:00

A challenge from Jeanne....

I guess that would have to be being the emcee at the Geography Bee today. Although it really wasn't THAT hard. Thank goodness we didn't have a ton of parents. Put me in front of a crowd of kids, and I'm good. Add adults, and I get weak in the knees.

A Survey

2008-01-16T20:52:00.000-06:00

Seeing that I don't have much to post right now...I thought I'd do this instead: (by the way...I'll do a real update this weekend when I have more time!)

Name someting you eat with fruit: cottage cheese
Name something you make with fruit: smoothie
Name something you do with Flour: make dough
Name a color not in the rainbow: pink
Name a college in the South: Texas A&M
Name a state in the West: California
What is something teenagers do on Saturday night: Drink
What is the most used room in the house: Kitchen
What is the most used appliance in the kitchen: Refrigerator
What is a fun food to take to the theatre: m&ms (easy to sneak in)
Name a kind of dancer: Belly Dancer
Name a type of root: Carrot
What is another word for male: boy
What is another word for female: girl
What dog breed is typically the smartest: jack russell terrier
Name a child's cartoon: Bob the Builder
Name a Disney Movie: Cars
Name a romantic comedy: Somewhere in Time
Name a horror movie: Nightmare on Elmstreet
Name a food that is good with garlic: Bread
Name a food that is good with milk: Cookies
Name a food that is good with ice cream: Brownies
Name a pizza topping: Cheese
What is the best way to call a dog: whistle
Name a government office: President
What is a word that has the word Key in it: keyboard
What is a phrase that starts with the word Don't: Don't touch!
Name a type of house: Ranch
Name something that people do just before going to sleep: Take their medicine
Name something you associate with McDonalds: Fries
Name someone famous named Billy: Billy Idol
Name something made of metal: Scissors
Name something you build with wood: A desk
Name something you do while on a camp out: roast marshmallows
Name someting you light with a lighter: candles
Name an exercise that everyone hates: jumping jacks
Name a tree with the prettiest flowers: redbud
Name a reason (other than being sick)people call in sick to work: Tired
Name a piece of furniture that is most comfortable: Couch
Name something people steal from work: Copies
Name a popular Milkshake flavor: Strawberry
Name a movie with the word Kill in the title: Kill Bill

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-22T11:17:00.000-06:00

Today is the first day of winter, and appparently mother nature wants us to take notice! It's been crazy here the past couple of weeks. We started off the 2nd week of December with a horrible ice storm that the thousands in the dark. We were fortunate and never lost our power, although we did lose our internet for a few hours. After that storm left we had a day of respite only to receive about 9 inches of snow! That melted and we enjoyed fairly nice temperatures for a few days, 40s and even low 50s. This morning we woke up to 35 mph winds and blowing snow. Yay!

In the ice-storm, My in-laws lost their power. They have been staying with us for the past 12 days. All in all it hasn't been too bad. This morning they went out to the farm to check on things and feed the animals, as they have done every morning, and found the electricity is back on! Yahoo! They are going to spend one last night here tonight and then get groceries and head out tomorrow. Now, as long as the roads don't drift to the point of being impassable we'll all be happy campers!

Ice Storm Damage

2007-12-20T20:08:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures from the damage at my parent's house.

The dog ate it

2007-12-03T20:57:00.000-06:00

So what do you do when you tell your child to eat their supper....and he feeds the dog with it? LOL! I told Ryan to finish up his hotdog. He ran into the kitchen and then came back and told me that Casper at it. I about died laughing! Note to self - When asking Ryan to finish his supper, make sure Casper is with me or in his kennel. Also be sure and tell Ryan NOT to give his food to the dog.

What can be better than hand made?

2007-11-20T21:33:00.000-06:00

I have found that I really enjoy making altered items with my scrapbooking things. The last thing that I've been making are ornaments to give away in our goodie bags this year. Although, I think I might have to make some for home too! I found this idea on another website, and it looked easy, but very pretty. Hope you like them!

Plane Ride

2007-11-11T21:21:00.000-06:00

Well...after belonging to the plane club now for 8 months, Kerry finally got me up in the plane. We used to go flying all the time when we were dating and before we had Lenae. Then she came along, and the last time I went up with him was when she was 6 months old. Lenae and Ryan have both been up with him in the plane. Anyway, I wanted to go see the wind farm that is being constructed south of Lincoln, KS and Kerry suggested we fly up there and view it from above. You forget how beautiful the land is when you keep your feet grounded on it, but seeing it from afar reminds me just how amazing Kansas really is! Enjoy the photos.

Veteran's Day

2007-11-11T20:51:00.000-06:00

First - Thank you to all those who have served and are serving our country. I am forever grateful to you. I have many in my family who are vets, including my Dad who was in the Navy, and my Husband, who was in the Army Reserves. Both did tours during wars, My dad fought in the Vietnam War, and Kerry fought in the Persian Gulf War. Thank you for risking your lives for the people of the United States.

Boo!

2007-10-31T22:21:00.000-05:00

Okay, so they aren't really that scary, but they sure are cute! Lenae was a Medieval Queen this year, and Ryan was Thomas the Tank. The weather was great for Trick-or-Treating! We went out around 6:30 and it was nice and crisp, but not too cold, and the wind had died down from earlier in the day. This was the first year that Ryan really knew what was going on, and boy did he have a great time! Lenae showed him how to say "trick or treat" and he layed on the charm! He was "choo-choo"ing at everyone when they passed us. And he figured out a way to get double treats...(Kerry must have taught him this, I take NO responsibility!). As the people would hand him candy into his bucket, he would reach in the bowl with the other hand and take more. I was so embarrassed! Anyway, we had a great time, Lenae looked beautiful and we have WAY too much candy in our house right now!

Sunny Side Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-21T16:09:00.000-05:00

We loaded up the kids and took them to the Sunny Side Pumpkin Patch this afternoon. We were looking for something to do this weekend, and since we've never taken the kids to a patch before, we thought it sounded like fun. Ryan had a ball playing in the corn box with the little tractors and trailers, and Lenae enjoyed the horse tire swings. They both had fun in the haybale maze and seeing the farm animals. Dad and Lenae tried out their aim with the gourd sling-shot, and we all went on the hayrack ride around the pumpkin patch. Afterwards we took the kids out into the patch in a wagon and picked us out 4 pumpkins. It was a lot of fun and we'll definitely have to go back next fall!

Our 2007 Family Photos

2007-10-13T23:17:00.001-05:00

Too cute

2007-10-13T12:24:00.001-05:00

Just had to come and post this one photo...it's too cute not to share! He won't let us cut his hair, so I put in some gel and styled it.

Road Trip

2007-10-08T20:31:00.000-05:00

Kerry and I took the kids on a road trip this past weekend to Kansas City. We went to the Renaissance Festival (which was a lot of fun, but REALLY REALLY hot and humid) and met up with Lenae's friend and her parents. We walked around and let the kids play some games, took in a few side shows and looked at the crafts that were for sale. We would have probably stayed longer, but with the heat, cranky kids and Kerry's knee hurting from walking on the uneven ground, we decided go find a place to relax.

A teacher from school had told me about a restaurant that her kids really enjoyed, and so we thought we'd try it out. It's called "Fritz's RailRoad Restaurant". It's a hamburger joint that serves your food by train. We knew Ryan would be in heaven, and we figured Lenae would have just as much fun. However, Kerry and I enjoyed it just as much as the kids!

This coming weekend we are getting our family photos taken by a local photographer. I hope the weather holds out, as we are supposed to have an outdoor session. When we get them done, I'll post some. I'm looking forward to having some new ones of the family. Until then....................

How could I forget?

2007-09-11T21:51:00.000-05:00

Ryan's newest spot to relax....

You got it...on my dresser watching "Cars" on the portable DVD player. ROFL!

Fall breezes are blowing!

2007-09-11T21:08:00.000-05:00

First off...I've really got to keep up better than this.

We haven't had any "big" things happen during my hiatus. However Ryan did go for a plane ride with Kerry for the first time. He had such a good time, and was quite disappointed when it was time to go. I was worried that he wouldn't like it once they were up in the air, but Kerry said that he was really good.

This week, we've gotten a welcome taste of fall. The nights have been cool enough that we've opened up the windows to let in the fresh air. Yesterday was almost down right cold! I thanked my lucky stars that I didn't have recess duty since it was raining and I would have had indoor recess. 57 10-12 year olds in one classroom is quite crowded, let alone noisy.

This past weekend Kerry and I loaded up the kids and went to the Kansas State Fair. We had a ball! We met our friends Mike & Debbie and their foster kids and spent the day roaming the grounds. We even ran into Lenae's friend that moved away this summer. She was SO happy to see her! They rode a couple rides together, and we talked about setting up a date to get together during Christmas vacation. She's looking forward to it.

Later that evening Lenae decided to share her tickets and take Ryan on the carnival rides with her. It was his first experience riding them. They both had a great time.

My Last Offical Day of Vacation

2007-08-14T09:24:00.001-05:00

I haven't had a good update in a while, so let me think.
Lenae finished up YMCA/MRC Summer Fun Camp last week. She had a great time this summer attending camp during the day. The last session there were only 6 kids, and she said that was the best one of the summer. She always enjoys Thursdays the best, since they go to the water park that day.
Ryan turned 3 on the 22nd of July. We had a "Thomas the Tank" party for him. He was such a hoot too! In the middle of opening his presents, he showed off his muscles for everyone. It was too funny! He blew out his candles like a champ - last year he was kind of afraid of them.
Kerry and I celebrated 13 years on the 30th of July. We didn't make any special plans prior to the day, however Kerry did take the day off from work. In the mid afternoon we finally decided to go to Wichita and see a movie and go to dinner. Since we had the kids, we decided on the new Disney flick, Ratatouille. It was pretty good too! This was Ryan's first experience in a big theater. And we did it right by going to the Warren. He was amazed at the screen, and the sound caught him by surprise. I think he held his hands over his ears for a good part of the show. Of course right after the previews were done he told me he was ready to go. However I convinced him to stay and he sat on my lap and watched the movie. Afterwards we went to Hog Wild Pit BBQ. It was yummy and we all had a great time.
We just bought a good cheap car for me to drive back and forth to school. Kerry wasn't really impressed with the almost 20,000 miles I put on the Avalanche this past school year. So...we got a 1998 Buick Century. It's a fairly good looking car...except for the front grill - which screams "OLD LADY". But, I'll survive. No car payment, and good fuel mileage. What more can you ask for?! Oh...of course the first week I had it (this past Thursday), I got nailed in Walmart parking lot! Oh yes...a fender bender! I went and got estimates yesterday... about $1500 in damage to the rear bumper & quarter panel! Holy Canolies! It doesn't look THAT bad. Good thing it is fully insured. Oh yeah, it was both of our faults. And the bright side(if there is one)...I didn't get a ticket.
Well, I suppose that's enough excitement for now. I need to get some photos taken of the scrapbook pages I've done this summer. I also need to get some of the kids too. Hopefully this weekend I'll have those ready to post. Ta Ta for now!

A Tribute

2007-07-29T17:24:00.000-05:00

It's been one year since you left this earth and I still can't believe you are gone. For some reason I've been more touched by your passing than any other. Maybe it's because you were so young, and your death was so sudden. Maybe it's because like me, you have a young family. Maybe it's because I hear Kerry talk about your adventures together and so I feel that I know you more than I really do. Regardless, I know I think of you quite often and I continually pray for your 3 beautiful boys, and your amazing wife. Rest in peace, Rick. We love you, and we miss you!

P.S. The music is for you, Rick. This song always makes me smile and think of you!

Tiny Town Video

2007-07-25T11:14:00.000-05:00

Here it is! The kids had a blast!

Home from Colorado

2007-07-10T13:02:00.000-05:00

What a trip! We had a great time visiting Kerry's cousin, Beth, and her 3 boys. It's been almost a year since her husband died, so we wanted to go and visit. We spent a week with her at her home in Aurora. It was a LOT of fun! We took our kids and her youngest for a day of running around. We went to Tiny Town and the Coors Brewery. We also took a nice drive through the mountains. We spent another day in Glenwood Springs with my friend, Karen, from college. We ate lunch, checked out the shops downtown, got some ice cream, went geocaching, and grilled out on her deck for supper. We also got to meet her boyfriend. We decided that he's a pretty nice guy!

Lenae said her favorite part was going to the lake and being on Beth's boat. She also helped the boys catch minnows. Ryan had a ball running up and down the shore helping me get tiny seashells. I rode a jet ski for the first time! I was pretty unsure of myself, but after a bit of getting used to it, I had a ball! Even managed to get a few jumps in. Woo-hoo...go me!

Unfortunately, I was not of sound mind when it came to bringing our camera along. We'd always be on the way to where ever and I'd realize that I left it behind. I did manage to remember it on our trip to Tiny Town. So I hope you enjoy the couple of photos from there. I think I'll try and upload the video as well.

Jeanne tagged me!

2007-07-10T12:31:00.000-05:00

Instructions: These are the rules…. each player starts with 7 random facts about themselves on their Blog. People who are tagged need to blog 7 facts about themselves and post the rules as well. At the end of their blog list 7 people you are tagging. Let them know that they are tagged by leaving them a comment.

1. I LOVE summer, but I also love when school starts up and I get a new class!

2. I have to make my bed each day...my husband thinks I'm weird because of it.

3. My favorite holiday is Christmas - I love the decorations and the lights!

4. Geocaching...it's teaching me to be a little bit more adventurous. Although I still have a ways to go to get brave enough to do some of the harder terrain stuff.

5. Wasps...they scare the hell out of me!

6. I need to scrapbook a whole lot more than I do. I gotta make some goals in that area.

7. I'm afraid of dying while my kids are young. I want to see them grow up, and enjoy their lives as adults. Of course one day I want to meet any grandchildren they might bless me with.

I'd tag seven people....but I think everyone I know has been tagged!

Half way there!

2007-07-01T23:03:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that we are already half way through summer vacation. *cry* It's gone extremely fast so far, and will now only seem to go faster! We are getting ready to head out to Colorado for about a week. When we return, I'll have a couple weeks of rest, a week of college classes, and then I'll be getting back to my classroom. It seems like it should still be weeks and weeks away though. However, come August, I'll really be excited to start the new year. I always am. Right now I keep thinking about how many days we have left. You know...the whole, "the glass is half empty" thing! Somebody tell me to think positive - like I usually do!

Hope you enjoy the photos! Two are of our return trip to Coronado Heights. This time I was prepared with the camera, but of course the batteries didn't last long. Oh well, I got a few shots anyway. One is of the picture of the kids that I *tried* to take for Kerry's Father's Day card. Of course the batteries acted up again. I got one taken, then they died; dead-er than a doornail. So...I ended up using a totally different picture. Oh well. The last photo is of Ryan being a ham. Gammy taught him how to make faces, and well, I'll let the photo speak for itself!

Treasure Hunting!

2007-06-10T14:37:00.000-05:00

We got our new GPS this past Monday in the mail! Last summer my friend, Karen, introduced our family to geocaching. It is a fun hobby/sport of "seek and find" over the earth. Check out Geocaching.com if you're interested. So of course we had to try it out! We took the kids and loaded up. Of course I didn't have my camera (bad Cheri, I know) but we went out by Lindsborg and Coronado Heights. We ended up finding 2 of the 4 we hunted for. We'd been using Kerry's aviation GPS, which is awesome for flying, but for GCing, it was time consuming to load the waypoints in. Now we can do hundreds at the push of a button. I also took a class this past week in Wichita and did a little caching during my lunch break. We also have a cache that we have hidden, but it was "muggled", so we are in the process of getting it fixed back up. I think we might go out later tonight to find some more, but first Ryan has to wake up from his nap.

Summer Vacation is officially here!

2007-05-22T21:13:00.000-05:00

We traditionally end the school year by getting together as a staff for lunch. This year was no different. We met at the home of one of our teachers, and had a great time enjoying each other's company. This year we had a group of staff that decided they needed to form a Barry Manillow fan club complete with T-Shirts. They even coerced Fr. Jarrett to join in, the poor soul. Of course, many of us "younger" folks decided that we could not just stand by and watch. We ended up with a Journey group, complete with our own T-Shirts with "Just Say No to Barry Manillow" on the back. It was a fun way to end the school year, and next time we'll make sure to snag Father before they do. Oh yeah...and we had a bigger group!

Today was my first official day of summer vacation. And you'll never guess what I spent my first day doing....CLEANING!!! LOL! Oh well, I felt like I got a lot accomplished.

Medieval Festival

2007-05-22T21:05:00.000-05:00

Well the weeks and weeks of planning and organizing paid off! It went off with out a hitch. Well, there were a couple of small snafus, but nothing that wasn't expected. The 6th graders had a great time, and those that visited did as well. I think everyone really enjoyed the hands-on aspect that was offered. It sure makes the whole thing more meaningful for those that attend. Here are just a few pictures. I had 15 different stations in all, and over 250 students that attended the stations.

The groups were:
Medieval Food
Siege Weapons
Small Weaponry
Castles
Medieval Clothing
Shakespeare
Knights
Feudalism
Medieval Games
Maypoles
Medieval Art
Famous Medieval People
Medieval Music
Medieval Myths & Creatures
Medieval Church

Mother's Day Weekend

2007-05-12T17:03:00.000-05:00

Well, it's Saturday and early this morning I got a delivery! Aren't they pretty? The flowers are from Kerry and the balloons, bear, and chocolate are from the kids.

I've been working on my mom's "card" for a while now. I finished up putting in the ribbon on all the little cards today. It's an altered box that has 20 cards inside. On the cards are things that I love about her. I think it came out really cool. I hope she likes it!

Lenae had a friend over last night. Aside from playing around at home we went to the carnival, watched our fireworks display for our city "All School's Day celebration, went to the carnival again and finished up by playing in the sprinkler. I think we'll be taking her home soon, both girls are getting tired. I know I am!

That I know of, we don't have any BIG plans for Mother's Day. Maybe I can convince him to take us out to eat. It won't be too hard to do. Otherwise I've got to get a good night's rest so I'll be ready the "Medieval Festival" on Monday with my 6th graders. I'll try to take some pictures and share them with you. Until then...

24 hours to post huh?

2007-05-10T22:48:00.000-05:00

Well here I sit. Updating for a challenge on scrapdawgs.com. It's 10:49 pm, I should be in bed, but I am waiting for clothes to get done in the washer so I can put them in the dryer. Ryan is still up and screaming his head off at the moment. He wanted a chocolate egg...needless to say, he didn't get one. You'd have thought his world was ending. I guess to a 2 year old "No" is the end of their world. LOL! Right now he's yelling "MOMMY HELP" between the tears. Oh, what fun! On a much lighter note, we only have 6 days of school left! 4 of those are with my sixth graders. I have to say that although I am looking forward to summer, I will miss my group of kids that I have this year. Of course there have been many challenges, but as individuals, they really have a lot to offer. I've enjoyed watching them grow and contribute to our classroom. It will be sad to see them leave for the last time this coming Wednesday. I hope I've made a difference to them in this small part of their lives.

Well, the tears have ended, along with the cries for help. My washer just buzzed that it was done. I guess I ought to go move the laundry and head to bed.

Oh...one more thing...I weighed in at school today (we are doing our own weight loss club there) and I was down 4 lbs! SHOCK! My total lost is 18.5 pounds! Wish me luck that it keeps dropping off. :)

Snow day? No! FLOOD day!

2007-05-07T16:38:00.000-05:00

What a weekend! From Friday through Sunday we dodged tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. We also got TONS of rain. We did find out that Ryan does not like our tornado shelter! We had to take cover on Sunday, and it took him a good 15 min. to settle down and get used to the small, dark little room. Today we woke up and got ready for school as usual. Lenae and I headed off like normal and on our drive we heard on the radio that school was cancelled for the day. Of course we were almost there by then so we went ahead and went. I got four hours of uninterrruped work done! The pictures are of two of the local "flood" spots here in McPherson.

Altered boxes

2007-04-22T22:31:00.000-05:00

I made these for our school secretaries for "Secretaries Week". I filled them with Hershey kisses, and I also made a set of note cards for them as well. I hope they enjoy the gifties! I had fun making them.

Wish us luck

2007-04-22T22:10:00.000-05:00

Lenae is supposed to go for allergy testing on Wednesday. This will be our second attempt. Last time on the final day without her Zyrtec, she started getting hives all across her back. We were doing cold packs to help with the itching while crossing our fingers that they'd leave. Then they started errupting on her face, I decided to give her what she needed to get rid of them, Zyrtec. So I called to cancel her apt. Now, with all this wind, I'm worried that we'll have another repeat. So, cross your fingers for us! This will be the 3rd time she's had testing done. Hopefully we'll see some of the outdoor triggers that she the testing didn't show a couple years ago. I also just want to get it over with!

Only 4 more weekends!

2007-04-15T21:06:00.000-05:00

Or if you prefer days....25! I can't believe that it is getting so close to the end of the school year. Yesterday all I did was prepare for the Medieval Festival that we will begin preparing on Wednesday (or maybe Tuesday if I can be real convincing to another teacher). I thought for sure the kids would get a full 4 weeks to work on it, but it looks like they'll have just a little over 3. I think it will all work out just fine. They always seem to impress me with big projects.

Today was "catch up on laundry" day. I still have a load drying and one waiting to be dried. It's been a pretty good day though. I tried out the trampoline in the back yard. That was fun! LOL! Once I got the hang of it, I don't think I did too bad. Lenae and Ryan sure enjoyed my "tricks". HA HA HA! Lenae had half the neighborhood (or I should say all the neighborhood) for playmates most of the afternoon. I think we had a total of 7 other kids over today. At least it was nice enough for them to be outside, and stay outside!

Oh...the pictures....Friday it was only 39 (or so) degrees, and we were supposed to get about 7 inches of snow. I took this picture at the start of the snow storm. However we really didn't get much. Maybe a couple of inches. Then Saturday it warmed up to over 60, so everything melted. Today we were in the 60s again. Typical weather for this place. If you don't like it, wait 5 minutes and it'll change!

Alleluia! He is Risen!

2007-04-09T19:32:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter everyone! We had a great day. We started out by going to Mass in Lindsborg. When we got home I began cooking up a storm. My parents, my brother, and Kerry's parents joined us for dinner. It was pretty good too! After we ate, the kids opened up their Easter baskets, and of course we had our annual egg hunt in the back yard. They kiddos had a great time finding the eggs! And this year, Ryan knew what to do with them. Last year he would pick them up and throw them back down. LOL!

Around Town Challenge

2007-04-09T19:23:00.000-05:00

Here it is...a little late, you know what they say! Anyway, this is a picture of a statue that is near our courthouse. It is of General McPherson. He was a Civil War general that was killed in Atlanta, GA on July 22, 1864. He is the namesake of our town. I also have a photo of the back side of our courthouse (because I couldn't get a decent shot of the front from where I was at...) that shows the clock tower.

Happy Birthday Lenae!

2007-04-07T01:29:00.000-05:00

She's 7! Wow, I can't believe how fast those years have gone by. I think she enjoyed her "family party" today. She picked out her cake, and also decided she wanted cupcakes. So when we came home, I made those. Kerry put together her new trampoline! She was quite shocked to see it. Of course, with the snow on the ground, and our wintry temperatures it made jumping just a bit cold, but she braved it anyway. Ryan joined her as well. She ended the night by falling asleep in Uncle Rick's arms. What a day!

It's time for PRETTY TOES!

2007-04-01T22:09:00.000-05:00

I just LOVE spring! I love watching everything turn green outside, and seeing the flowers bloom. I love the balmy weather, and being able to open up the windows. I love being able to wear just about any kind of shirt - long sleeves or short, and feeling comfortable in either. I also love breaking out my sandals! So...this weekend I put on a fresh coat of toe-nail polish. Of course Ryan was intently watching and he wanted some to. I started with just his big toes hoping that would satisfy the need, but alas, he wanted them all done, just like mine. LOL! So here's the result. Kerry wasn't too thrilled, but he'll live.

Lenae's Spring Picture

2007-03-31T22:40:00.000-05:00

Here it is! She looks so grown up already. Hard to believe she'll be turning seven in 6 more days.

I'm surviving, but I miss sleeping in.

2007-03-27T19:24:00.000-05:00

Well...two days down and three to go until the weekend. These early mornings are kicking my butt. However, maybe if I would go to bed earlier it wouldn't be so bad. LOL! Monday was madness. I ran around constantly, and at the end of the day I felt like I hadn't gotten anything done. I did however spend 45 min. after school cleaning up my classroom. We are making bean mosaics for our study of Ancient Rome in 6th grade social studies, and I had dried beans EVERYWHERE! I'll have to take some pictures of the finished product and post them when I get a chance. They always come out so cool! Tomorrow is a easy day with the 5th grade social studies classes, we are watching a video on the Declaration of Independence. 3 classes of that...hopefully I can get some other stuff caught up while they are watching. Oh, I did have an AWESOME lunch today. The Spanish teacher takes the 6th grade classes on a field trip to a local Mexican restaurant where they have to speak in Spanish to the wait staff. So, I had a GREAT meal, and didn't have to pay for it either! WaHoo! It was just the two of us, and my 18 cherubs. They were pretty well behaved too. Too bad we can't do that more often. :) Lenae got her casual spring pictures...I'll scan one and post it later. They came out awesome! Until next time......

It's Sunday!

2007-03-25T14:09:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful day too! Not much going on today, although I did add a few more pictures to my slide show. I had done some more pages, but hadn't taken pictures of them until last night. I'd like to go through all of my albums and get photos of them. That sounds like a good summer project. I'd scan them...but lately my scanner doesn't like all the lumpy stuff, and it scans wierd. Well, I'm being called to get juice for my boy. Until next time.......

An old one of Lenae

2007-03-23T20:35:00.000-05:00

She was 2 years and 9 months in this video.

Spring break is almost over

2007-03-23T19:38:00.000-05:00

I knew the end would come quick. It's not that I dread going back to work, it is that this is the time of the year that gets VERY STRESSFUL! Crunch Time...The time to FREAK out that we only have 38 days of school left (as of Monday)!!!! I've got so much to get done! Not only is our music teacher and I putting on a big performance with our 119 5th & 6th graders, I have also decided to have a Renaissance Festival with my 6th graders this year, instead of the traditional "Medieval Museum". And of course the culminating events of both the musical and the festival happen about a week apart. Someone's gonna have to put me in a padded room come May! Oh yes, and I was also told that I have to give the social studies state pilot assessment as well. When the heck am I gonna get all this done? Oh well...I'll survive as always. And when May 18th comes, you can come find me - I'll be running for the hills.

Questionaire from the Dawgs

2007-03-23T19:24:00.000-05:00

Q: What is your favorite activity and why?
A: Scrapbooking...I love to be creative

Q: What is your favorite style of Scrapbooking?
A: Simple...but I am trying to branch out

Q: Do you prefer candid pics or staged?
A: Mostly candids, but I do like staged every now and then

Q: Do you take your camera everywhere with you?
A: No, but I should

Q: Do you have a certain thing that you prefer to get shots of?
A: My kids

Q: Do you have a specific comfort meal?
A: Dessert!

Q: Where do you see yourself in five years?
A: Still teaching, maybe living in a different town.

Q: What are the steps you will take to get to where you want to be in five years?
A: Just keep doing what I'm doing...oh and putting our house on the market.

Q: Do you collect anything?
A: Cows (and dust!)

Q: Post a picture of yourself
A: I already did. :)

Q: FINAL QUESTION: Who is a "Scrapbooking Celeb" that you try to lift?
What is it that you love about their work? Post an example of their work.
Hmmmm....Not sure on this one. I really like Becky Higgins' sketches though.

Ryan is counting in Spanish

2007-03-20T10:16:00.001-05:00

2007-03-20T10:13:00.000-05:00

My first digital scrapbook page! I used our family Christmas photo.

2007-03-20T10:10:00.000-05:00

My second digital scrapbook page!

HOLY COW! It's been a long time!

2007-03-20T09:55:00.000-05:00

Okay...so maybe 5 months is a little too long between updates! LOL! I'll have to put some pictures up later, but for now just a quick entry is all I have time for. (Laundry is calling you know!) Hmmm...since October...Thanksgiving was good. My mom hosted the dinner this year, and there was about 80 in attendance. She was quite stressed out, but it went very well. Christmas was such a great time with family, as usual. Ryan and Lenae had a ball. Ryan finally got into "opening" his gifts this year. Everything was "WOW!" as he opened them up. When he was finished with his, he wanted to help everyone else too. Including his sister...she didn't like that so much. Kerry turned the big 4-0 on New Year's Eve. Per our usual tradition, we got together with the Jakabosky's but also invited my parents and Kerry's parents to come celebrate with us. In Feb., Kerry took another 2 week business trip out to Arizona. Lenae's birthday is in a coupe of weeks. She's going to be 7! I can't believe she's getting so big! We've got a trampoline in the works for her. She's been asking for one for a while now...so I hope she'll be surprised & happy! I'd love to say Ryan is "growing like a weed", but the little guy is just that...little. He's two and a half and still wearing 12 to 18 month pants. He weighs right about 25-26 pounds. I hope he has a growth spurt sometime soon!

That's all for now! I'll get some pictures up a little later.

A bit of saddness

2006-10-13T00:02:00.000-05:00

I didn't realize that it had been over 2 months since I updated. I'll have to do another post when my spirits are up. Tonight my furbaby of 11 1/2 years went to the Rainbow Bridge. Whiskers didn't greet me when I got home like usual. After running Lenae around to lessons, and finishing up supper I decided to call for him. He still didn't show, so I then went to look around the yard. I found him by our back steps. I knew it wasn't good. Kerry helped me get him inside where we made the emergency call to our vet. It was all over in about 15 to 20 min. from the time I made the call. We'll miss Whiskers. He was like no cat I had ever had or seen. He LOVED people. He was everybody's lap cat. As long as you extended your hand, he was there. Many people often commented on how friendly he was. He also liked to jump up into my arms...there was no waiting for me to pick him up. It was always, "Notice me, Now!" I know now that he is free from pain. Lenae of course it taking this very hard. I hope that she will soon heal. Death is such a hard lesson for little people, and big ones too. Until next time...Whiskers, I hope you are enjoying being free!

Kid Update

2006-07-24T17:15:00.000-05:00

Part of this update should have been made back in May! Lenae graduated from Kindergarten and is looking forward to starting first grade in about 3 1/2 weeks. YIKES! That means I have to return to work then too. Wow, the summer goes by way to fast! Lenae has been attending Summer Camp through our YMCA, and has also just started swimming lessons again. She's in level 3! We are so proud of all that she's accomplished in the water this past year. It is really amazing how much confidence the lessons have given her. She wants to take gymnastics, but is afraid because of her asthma. We keep trying to encourage her, but we haven't succeeded just yet. Ryan just turned two this past weekend. We had a great time that day. Many friends and family gathered at our house for a BBQ and cake & ice cream. It was a lot of fun! Ryan is starting to pick up a few words here and there. Up until the past couple of weeks, he's only been saying about 10 words. He's added several more to his list: No, two, five, Nammy(Gammy), Yup, and Nommy(Mommy). Yes, that's right, after 2 years of waiting patiently, he's finally calling me "Nommy." YES! Enjoy the pictures, I hope to post more later!

Colorado Vacation

2006-06-23T19:11:00.000-05:00

We had a blast! Drove out on Hwy 50 and stayed the night in a little town WAY out in the boonies called Walsenburg, Co before heading into Durango the next morning. The San Juan Forest was just beautiful! We did a very short hike at the Continental Divide so the kids could get their hands in the snow. Lenae thought it was SO COOL to be in shorts and playing with the snow. My friend, Karen, met us in Durango. She was able to stay with us for a few nights. Kerry, Lenae and Karen went river rafting the next day. Later that night, Karen, Lenae and I went shopping! Downtown Durango great for that! Lenae got tired, and we didn't cover near as much as we wanted to. We all rode the Durango to Silverton Train the following day. It was a lot of fun (even for the 3rd time around! - for me anyway). There is some beautiful country that you just can't see from the road. Karen also introduced us to Geocaching! We made our first three finds with her, and have found several more since we've been back home. Check out this site to find out more. It is a lot of fun, and free too! Well, except for the fuel. After Karen left, Kerry, the kids and I did a lot of driving around the area. We drove to Vallecito Lake, which is absolutely gorgeous! When we left Durango, we headed up the Million Dollar Highway. Talk about nature's beauty at its best! Wow! I've been down the road as a kid, but don't remember it much. Other than the cars my brother and I had spotted that had driven off the mountain side and crashed below! YIKES! Kerry laughed because I kept leaning away from the edge. He kept wanting me to lean way over and take pictures of the drop off. NO THANKS! Anyway, we stopped by Karen's on our way to Denver. The canyon outside of Glenwood Springs was beautiful! The kids were getting cranky, and it was getting dark, so we decided to find a place to sleep for the night. We stayed at a little hotel in Frisco. What a neat place! Too bad we didn't have time to shop. I'd love to go back there. :) We finished our drive to Denver the next morning and then spent the day with Kerry's cousins. The following day we took off and arrived home. Now...I've got to get scrappin'.

SUMMERTIME!

2006-05-29T10:25:00.000-05:00

Summer is here! YAY! School ended on the 19th, and Lenae and I have just finished our first full week of summer vacation. I spent the week going through all of our stuff for a garage sale this past Saturday. We did pretty good, and got rid of A BUNCH of things. The kids's closets are now cleaned out, and you can actually see the closet floor! This coming week we are headed off on vacation. We'll be meeting up with a college friend of mine that I haven't seen for about a year and a half. I'm REALLY EXCITED! Until next time...

Another Montage

2006-05-04T21:15:00.000-05:00

I made one of Ryan. Take a peek! (click on the picture)

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Check this out!

2006-04-29T11:28:00.000-05:00

I made this today. Click on the picture & Enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My Beauty Queen

2006-04-19T21:46:00.000-05:00

She's growing up so much! I took some pictures of both of the kiddos (of course) on Easter, but since Ryan was just in the spotlight with the haircut, it is time for miss Lenae to have the limelight. It won't be long until we attend her "Kindergarten Graduation." I can't believe she's already 6! Boy how time does fly.

The Haircut - Before

2006-04-19T21:40:00.000-05:00

Here he is, peacefully sleeping. Little does he know in about 10 minutes I plan to wake him up and hold him down for the next 20 while he screams! Oh yes, the joys of having beautiful locks at such a young age. LOL!

The Haircut - After

2006-04-19T21:38:00.000-05:00

My little guy looks like such a handsome young man! He's a different kid I tell ya. Yes, it was 20 minutes of hollering, crying, and constant nose dripping...but we survived. And, as you can see...apparently it didn't scar him for life. :)

Hoppy Easter!

2006-04-17T00:14:00.000-05:00

Well, I survived April 5th, and I received loads of "thanks" and compliments from parents, teachers & etc. I think I deserve a nice BIG raise! :o) The kids did a great job with the musical and the music teacher was there!

Today was Easter, Alleluia! He is risen! We went to mass in Salina, then ran around a bit before heading home. The Easter bunny came by and did his yearly deposit in our backyard (Eggs I tell you! Not the other kind of deposit!). Lenae had a grand time, and Ryan had fun shaking the eggs and then throwing them back on the ground. I'll post some pictures later of the kiddos. We had BBQ with my parents and brother later in the evening. It was yummy!

One more day off, then it's back to work. I can't believe school will be out in one month! I've got so much to cover yet! However I'm definitely looking forward to the summer. WA-HOO! TTFN!

Can't wait until tomorrow is over....

2006-04-04T22:42:00.000-05:00

Well here I sit. It is 10:43 pm and I need to go to bed! I've been worrying all evening about tomorrow. You see, I, along with my colleague, am supposed to be directing our 48 5th grade students in a musical performance tomorrow. Normally, a little stress is normal. However my partner in crime has the flu! I've said lots of prayers for her today, and I hope she feels better! I'm sure everything will work out just fine. I'm sure I'd feel lots better though, if this wasn't going to be taped by our local cable access TV channel! EEK!
.....good thoughts.....good thoughts....good thoughts.....good thoughts.....

2006-04-01T19:23:00.000-06:00

Just trying things out to see how this works. Here's a photo of my children taken this past fall. It was our "Christmas card photo."

Days go by

2006-04-01T18:37:00.000-06:00

Welcome! I'm trying something new...and I hope it works. The websites I had for my kiddos were just too hard to keep up-to-date. And if you don't mind looking at ancient photos and reading old news...they are good places to visit! Anyway, I'm hoping to keep this spot filled with good, and most importantly current news and photos. Keep checking back, and I'll do my best to entertain you!

Just incase you want to see those old sites...follow the links below:
Lenae's page
Ryan's page

~*~ My life ~*~