Beth's Blessed Life

Valentine's Day(s) and this week

2012-02-17T18:31:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Day this year came a little early for me. I had clinical until 2230 (1030p) on Tuesday, so on Saturday the 11th around 4p Tony came into the living room and told me to pack Drew's bag and take the boys to his brother's house. Austin had known about this for a day or two. I took the boys and came home to a dinner of steak, asparagus, baked potatoes and dessert of homemade molten chocolate cake. It was so wonderful! He is very thoughtful because I figured we would just give each other a kiss before I went to the hospital and that would be it (good thing I had already bought him a gift!).

This week was the first week I haven't watched my brother's boys 2 days a week. I have missed them! But -- it is really nice to have a full day for just Mommy and Drew. I was also able to take my time grocery shopping and Drew and I had lunch with Tony on his break. Next Thursday I hope to take Drew down to the Indy Children's Museum.

We are searching for a preschool for Drew. The church we have been attending doesn't have a preschool, so I have been looking online at some other churches around here. If only I could transport our church and school in Greenwood up here. . .

I was looking over my goals for this year and the church and house goals are moving along. The bedtime at 11 goal is not going as well - I have been trying to go to bed before midnight so far with a future goal of 11p. Baby steps. Reading a non-school book is not a realistic goal while I am in the middle of school but I know once this semester is over and I have a break I will read a LOT. I always do, I just need to make sure I don't read only fluff books. Exercise, exercise, exercise. This seems to be my Achilles' heel. I have been playing Just Dance more often but other than that have fallen short on exercising as much as I would like.
I have been packing packing and packing boxes and it still doesn't look like we are moving for awhile if you judge by the amount of stuff I have left to pack. Seriously how did we get so much? I really need to make sorting and giving away a priority after this semester is over. Maybe we will have a garage sale in our new house!

In other news, the Detroit Red Wings just won their 22nd consecutive home game. I don't really enjoy hockey but Tony is watching the game. :)

Have a great weekend!

My Week (1/31)

2012-02-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

I had my first nursing test of the semester this week and I got a B. I am very happy with this, since over half of the class did not pass (75% or above is passing). Only four more tests to go and a 100 page paper and this class is over!!

Austin's science fair was this past week and he got a Superior on his project. He chose to do an experiment on the effects of drag and made an umbrella contraption connected to a bag that held an egg. He dropped the contraption from different heights to see how much the egg cracked. I thought it was a great idea that he came up with for his project. We encouraged him to figure out a question and experiment himself as much as possible but helped when he asked or really got stuck. (Sometimes I feel like we are putting him at a disadvantage because we don't take over more and "help" him more but then again I want him to be able to do his own work as he gets older and not use us. I think some of his friends' parents may help more or he is in class with super-genius kids - who knows??)

My nephew turned 5 this week and his birthday party was at a local ice skating rink - but we didn't skate. They also have bounce houses set up by one of the rinks and the kids all got to play in those for awhile. My boys had so much fun running around and jumping and bouncing in those! I was cold watching them (literally right beside the rink) but they didn't seem to mind and Austin even took off his sweatshirt because he was hot! I also got to hold my baby nephew during the party and he fell asleep on me, so that was a nice bonus.

Drew has started learning how to read - really just sound out letters so far; we are doing a phonics program together. I think he is ready and he seems to like it, although he gets a little antsy towards the end. I remember Austin at this age and we used to do math and spelling while he was doing jumping jacks or some other movement to keep his body moving but still keep focus on the task at hand. This may be what Drew needs at this time also, we will see how the next few times go.

I am very proud to say that we have lived in Indy - - from everything I've heard this week they have done an amazing job of hosting the Super Bowl. I have heard quite a few people on TV saying Indy has done one of the best jobs hosting (now I don't know if they say this every year, but I can't really see that happening). The weather has even been cooperating, for the most part it has been warmer than usual. I wish we could've gone down one morning to see the Mike & Mike broadcast but it didn't work out. We are watching the big game at home and just hanging out with Tony's brother and his wife. It should be a fun and low-key time.

Feb 4 marks two years since Tony's grandma died. She was a wonderful woman who raised a great family and I still miss her. When we moved back to the Fort we started having dinner with her each week and saw her a few times a week. I'm very glad Austin and Drew got quality time with their great grandma (or as Drew calls her "the other grandma") before she passed. We were blessed to have such a lady in our lives.

My Week (1/16)

2012-01-23T11:18:00.000-08:00

This past week we had an exciting development in our house hunting - the sellers accepted our offer! We should close before March 10th and will be all moved in before April starts (our lease ends March 31st). We are all very excited about this house, it has been a long time renting these past 4 years (well some time lived w/parents rent-free!) and it will be so nice to have a place that is OURS. Our boys will each get their own room and Tony will have an office away from all of the action, so he should be a working machine :)

Today is Tony's birthday. The boys and I got him a few gifts and we are going out to eat with family a couple days this week. He is taking a nap right now and hopefully it will be nice and energizing for him. We will see if he can find his gifts later to open them - Drew hid them from Daddy in the living room after we wrapped them!

School is going. . . that's about all for now. I am getting the hang of when everything is due for my online classes, nothing is hard for those but there is a lot of busywork due each week. Next Wednesday is my first test for my nursing class and I am leaving my family for 2 days to study. It might sound extreme but I really want to get a good grade on the first couple of tests to set myself up for a good outcome. I don't want to be one of the students who has to ace the final to pass the class. Too much stress for me.

Austin got information about middle school for next year. :( I can't believe my baby is old enough for this!! I remember middle school for me and all I can say is I hope his experience is better. He is signing up for band and we are pushing for him to play trumpet or sax (we have Tony's trumpet and Uncle Steve has a sax). But really, as long as he enjoys whatever he ends up playing is the most important thing.

I think I am going to start teaching Drew to read soon. My friend has used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with much success for 2 kiddos and I looked through the book while at the store today and it actually does look easy, about 20 minutes a day. I feel like Drew is bored with his days and needs more difficult things to engage his mind. I do need to look at preschools for next year just for playing with other kids but I am dragging my feet on that. I would really love to homeschool him all the way through; I just need to convince my husband this is the right thing for Drew and our family. We will see. . .

If anyone has boxes they don't need or time to help pack, come on over!

This Week (1/9)

2012-01-14T19:26:00.000-08:00

This was my first week back for the spring semester. I am always overwhelmed by the first week, especially online classes, since I have to figure it out by myself! I have two online classes this semester, Family Communication and Art Appreciation. I'm taking it easy so I can really focus on and study for my nursing Med-Surg class. This is the do-or-die class for nursing majors, and I want to do well and get past it.

This weekend I am watching my friend's children (2 of the 3). Friday when I watch my nephews and niece, that all added up to 10 kids! It was a bit crazy for part of the time but it was fun. I definitely fell asleep when my head hit the pillow though. Today was a fun day of playing and hanging out.

This week we put an offer in on one of the houses we liked, and have countered and now need to reply to the latest counter. I'm not super happy with the seller but whatever happens, happens. Either we get this house or move on and find another one. I am trying to look at the bright side and at least we won't be the ones with two house payments if we don't end up agreeing on an offer!

I read the Indy Star on my iPhone usually daily and am getting excited about the SuperBowl. It makes me wish we still lived there so we could really be a part of the excitement! I'm encouraging Tony to go down at least one morning to watch Mike & Mike's show since he listens to it everyday. I would love to go down too, depending on whether or not I have class.

I am hoping to write a post each week just to keep up on anything new happening in our lives.

A New Year

2012-01-09T17:45:00.000-08:00

Here we are again at the start of a new calendar year and a new semester of college (for me). Hopefully 2012 will bring many good things into our lives, we are certainly working toward them!

This year, we will find a church home and stop hopping into different churches off and on. I really enjoyed the church we attended this past Sunday, it almost felt like a smaller version of our church in Greenwood (which we loved!) Drew enjoyed himself in kid church and I think Austin wishes he had gone with the elementary kids instead of staying with us for the service. Praying for guidance as we decide where to make our home.

We hope to buy a house in the first few months of the year. We have it narrowed down to two and think we know which we will put an offer on, so that should be an exciting start to the year! I am very excited for this to be our last move for a very very very loooong time!

I am planning on reading one book to help my personal growth each month, other than my nursing textbooks! One book may not seem like much but these darn nursing classes involve a lot of reading and studying. I guess our instructors don't want us to kill our patients :) My book for January is Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen. I read this a few years ago and it is a good, positive read to begin the new year. It is also an easy read so it fits well into my "free" time.

My goal time to be going to sleep is 11pm on days I don't have an exam/ assignment due the next day. I tend to stay up way too late and I am definitely getting too old for that. I feel like I have no energy the next day. Going to bed earlier should help me not feel like a zombie in the mornings.

Exercising more seems to be a goal I set each year. I'll set it again as a goal to exercise 3x a week. I'd prefer running at least one time a week but for now I may have to walk and work up to running... We have Just Dance 2 and 3 for the Wii and even when I'm just dancing with Drew it is a good and fun workout. I would like to do this also at least 2 times a week, just for fun (with the added benefit).

I have a few other goals for this year but this is enough for now. I would also like to learn to cook better food, but this may have to wait until after I am finished with school. I really need to prioritize while I am still taking courses, and am very blessed to have a husband who is an excellent cook!

I'll definitely update on the house journey when we get an accepted offer/close/move in :)

Randomness

2011-12-14T13:47:00.000-08:00

This semester is winding down and I'm thinking toward 2012 and my goals for next year.

I feel like I am going to be in school forever and the stress will never end.

This year:

Drew broke his arm while we were in Alabama for my cousin's wedding

My sister had her second son in October

I know other great things have happened but right now my brain is mush. One more final to go...

My Summer Workshare

2011-07-31T19:42:00.000-07:00

This summer I have been doing a workshare CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) at a local farm. At this farm, by doing jobs such as planting, mulching, harvesting, washing lettuce, etc. a certain number of hours per week gets us a full share of vegetables, berries and herbs each week from June to October.

I have been wanting to join a CSA for a few years, but we haven't been able to put out the cash ($500ish) in years past. At the IPFW health fair this past spring I saw the booth for a local CSA and thought I would talk to the folks there. I was very excited when they told me about the work share program -who doesn't love (sort of) free stuff??

The work has been fun, rewarding, hard, and sweaty. I have learned a lot - really the tip of the iceberg - about what different plants need in the soil, how to harvest different vegetables and which bugs to squish versus which ones to put back on a plant. I've also met a lot of people form all walks of life who love fresh vegetables.

What I like best about the farm is that it is organic. I know the vegetables are safe for my family to eat, and quite frankly they taste better than what is available in the stores. I also love helping triple-wash the lettuce and knowing it is thoroughly checked over and I don't need to wash it again. I always wash lettuce from the store even if it says it is safe not to!

I would definitely suggest joining a CSA to anyone who is interested in fresh, delicious and flavorful food. A workshare is a great option for those of us who have time but might be lacking a bit in the money area. I consider the CSA workshare to be a terrific way to feed my family nutritious food all summer (and part of autumn!) long.

We moved!

2011-03-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

That's right folks - we moved with 1 1/2 weeks notice! One night as we were driving home I wanted Tony to go through a certain neighborhood (because I have this thing about looking at houses). He didn't want to and went a different way and we saw a house for rent that we had actually looked at a year ago.
He called the guy renting the house, worked out a great deal for us and signed the lease. We moved a week and a half after the lease was signed! Needless to say, the sorting through and purging I was planning on doing when we moved did not happen. I have giveaway boxes by my side as I am unpacking and am filling them up, slowly but surely.
Although it isn't a perfect house and not one we would buy, there are many things I love about this house:

~ We have a garage!! At this time it is still full of boxes, but soon we will be able to park in it!

~ Backyard - BIG backyard! The boys and I already played outside and had a blast! There is also a great patio with a firepit and a spot for a garden. Austin wants to grow corn and Drew wants to grow carrots.

~ We have a new fridge and a garage fridge. The fridge that was here is not very big and the bottom shelf is
cracked, so we bought a fridge since we will need one wherever we buy next.

~ Trees! Squirrels! Birds! It is great to look out the back window and see squirrels running around.

~ The den is big enough for me to have my craft table set up. This is a first in my adult life and I am looking forward to relaxing as I create. Being able to stop and not put everything away for dinner will be very refreshing.

~ We are allowed to paint (and we did). After living in no-paint apartments for the past three years it is really nice not to have all white walls.

~ Austin has two closets, one full of shelves. All of his Legos are set up in scenes on the shelves. It looks great, and he has played with them more since they are more accessible.

~ Drew is so happy he has blue walls! His xylophone and drum pad are also set up all the time so he can make music whenever he wants.

~ Finally, I don't feel guilty about the boys playing like boys and chasing each other around the house and yelling and (fun) screaming. It is so nice not to tell them to be quieter because "our neighbors are on the other side of the wall".

We will most likely live in this house until I am finished with school (May 2013). Then we will decide where to live, here or Indy or wherever I find a job and we agree on. It should be a nice place to call home for the next couple of years.

2011 Resolutions

2011-01-04T19:38:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

As I start 2011, I can not believe I am turning 30 this year (next month!). Even when I was 20, 30 seemed ancient and here I am, knocking on the door. Now although my 10 year old thinks I am super old, 30 doesn't seem that bad to me. 40 is a different story . . .

I have resolutions for this year and in some ways I feel I have had the same ones for years and years. I suppose at some point I will fulfill at least one of them! Here they are:

1. Get healthier! I want to eat better and exercise more. I need to not care who will walk into the room when I am exercising and just do it. I know how/what I should eat but I talk myself into "treating" myself because I am so stressed, etc and that needs to stop. As a nurse (student and professional) I should be able to set a good example for my patients.

2. Continue purging our stuff that we don't use or need. We got rid of stuff this past year and it felt good! More is needed, partly because we don't have much storage and partly because we just plain old have too much crap.

3. Be more in the moment with my boys. I can't get this time back. It is easy to let stress or fatigue get to me and let them watch tv or play video games (yes even Drew - nickjr.com!) but really, they are young for such a small amount of time and then they are gone. I see this even with Austin - at 10, he doesn't want to do all the small things with me, such as building block castles or drive cars around on the carpet. It was a bittersweet moment today when he told me he wanted to box up his Bionicles and give them away (my feet are happy, but my little boy is growing up!). Anyway, I know I was involved with Austin and want to be the same way with Drew. How did I have so much more energy back then - am I really that old???? I'm not 40 :)

4. FIND A HOME CHURCH AND GO TO IT. This one is getting ridiculous.

5. Have fewer moments where I feel inadequate about nursing and feel like I want to quit school. Feeling like I am bad at things is not my favorite way to be.

6. Reupholster the ottoman and rocking chair. I have the fabric, just need to get it - as in me - together (and figure out how to use my sewing machine).

Well that about sums it up for this next year. We shall see what the year actually brings.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T21:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2010 is over, but was a lot of fun with our boys. Austin couldn't get to sleep Christmas Eve because he was so excited, and he woke up early to open gifts. Poor thing, we made him wait until his little brother woke up!

Tony and I got what we were hoping for this Christmas - Drew is now potty trained! We started this past Monday and he only took 2 days to be accident free. I love it!

Tony surprised me with a ring that I can wear to nursing clinicals (and future job) - my ring now sticks out and catches on gloves, so I just haven't been wearing it to school. I was shocked because we weren't supposed to get each other anything, and I think he was pleased with my reaction because he said my facial expression was priceless when he had Austin get the ring out of the tree.

Austin said this was his best Christmas ever (funny because he says that every year!) and it was more fun this year because Drew was really into the whole Santa thing and actually knew what Christmas entails. Austin has been putting together his legos every minute we have been home and Drew sleeps with his pillow pet as his main pillow now (so cute!).

Christmas night we went to my parents' for dinner and gift exchange and then today we went to Tony's mom's for lunch and gift exchange. We got to see Tony's aunt and uncle who were passing through on their way home, so that was nice.

Other than our tree's lights slowly dying over this month, it was a great Christmas season. We actually have plans for New Year's Eve so Tony is excited!

See you in 2011

Thankful

2010-11-09T15:51:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful I don't have to work and go to school at the same time. Sometimes I feel like I might go crazy just with studying and taking care of my family (and really, sometimes the home life is a little neglected).

I am so thankful I have a husband who can cook and likes to cook so I don't have to worry about dinner most days. He possibly just doesn't want to eat my cooking, I'm not sure. But I really don't care! I'm just so thankful he cooks!

I am so thankful Austin is old enough to have cleaning the kids bathroom as one of his chores, so that cuts down on my cleaning also. He usually does a great job too!

(I can't give up control of the laundry though. I tried last year, and Tony did fine, but my anxiety over him drying some of my clothes in the dryer was worse than me popping loads in when I have time. I don't mind the folding either, just the putting away. Clothes usually stay in the basket for a few days, or until the boys run out in their dressers!)

I am so thankful the weather has been nice (70 today) so we have been going to parks to play everyday. It is a joy to watch my boys play and they also work off some energy!

Last but not least,I am so thankful people have started putting up some Christmas decorations outside. I probably won't decorate fully until after finals, so it is nice to look at other people's Christmas decor!

10/10/10

2010-10-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

10 Things I am Thankful For:
1. God's grace and forgiveness
2. My husband
3. My two wonderful boys
4. My mother in law always willing to watch Drew when I am at school, and wanting to watch both or one boy on quite a few weekends
5. No car debt
6. A roof over our heads
7. Good friends who are honest when needed and uplifting
8. Good health
9. Air conditioning
10. More food available than I could ever need

10 Things I would Like to Accomplish in Life:
1. Strong, God-centered marriage
2. Raise Godly children
3. Adopt a child
4. College degree
5. Volunteer as a family on regular basis
6. Travel outside the USA
7. Move back to Greenwood
8. Visit my friend in WA before she moves back to IN
9. Buy a house
10. Buy a fairly good car with cash

10 Things I need to Change:
1. Deal with stress more constructively
2. Exercise more more (at all!)
3. Better food choices
4. Less TV
5. Remember hubby and I are in it together, not to take stress out on each other
6. Purge some stuff
7. Quit feeling inferior to others for whatever reason I can think of that they must be better
8. Listen to more music at home since it relaxes me and brightens my day
9.
10.

I know I have more I can change, but since I've been up since 6:15 this morn with 2 energetic little boys, I can't think of any more at the moment. By no means am I going to try and change everything at once, I don't think that would help me change #1 (deal w/stress more constructively). Some of the future accomplishments are already in the works and some are a bit farther off. Who knows what will actually happen, that is part of the excitement of life -nothing is certain.

Straight No Chaser concert

2010-10-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

Amazing a cappella group orignally from IU. I found them last Christmastime when pbs showed their concert and have become a fan since. The concert was at the Embassy Theater and Tony and I got really good seats; the first row of real seats (4 rows of temporary in front of us). We are in the pictures SNC took from stage :) We stayed afterwards for the meet & greet and Austin got his new t-shirt signed by each of them.

Austin with Jerome at meet & greet. Possibly my favorite of the group.

Love it!

I highly recommend everyone go to their concert if they are in the area. I can't wait to see them do a Christmas concert!

Birthday Boys!

2010-10-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

Both my boys are September babies. Here are some pictures from the family parties:

Austin getting his microscope on his actual birthday. (Please ignore the messy room)

Playing "Almost headless Nick" hot potato at Austin's party.

Austin's Hogwart's (and lake) cake made by Granny.

This happened to all the kids' teeth from the icing!

Drew's cake made by Granny.

Pinata time! Uncle Josh is holding the pole/rope for the pinata. Notice how far away he is (white shoes)! When Austin was little Uncle Josh was accidentally hit during pinata time.

Pin the birthday hat on the dinosaur. (Drawn by Daddy)

Austin is having a kid sleepover in a couple of weeks with just a few boys. Drew got a basketball goal for his big present and Austin got a microscope. Austin loves to look at things under the microscope! He is becoming quite the little scientist.

It is amazing to me how much they are both growing. Austin is in 4th grade, in student council and reading The Hobbit. Drew is 3 and loves to dance, sing and play with his big brother and Daddy. He also loves to draw and paint.

Fall 2010

2010-08-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here I am again at the start of another semester. I'm taking 15 hours this semester, with 2 supposedly "easy" classes. We will see . . .

First of all, I have a nursing seminar, Intro to Nursing with a clinical, and Nursing Skills with a lot of check-offs. There are a lot of extra things to do for these classes also, including community days, working at Focus on Health, and other shadowing type deals.

Other than my nursing classes I am taking an online detective literature mystery class and an Intro to Music Therapy class. As long as I do all of the reading on time for the mystery class I will be fine. As for the Music Therapy class, we do a lot of stuff in front of the class (usually in groups) so I will need to get more comfortable with this. Being more comfortable talking in front of people is actually one of my goals while I am in school so I won't be nervous about speaking up for my patients when I am working.

Other than my school, things have still been pretty full lately. We are helping Tony's mom get a house, so there have been a lot of showings and mortgage people meetings and a very long (but thorough!) inspection. We will see if the current owner fixes any of the major defects that were found. Tony is coaching Austin's flag football team this fall and I am looking forward to going to the games and cheering with Drew. Austin is doing well so far in ALPHA at school (but his teacher said they have been taking it easy on the kids so far). I think there will be some frustrating times but he will do well overall.

Both of our boys have birthdays this month and we are planning gifts and parties for each. Austin really wants to take a friend to Cedar Point for his bday but I am not willing to go on a weekend, so he will have to be happy with a sleepover with a bunch of crazy boys. Drew's party a family only dinosaur themed party. I'm sure he will have a lot of fun no matter what!

Last but certainly not least, my brother's son was born almost a week ago. He is precious and I could just sit and hold him for hours. Except if he poops, I am giving him to his mom and dad because I heard he has some blow outs! He is such a cutie and Drew has totally fallen in love with him. We try not to let him touch too much, but Drew likes to sing to him and kiss him on the head. Austin likes him also, but when there are other big kids to play with, he is good to go.

Oh and I would just like to say that I think it is time to decorate for fall! Please tell my husband I am right!

From the mouths of my sons

2010-07-30T22:52:00.001-07:00

Drew:

"Mommy, can I sleep on your head?"

"Kiss each other!" (tells Mommy & Daddy this when we are putting him to bed)

Austin:

"Two dumbs make a smart." (said about his parents sometime when we were talking about ALPHA)

"I think I will finish college and be single, then meet someone on eharmony." ~Austin and I were talking about the correct order to do things: college, marriage, baby. I told him some people still meet in person instead of online!

2010 Indy 500

2010-06-03T23:14:00.000-07:00

The day started out the night before. We dropped the boys off at my parents' house and got my brother in law, and we were on our way. We arrived at the track around 1:30am and decided to walk around a bit, as there were still many people out. It was an interesting time to say the least!

When we arrived back to our car I saw a man standing very close to it. I thought he was mistaking our car for a urinal (and still think he did), but as we got closer I saw him take some things out of his pocket and put them on the hood. Tony went up to the man and said "How we doing tonight?" If he hadn't just peed on out car I can guarantee he would've then! Once he found out Tony wasn't a cop, he proceeded to roll a joint (or three) on the hood of our car and go along his merry way.

We moved the car a bit farther away from the main walkway and went to sleep. At 6am I was awakened to the sound of cannon blast from the track. We got up, used the (still fairly clean) port a potty and started setting up for breakfast. Eggs, bacon, biscuits, juice and the boys had sausage and gravy also. We hung out in the parking lot for a few more hours and then made our way into the track.

We got to our seats and surveyed the scene. After a bit drivers started going to their meeting. Tony has a tradition where he yells out each driver's name as they walk past. We are so close to pit road that many actually hear him and look over and wave. This year the best were Vitor Meira, TK (Tony Kanaan) and Sarah Fisher. He also yelled at Jamie ______ from ESPN and she looked over and waved to him. He was proud.

Next came probably my favorite part of the entire day. I get goosebumps each year as I see the military parade past and the crowd cheering and clapping for them. They are the reason we are free today and I am so grateful. Back to race day: military parade, "America the Beautiful", "God Bless America", "Back Home Again (in Indiana)" and the "Star Spangled Banner". This year Jewel sang the nation anthem and did a pretty good job. I think the jets were a little late though, usually they fly over just at the end of the song but this year there was a pause after she was finished.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES!!!

The beginning of the 500 is always exciting. This year Jack Nicholson definitely got a workout with the green flag, since there was a crash on the first green lap and then on the restart also. For a lot of the middle of the race I was in the infield in the shade trying not to pass out! It was so HOT and our seats are not shaded at all. Good thing there is a large screen to watch the race. I went back to our seats around lap 160 and stayed until the end, spraying myself with water then entire time.

TK started out in 33rd and not far into the race was 16th. He got as high as 2nd and I thought he might actually pull out the win at the end. Unfortunately he had to get a splash of fuel on lap 196 or so and killed his chances for this year. Dario Franchitti(sp?) won the race on yellow (because of the Mike Conway/Ryan Hunter-Reay crash). Dario did lead most of the race, but I was truly hoping Dan Wheldon would pass him on the last lap. I believe if the yellow flag hadn't come out Dan would've won.

We left the track right after Dario won and went back to the car. We then set up for dinner, which was amazing! Grilled chicken and beef kabobs and grilled corn on the cob. We hung out for a few hours until the lines died down and it was easier to get out of town. It was a nice trip to my parents to pick Drew up, Austin was at a friend's house for the night, then home to sleep.

Overall, other than the heat it was a good year. I had hoped TK would win but there's always next year. He does have the 7-11 car and next year is 2011 so I think it fits very well. Austin will be 10 next year and gets to go to his first race. He is very excited and I am looking forward to sharing the Hakel race tradition with him.

BBB! (Big Boy Bed)

2010-05-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

Drew has graduated from his crib into a big boy bed. We decided to keep him in there as long as possible (we got Austin a big bed when he was about 18 months), I thought I had until about age 3. Last week he decided to speed things up a bit and climb out of his crib MULTIPLE times during naptime. After the second time I went into his room and said "show me" - he did it (fast!) and then put his hands up like "TA DA!" He is so cute I couldn't help but laugh, which doesn't help me convince him not to climb out again.

So that night Daddy and Austin put together Drew's big boy bed. It is a toddler bed and although he was a little wary at first he now loves it. He is so proud and tells people all about his big boy bed and that we said bye-bye to his crib.

Drew usually goes to sleep at night pretty well, some nights I stay in there longer and sit by him but usually just for one song on his cd. Naptime is a different story. Right now it is about 50/50 for Drew actually sleeping, the other times he reads or plays. I have told him that if he doesn't want to sleep he still has to stay in his room and be quiet until Mommy gets him after naptime is over. Most days he leaves his door closed and either sleeps or I hear him playing with his toys.

Today however, he kept opening the door and checking for me in the hallway. Then he came out (less than 5 minutes after I put him in his room) and said "I wake up!" It is so hard to keep a straight face and just walk him back to his room. Must remember to laugh AFTER I close his door! Finally he stayed in his room and played the whole nap time. When naptime was over, he still told me he woke up. He either slept for 2 minutes or can play toys in his sleep!

Thankfully he was so tired tonight he went to sleep just fine. One song and he rolled over and said "Goodnight Momma."

Another change

2010-04-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

Austin was recently tested for the ALPHA program in his school district and qualified. I may have already said this but it is a program for gifted/talented students that is self-contained, instead of the kids being pulled out of regular class to do enrichment work.
Tony and I went to a meeting for prospective parents last night and learned a lot, go to meet the 4th grade teachers and a few of the other parents (that we don't already know). After the meeting, we finalized our decision to send him to the program. We really think he will thrive in that type of environment, and while I am sure there will be frustrations (esp. in the beginning) he will end up really liking the harder work. His teacher this year is amazing, but he is still bored a lot in class. They just can't teach to all the different levels of learning at once. In the ALPHA program all of the kids in the classroom are fast learners, and the teachers make the students go more in depth when answering, always asking "why" instead of just filling in the blanks on a worksheet.
So next year, he will be doing 5th grade math, 6th grade language arts, reading novels in class, finding Greek and Latin stems every day (yay!) and going deeper into social studies and science.
Oh also he will probably come home and cry when he walks into the door the first few weeks. He has such high expectations of himself and is very critical of himself (where does he get that? no idea) and the cutest thing to me is he will NOT let himself cry at school when he is frustrated. So he walks in, I say "How was your day?" and the floodgates open. Last night the teachers were talking about the kids being overwhelmed at the beginning, especially since 4th grade is a big adjustment no matter what school the student goes to.
Feel like I am rambling but let me wrap this up. He is going to ALPHA next year, which means switching schools (again). He is not so happy to leave his new best friend behind, but I told Austin they will be together again in middle school. Another friend from soccer and basketball has been accepted into the program also, so I think that will help Austin adjust. The principal and teachers seems great at the new school and although he will be pushed, I know he will excel once he gets into his groove.

Totally unrelated - I FINALLY turned in my application for the nursing program! I should find out mid to late May if I got in. I'm not really worried about it since I have all A's in the pre-reqs, but then again you never know. We will just have to wait and see. In the meantime, Drew and I are going to the zoo tomorrow for the first time this year. He has only been asking to see his horse (the draft horse at the farm) every day for about 2 months! Tomorrow should be a beautiful day to visit the animals. :)

To Preschool or Not to Preschool

2010-04-05T18:29:00.001-07:00

UPDATE:

We have decided to wait on the preschool. The church I was looking at is more than I want to pay for 2.5 hours a week, and others I have checked out start at age three. Guess we will have to play with more friends instead!

Original post:

I saw the other day at a church near our place that they offer preschool to 2 year olds. Drew misses the 3 year old cut off by 7 days, but no problem there. It will get him around kids he will be in elementary school with, and he will always be one of the oldest kids in class.

I haven't called for prices yet, but Tony and I think it could only be a good thing for Drew. It will get him around more kids on a regular basis and he will learn new things. The church is also only about 5 minutes from us. We can choose one or two mornings a week.

My only reservation about sending Drew to preschool now is that he is still so young. I know we waited another year to start Austin, so he had only 2 years of preschool and Drew would have 3.

Will update when we decide . . .

March Updates

2010-03-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

Watching Straight No Chaser on PBS right now. They are an amazing a capella group that started when the guys all went to IU Bloomington. Love them, just wish they had a tour date closer to Fort Wayne!

This year has been a weird one. A lot of people have passed away that are relatives/friends of friends. The most important one to us is Tony's grandma, who passed away at the beginning of February. She was a wonderful 90 year old lady who left behind a family that loves her very much. Although she was older it was still a shock because she hadn't been sick or anything like that. I am so glad we had dinner with her every week since we moved back, it is good to know we spent time with her and our boys got to know her well. Drew still asks where she is when we are at her house (Tony's mom lives there still). I am also glad I was able to spend some time getting to know her as I interviewed her about her life for my nutrition class last semester. We love you Grandma Lucas!

On the other end of the spectrum, our friends had their first baby this past week. He is such a cutie pie and I am very happy for them. I know they will be great parents and their son will grow up to play football in the NFL (right Brian?).

I am applying to the IPFW nursing program for next semester. I am a little freaked out about it but don't really know why. I have all A's in my prereqs and I'm sure will do well on my TEAS test. I guess because it really sets my academic path in stone once I get in. I listen to others who are in their first semester of clinicals talk about them and I know I will enjoy it and learn a lot, it's just the unknown I guess. But I have been here before and every other time I've started something new it has been better than I thought.

I asked Austin the other day if he likes his school (since he has been there almost a full year) and he said "No." Pause. "I LOVE it!!" I am so glad he likes his school and I know a lot has to do with his teacher. She is loving and kind but firm when needed and she teaches to the higher acheiving students instead of the lower ones. (I get to watch her teach when I'm volunteering) She is probably the perfect teacher he could've had to move back to a traditional school setting. He will either stay at this school for the next 2 years or move to the gifted program which is housed at another of the elementary schools. We will know after April 15 if he gets in.

Andrew is loving the warmer weather. His favorite things are to play at a playground or play chalk or blow bubbles outside. He has started actually tracing the letters in his dry erase marker book and sometimes asks me what they are. I love that something can be so fun for him and he is learning (but doesn't see it as work!). We haven't even started potty training yet, we may try this summer but I am not interested in any kind of power struggle or backsliding like we had with Austin. He is always amazed if he sees his dad or brother go to the bathroom- hopefully that will help him want to go like a big boy. His brother didn't get potty trained until after age 3 so if it happens before it will be a nice surprise!

I got the opportunity to spend some girl time this past Friday night with a great group of ladies. I have known most of them for about 5/6 years but since we lived out of town we hadn't spent much time together lately. It was a great evening with no kids, no husbands and positive people around. I am looking forward to the next time we can hang out together.

Well my wonderful Andrew has decided he isn't going to nap so getting him ready to go to Granny & Papaw's for dinner later. Oh and GO BUTLER! Beat Syracuse!

5 Things about today, Thursday Feb 25.

2010-02-25T21:05:00.000-08:00

1. I was thisclose to Martina McBride at one point during her concert tonight.

2. Trace Adkin songs either are either rockin' or make me cry.

3. I am so glad the Canadian skater Joannie won a medal.

4. I got a call from Austin's principal.

5. Martina McBride's voice is amazing! (already knew that but just had to say it)

Taking a Break

2010-01-28T22:12:00.000-08:00

Thinking of taking a break for awhile. I know this will affect my 3 readers greatly! I have a lot on my plate right now and so I'll be back later. For now I need to get my rear in gear and do really well in my classes.

This may be a short break, may be longer. . . who knows???

One week down . . .

2010-01-15T17:48:00.001-08:00

The first week of the semester is over. I must say that I really enjoy only having class Tues, Wed, and Thurs. There are quite a few people I have all of my classes with, and one gal I even have both labs with. She is also applying to the nursing program for the fall. This semester is looking pretty good, I think it will be interesting and hopefully I will get good grades, although the subjects are difficult (anatomy/physiology, microbiology, and pharmacology).

This weekend I am watching my friend's youngest son. He is such a happy boy and Drew absolutely LOVES him! It also makes things easier for me most of the time because I don't have to be the playmate all the time for Drew.

Although I am keeping my resolutions for 2010 that are in a previous post, I am adding another one that I think is even more important. ~BUT~ I am keeping it to myself. I would rather look back on this year and know that I accomplished it without anyone else knowing what I am doing.

Tomorrow Austin has his second basketball game. He did a great job at the first one and I am looking forward to watching him play!

Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

2009 ended with a little bit of fun for us - we went to my brother's new girlfriend's house and hung out. She has two kids and my sister and her son were there also so the kids had a (loud) blast! We stayed only until 11:20 or so, wanted to stay until midnight but Drew was NOT going to make it. We got home with about ten minutes to spare and Drew was fast asleep when 2010 came around! Tony, Austin and I toasted with some apple juice and then watched a little more TV before going to bed.

New Year's Day was a good and calm day. We just hung around the house and Austin played the Wii and read a new book, while Drew and I played with his "farmer" (little people) toys and his choo-choo tracks. We had a tasty dinner and I was very glad the little fire that happened didn't turn into a bigger fire! Surprise - Tony was doing the cooking, not me. He had a pot that was too little to fry the potatoes and it overflowed. (I won't even mention I wanted them baked instead . . .)

I do have a few Resolutions for 2010. One should be a definite and others complement each other.

1. Apply and get into the nursing program. Don't see any problem with this.

2. Find a home church! This one has proven to be more difficult than I would've thought when we moved up here. Our church in Greenwood is so wonderful, I think we have very high expectations for a new church. But - we need to just bite the bullet and go for it.

3. Lose some weight/inches. This will happen by watching what I eat more and exercising more often. I have this thing about other people seeing me exercise (even family) so I need to either start getting up earlier or figure out a time when Tony will definitely be working and not come out of his office. When the weather gets warmer my mom and I walk together two times a week and that is fun and good for both of us. Until then I need to get out my DVDs and just do it!

4. Less TV. I want to institute one night a week when we leave the TV off. This involves participation from others so I need to work on them a little bit. I personally would prefer to leave the TV off during the week but I don't think that will float in my household, at least not yet :)

5. Eat healthier. This goes along with #3. It also is for the entire family. I don't want Austin to keep going for chips and other junk when given the option to choose his own snack. This may be painful for awhile, because I know how much we love the foods that don't love us, but it will lead to healthier lives overall. Especially since I am going into nursing and I just took a nutrition class I think I should use my knowledge to better our lives. More whole foods, less processed foods is my new motto.

I know that some of these resolutions are pretty lofty, but I figure any steps we take in the right direction are a good start. This past year Tony has started voluntarily recycling cardboard and I could stop asking him everytime , so I know the new year holds great things for us. It can be done!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T16:50:00.001-08:00

Christmas started out kind of bumpy, with Austin coming into our room at 1am and saying he just couldn't get back to sleep because he was too excited. He ended up sleeping on our floor. Before we got to sleep Drew started crying, but not for long. I didn't have to go in and rock him. So I was a bit tired when Austin woke me up to open presents. And I forgot to make a cake for baby Jesus!

BUT we had a great Christmas 2009 at the Hakel household. Lots of good food and gift giving (and receiving). Last night Austin said it was his best Christmas ever, and I'm glad because we got him more gifts that weren't toys. I think he got only one bionicle out of all his gifts! He loves his new watch and new boombox. Not really sure if he is all about the books we gave him but I think once he gets into them he will be pleasantly surprised (20,000 leagues under the sea and mutiny on the bounty). Drew loved everything and wanted to stop opening gifts after each one to play with it! He also ate 8 hersheys miniatures when I wasn't looking. Not very nice later in the day let me tell you!

We went to my parents' house later in the day to celebrate with the rest of my family. It was a good time and Tony made his excellent spinach artichoke dip as an appetizer. Today we went to his brother Stephen's house and Stephen and his wife made an amazing meal - beef tenderloin, brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, and lots of desserts - all made from scratch! They also made a type of polish bread from a recipe that has been in Rachel's family for at least 4 generations. It is very good and we brought some home. It should make excellent french toast in the morning.

Now onto getting ready for the new year, which for me means sorting through the boys' clothes and toys to end the year with a big goodwill donation. It will be nice to be organized again, as I really have not been since before the fall semester of school started!

On a side note, got a 4.0 for this semester. I am so glad it is over and looking forward to my classes for next semester (except microbiology lab). More to come once the new year starts - Happy 2010 if I don't write more before then!

Kitty cat

2009-12-08T20:12:00.000-08:00

I remember when I was growing up my parents always used to tell me about our first cat, Jocosta. (And by the way thank goodness they got her first or that would be my name!) Jocosta loved to climb trees and also jump onto window screens, second story or not. Every year at Christmas she would climb up our tree and also loved to sit underneath the branches and watch what those crazy kids - my brother and I - were doing in HER house.

I was reminded of Jocosta tonight when we were all in the living room. Drew decided he wanted to wiggle around on his belly under the lowest tree branches. I think at first he wanted to play with the Christmas birdhouses I have placed under the tree instead of presents, as presents would not last until Christmas Day. Drew got all the way around the tree on his belly and when he had made a full circle rolled over onto his back and looked up the tree.

This was so adorable I just had to take some pictures to remember this time and our "kitty cat" under the tree!

Thanks to my hubby for helping me upload these pictures.

Last Week

2009-12-06T17:39:00.001-08:00

Well I have made it. Sort of, I still have one week of classes left then finals week. I am so glad for a long break before next semester, I feel like I haven't been caught up on household/family stuff since August. This week I have a presentation, lab praactical, group speech, and a write up of an interview of an older adult. Not much right? :)
Next weekend I hope to have some family fun before I become a studying hermit - there is something free at the fairgrounds that has horse rides, among other things. I also am determined to get my family out to look at lights on the houses nearby.

Austin flunked his eye exam at school. It was so nice of him to tell us before we got the paper from the school nurse (except he didn't). Now I need to find an eye doctor for him and get him some glasses. Not exactly sure how excited he is about that . . .

We are trying to decide whether we should stay in our apartment at least another year or find a rental house. I am all for the rental house, but am not sure Tony is sold on the moving idea. I would much rather stay more years in a rental house, especially since there is a garage and yard. Apartments make me feel very closed in and even more so in the colder months. We will see what happens, we must tell the office by the end of January.

Off to finish up my English presentation for tomorrow. Have a great week!

Christmastime

2009-11-20T06:41:00.000-08:00

I have always loved Christmas. I love celebrating Jesus' birthday, the music, the decorations, giving gifts, and I love love love GCC's Christmas Eve candlelight service (we will be at the Olive Garden for family dinner this year since we are in Ft. Wayne).

Tony had said I could start decorating this year on Nov 15, but I didn't because I had a paper and three tests this past week. So guess what I'm doing this weekend??? Yes siree I am decorating for Christmas! It will be wonderful to get our decorations out. Last year we were still living at my parents' house so we had our tiny (4 inch!) tree in the bedroom and that's about all. I am so excited to get my Willow Tree Nativity set out and our beautiful pre-lit tree out also. Drew loves Christmas trees and lights, so I know it will be a big hit for him. Austin really loves to put the ornaments on the tree and it is always a good time, usually with a Christmas movie on in the background. Still need to get him an ornament for this year, I wanted to get him a Harry Potter one but seriously, $18??? I don't think so. Target has Star Wars and Transformers ornaments so that will have to do. Drew has an Elmo ornament and I'm sure it will be taken off the tree many times!

After Drew finishes up breakfast we are headed out to buy a few gifts. I am looking for something specific for my sister and Jess and getting Tony one or two things. It should be a lot of fun!

In case you were wondering (as I know you were), my absolute favorite Christmas song is "Silent Night". What's yours?

How many children?

2009-11-04T09:48:00.000-08:00

Ever since we had trouble conceiving our second child (and had a miscarriage), Tony and I have decided to leave any future children up to God. This includes not preventing, as well as no fertility drugs for us. Besides the fact that I felt like I was going through menopause with my hot flashes while on Clomid, it just didn't feel right to me. I got pregnant after I was off Clomid and with a lot of prayer (plus one other thing!).

I watch the Duggars on TV. Not every week, but I do enjoy their show and that they really seem to love each other. One thing that really annoys me is when people talk negatively about the Duggars' # of children. Okay so don't have that many yourself! But the Duggars believe however many children God gives them is what they should have. We do also.

As you know, we don't have nearly as many children as the Duggars! We have 2 boys and they are spaced farther apart than I ever thought my kids would be. But that's the thing. It isn't up to me or Tony. God knows what we need, even if we don't know why He is/is not doing a certain thing.

Growing up, I always thought I would have 6 children. Haha how things don't go according to plan! You know what though, I wouldn't trade my two boys for any other kids on the planet. They are perfect for us. I know that we have any more children, they will also be perfect additions to our family.

We also feel led to adopt at some point. That will be down the road after we save up money to go through the process, plus some countries we have looked at require the parents to be over age 30. I'm sure when the time comes God will guide that process also.

When things feel out of control, it is good to know Someone is in control.

**I don't look down on anyone who uses birth control or fertility help. I know how it is to be on the "are we pregnant" roller coaster each month and wanting medical help with having a baby. I also think it is fine for other couples to use brth control if they only want a certain number of children. It isn't my job to judge others for using b.c., just as I don't think others should judge us for not using any birth control.

Bad Mommy

2009-10-28T05:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like a really bad mom. Like the times I yell at my children, or the times I'm not able to give them what I think they need (not talking material things). Take the past three days - Austin has been home from school and I haven't been there to take care of him. Now Drew has a fever and I'm not there. (Although I did get up with him at 4:30 this am) After having been home and there to take care of every boo-boo for the past two + years it is very hard for me to be away. I believe Mommy guilt is what this is called.

I do get to go home and snuggle my boys after lab is over at 12 today. It's these SuperMom genes (as Tony calls them) that allow me to do that and not get sick. =)

Thank you Mom & Dad!

2009-10-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Oh bless my parents! They bought us a couch! We had my family down to our place for Austin's birthday last month and I guess the lack of seating was noticed. We haven't had one for awhile, we gave our old one to one of Tony's clients who had no living room furniture. Then we didn't need one living with my parents, then we were going to get Tony's gma's couch. She changed her mind about buying a new one so we have been just without a couch for awhile.
We were just going to wait and buy one when we found a good one at Goodwill or Salvation Army or garage sale, but it is so nice to know where the couch has been (or not been) :)

Thank you Mom and Dad for offering to buy us a couch and doing preliminary searching also. My dad called me about it after he had already found a few potential ones for us. The one we chose is from Ashley Furniture and we should have it in about a week. Our saleman was very nice and personable and not pushy at all.

We are looking forward to having enough seating for the four of us without one of us sitting on the floor or bean bag!

On a side note: tattoo ink isn't covered in the warranty on the couch fabric. just so you know.

Glad this week is over.

2009-10-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

I think reading my previous post every day this week would've helped. This was far and away the suckiest week @ school so far. I didn't flunk any tests or anything, it was just all these little things going wrong, plus I got the application for the nursing program and I kind of freaked out. Not in front of anyone thank goodness, just inside my own head.
It has also been a yucky week for weather. Cold and rainy almost every day, which I love if I have no place to go but walking around campus in it is not that fun. I do have a pink umbrella, so that brightens my day a bit!

Austin has been so mouthy lately with us and I heard him do it to his grandma also. Sometimes I just want to smack him (not that I do)! I'm sure my parents had that feeling with me sometimes, I can remember being a punk to my dad especially in my teenage years. And that's the thing - I was a tennager and Austin is only NINE. So we need to nip this in the bud before I go insane from ten more years of this. There has been talk of taking everything out of his room except his bed and alarm clock, and clothes. The only problem is we have no garage and therefore we are lacking storage for this. Taking away privileges has been going on but he just flits to something else. I want to start washing out his mouth - we need to buy regular bar soap, I heard the antibacterial soap is not good to use for this purpose. Don't know if it's true but better safe than sorry. We will just have to see what works and get our happy boy back.

On a completely side note, if anyone's oven breaks, hope that it is the heating element in the oven part. It is so quick and easy to fix. Ours broke Sunday night and although maintenance didn't even come until Wed, he was here in the morning and went and got the part and it was fixed when we came back around 1pm. The new heating element works wonderfully and we had some great apple pie last night (not homemade). Haven't gotten my cold weather apple pie and bread making urge yet. :)

Drew has come to me and he is stinky so off I go. Then I think he wants to put his lioin outfit on. ROAR!!

why I am blessed (a reminder for me)

2009-09-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

First of all, I have been super stressed lately and yesterday was NOT a good day at school. But we went to the park and played before soccer practice and that really helped me get out of that space. Adjusting back to college life with a family has not been the easiest thing in the world. With my high expectations for myself academically, the lack of studying time/creative study time has been a frustration that I am still working out.

BUT . . .

I thought I should remind myself in writing (typing) what is so great about my life.

~God hasn't given up on me. Though I have given up on myself at times, He has always been there
~ I have a husband that loves me and tries to be nice to me even when I'm not to him.
~ He also supports me going back to school to get a degree (and remind myself I know more than veggietales songs)
~ I have two wonderful sons who sometimes drive me crazy but are a joy all the same. Both their birthdays are this month and it is my favorite month b/c of that!
~ I have super in-laws, especially my MIL who watches Drew when I'm at school and Tony has meetings
~ My mom helps me with my english papers even when I call after 11 on a school night. And I already asked her this question the week before.
~ We have a great zoo here in Fort Wayne and it has been so much fun to take Drew at least every week this summer. Austin thinks it's boring, but Drew loves all the animals
~We have some really fun parks/playgrounds near us. Both boys love to go and play at them as much as we can.
~My family is happy (most of the time) and healthy. I read/hear about other parents who have lost their children or they are very sick and am so thankful mine are healthy.
~ The Colts are winning and Tony Kanaan is finishing races :)

I have survived

2009-09-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

First test. Check. First paper. Check.

The test was easy (communications class). The paper on the other hand . . . other than the crying fits and yelling and procrastinating to the point of EXERCISING, it got done. Well the first draft anyway. Academic journals = not fun to read! I am so grateful my mom teaches college english, because I am going over to her house this weekend for help rewriting. She totally rocks!

I am not the nicest person when I feel like I can't do something. Seriously I thought I would rather just literally pull my hair out than write this thing. Not good for anyone to be near me (ask Tony). But my saint of a husband still read one of the journal articles to help me make sense of it! Dealing with this feeling of inadequacy constructively is something I'll have to work on in the future. BTW, don't ever take 16 credit hours. You are a crazy person if you do.

On a completely other note, Drew is 2!! We celebrated his birthday in two "shifts" this year. We had cake and ice cream at my parents' house this weekend, then Tuesday went to Chuck E Cheese with Tony's family. It was Drew's first time there and he really seemed to like it, especially the roll the ball game (what is that called??? brain freeze) and riding the horsey. Austin of course used as many tokens as he could to get a bunch of tickets and get prizes. He is like a crazy boy in there!

If anyone wants Boy Scout popcorn, Austin is selling it! Let me know :)

Random comments/observations so far

2009-09-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

The older students (those who weren't in elementary school when I graduated high school!)seem to gravitate towards each other.

Parking is very easy for an 8am class. Not so much for other times.

My least favorite class is english (sorry mom!). Plus that prof drives me crazy.

It is so very annoying when people talk during class. Seriously I didn't pay all this money to hear you make stupid comments!

The fourth floor of the library IS a great place to study, except when they are working on the building next door.

I can't stop thinking about my anatomy class. I go over regions and bones and muscles whenever I have a spare moment - and I probably look really weird, since I touch where the bones are!

Ready or not, here I go!

2009-08-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

I have finished my first two days of classes. I am feeling very overwhelmed right now. First of all, the walking!! I am not used to it, especially with a full backpack of stuff! And the parking is definitely not fun. I have gotten lucky most times and found a spot, but my sister and mom were right when they said it's a nightmare to find a spot. I drove around today for 20 minutes and finally lucked out and only had to walk across most of the main campus : )

I like all of my professors. My english prof is very punny - which I am used to, since I am married to a Hakel. It should keep me awake since this is an 8am class. All of my profs for my Tues/Thurs classes seems very nice, especially my nutrition and antatomy & phys classes. Some of the kids in my classes are annoying though, oh my I never would've thought I would be in class with people who were 8 when I first started college! It is very weird. I have found some nice gals to chat with before most of my classes, except english. I am lucky to have my eyes open for that one!

As of right now, having had one day of each class, that I am most looking forward to Nutrition and Anatomy & Physiology. Probably because I know each of these is very applicable to my major, and I will use the info a lot (esp. a&p)!

I'm not sure that I am ready to be away from Drew for so much of my days. I have been home with him since he was born and I know I will miss him a lot. Austin is going to public school this year, I was going to homeschool him but everyone persuaded me that might be too much to handle. He is riding the bus for the first time in his life and is very excited about it! Hopefully Tony will be here most mornings I am not (if not, his mom will be) and I will be here 3 days a week when Austin gets home (other 2 Tony's mom). I know Austin will makes friends quickly, but I hope us slowing down on math at the end of last year won't hurt him too much.

Is Tony ready for me to go back? Not sure about that one. The moms who had gone back were talking about family members taking over some of the housework, etc and I felt like he was not prepared to hear that! The cooking won't change much, he makes all the good food anyway :) but I will need some assistance with the cleaning.

We will see how the studying goes. So far I have nap times 5 days a week, so that's 10 hours. The rest will be after the boys are asleep. Gotta remember to have some fun too (that's what weekends are for right?)

this and that

2009-08-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

Tony said I need to blog, so here you go sweetie! I successfully did not watch "Jon & Kate Plus 8" on Monday, I have decided not to watch anymore for a few reasons. #1 - they are exploiting their kids, and especially now when the kids' lives are turned upside down b/c of what is happening with their parents; #2 - it is getting boring, plus I don't like how much they focus on Kate and her being a single mother doing it all - excuse me but you have PLENTY of paid help you are not doing it yourself; and #3 - if I liked watching 1/2 hour commercials, I would watch them. It is not fun to watch anymore. I hope the show is canceled soon and the kids get somewhat of a normal childhood (whatever is left of it). Okay, off my soapbox now.

My little sister got married a week and a half ago. It was beautiful and the weather was not as hot as a normal July, so that was nice. She looked so gorgeous in her dress! My friends Sarah and Adam got married last weekend. That was also beautiful, they got married in the History Center downtown. Drew loved the choo-choo on the first floor of the museum so much that we were some of the last people to go back upstairs for the reception! We didn't get to stay as long as I would've liked; Drew hurt his finger in a chair; but I still got to chat a little bit with some high school friends.

Our 9 year anniversary was yesterday. We went out last week when the boys were at my parents' house for the week, so yesterday we just went to my parents' house and went swimming in their pool and had steak for dinner. Yummy! We are trying to figure out what to do next year for our tenth. We have almost an entire year to decide, any suggestions?

Only 19 more days until I start college again. I need to buy my books and there is an orientation I have to go to on the 20th. I still need to walk around campus and find where my classes are so I don't look like the big dork that I am on the first day of classes. It will definitely take some adjusting to figure out when I will be able to study w/out being up all night every night. But it can and will be done!

19 and pregnant

2009-07-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here watching "16 and pregnant" on MTV (I know I know) and the girl who is on this show is considering adoption for her baby. I don't know if she will go through with it or not b/c there is a half hour left. While watching her meet the adoptive parents and go through the doubts, I am once again so glad that we chose to keep Austin instead of giving him up for adoption. When I got pregnant at 19, we did consider it early in my pregnancy since we were so young and had no idea how to provide for him. If we had, I would've missed out on so many amazing things. Watching Austin grow and become a little boy, now a big boy. His weeks when he was 4 of wearing only his spider-man outfit, silly dancing all over the living room, and what an awesome big brother he has been for Andrew (among other many things). I am so thankful we have had all these years with him and will have many more, instead of wondering what he looks like and what kind of person he is becoming. We definitely made the right decision for our family.

Today is 07/08/09

2009-07-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

I know I am a dork but I love today's date! Drew was born on 09/08/07 and I love that also!

I can't believe we are this far into the summer. It feels like it is flying past. Austin has been playing Wildcat baseball and he LOVES it. I personally am not a fan of baseball, but I may have to become one. So that gives us at least one thing to do 4 days a week, as long as the weather cooperates. Drew really enjoys going to the games and walking around, collecting flowers and rocks and staring at the pretty little girls that give him flowers. I think he falls in love every game!

My little sis gets married on the 25th of this month. We have her bridal shower and bach party this weekend. It should be a fun time! I am also looking forward to seeing family that is coming from out of town for the wedding. Not so much looking forward to wearing my dress the entire day since I can't really breathe in it (how will I eat??) - - but that is my own fault. :(

If anyone has not watched the show "Wipeout" you really really should! I laugh so hard during that show and actually give it my undivided attention (ask Tony, that doesn't often happen). Those people are so brave to be complete idiots on TV and entertain me!

Well that's about it for now. Happy Birthday to all the little ones who are turning one soon or just turned one. Also to the baby girl who is due anyday now!

Oh how I love Greenwood

2009-06-25T21:50:00.000-07:00

I drove down to Greenwood twice this past week, once to drop Austin off and the second to pick him up (with Tony and Drew). Oh how I love it there! I feel so at home when I am driving and see places. Our old church is now HUGE since they have finished the renovations, Austin got to go inside and check it out with his friend. I went to a SuperTarget the day I dropped Austin off and oh how I love that place! I wish Fort Wayne had supers, but no just regular Target. Not exactly the same. The pool in our old neighborhood is not being used this year, they were having issues the summer after we moved out and I guess they did not resolve them? It is very empty, no water at all. We went to Long John Silvers to eat dinner (healthy I know) since I think Fort Wayne might have one but not easily accessible to us. But it was good - I love their chicken and the very unhealthy crunchies!
The Greenwood Freedom Festival is this weekend and I wish we were going but just don't have the money to do gas and food and hotel right now. I think we will go to the Family Fun Fair at our old church in August - we should have both cars paid off then and more money to work with each month. Oh how I love Greenwood, and I will not be surprised if we end up moving back. Maybe sooner, maybe later who knows but I bet it will happen.

Off to bed to listen to the thunder outside and hopefully sleep.

Wildcat

2009-06-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

Austin had his very first Wildcat game today. It was actually his very first day of playing organized baseball. I am not a fan of the sport, so I have tried to steer him away from it. But hey, Wildcat is only $8 for an entire summer of fun!

Austin did great! He hit 4 out of 4 and got runs each time. He almost forgot to touch home the first run, but went back and did it. He got in the groove of saying "hey batter batter" pretty quickly, and did his best to field balls (needs a bit more practice on that!).

The absolute best part was afterwards, when Austin came up to me and said "That was really fun!!" without me even having to ask. If you know him, you know that is a rarity. I am so glad that Austin likes to play and it gives him something to do 4 days a week until the end of July. Yipee!!

insomnia - what's new?

2009-06-08T14:10:00.001-07:00

Here I am again up at 3am. I could really use some tylenol pm or something like that but I didn't go grocery shopping tonight b/c it was pouring outside. The movie "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" is on though which I love so at least I have something to amuse me!

Austin had his first day of FITS (Fun In The Son - aka vacation bible school) today. He got to do a rock climbing wall and tomorrow is skateboarding, with an "expert" coming to show them tricks. He is very excited about that. Although I have to drive 20 minutes across town, it is free which is so nice! The ones I've found down by us all cost, one is even $65. Yeah right I don't think so!! Austin is also taking an art class @ IPFW for the 3rd yeard in a row. He's doing 3-D art- same class as last year. So 2 weeks out of the summer are covered. Now all I have to do is keep him from being so bored for the rest of the time!

Well I think I will try to get to sleep again. Gotta get up @ 7:30 to get the boys ready to go! Woohoo

finally figured it out

2009-05-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

I know what's going on! I have been thinking about how much I wish we still lived in Greenwood and I finally figured out that I am homesick! I never had this when I went to college or even when Tony and I moved down there so I was so confused. But homesickness is defnitely what I am expreiencing.

Now the question is, do I get over it and we continue to live up here or do we figure out a way to move back?? Tony and Austin are expreiencing the same thing I think. I know Austin really wants to move back - yes he has friends @ cub scouts and soccer, but he knew all the same kids since he was a little guy in G'wood, from church and school. It has been a huge change for him, living up here. I feel bad for him but life is about changes right? Poor guy.

We are watching "7 Pounds" right now and will smith's character has a jellyfish. It just ate a fish. I have never seen a jellyfish eat before. Interesting movie so far. . .

My Second 500

2009-05-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

Again, heartache. My absolute favorite driver, Tony Kanaan, wrecked when part of his car broke and smashed into the wall yesterday. He didn't even lead a lap this year. Boo. But I know next year is HIS YEAR TO WIN!! TK in 2010!

Our day started at 3:30am when we woke up to get the coolers all packed and put in the car. (More like Tony and Stephen did that, I just WOKE UP) We left around 4:20am to head down to the track. After arriving around 6:30 or so, we got out the grill and the guys cooked us some breakfast and we hung out until about 11 or so.

Onto the track - our seats are so awesome! We were right behind AJ Foyt IV's pit; right behind as in 5 rows back. We could see all the drivers going to the driver's meeting and they could hear us cheering for them (Tony knew each and every driver - including the rookies) and I think Tony got a personal thumbs up from Helio after he yelled his name! So great to sit around people and just have fun and not be a mom for a little bit!

I think a highlight for me was not being the "virgin" there. My sister thought we had to walk over the track to get to our seats since they are on the inside! LMAO! Also seeing the fire on Vitor's car was interesting, since we were so close (one pit over). But it was a great time and I am looking forward to next year already.

GO TK! GO TK! GO TK! GO TK! GO TK! GO TK! GO TK! GO TK! GO TK!

Getting ready for the Race

2009-05-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

This is my second year going to the race and Tony's third. He hasn't yet convinced me that it's a good idea to camp out the night before but this year we are cooking breakfast on his brother's camp stove. Also cooking something after the race I think. Might as well eat while we are waiting the 2 hours to get out of the parking lot!

It was SOOOO much easier getting ready for the race when we lived in Indy. Besides that we knew what was going on at the track each day (FW sports doesn't think it's important), we didn't have to get up race day @ 4 am. Yes 4AM!!! I will definitely be sleeping in the car, as will my sister I'm sure! Maybe in a few years we will move back and truly appreciate how awesome it is to live closer to the track.

I am looking forward to my second race (and watching Tony Kanaan win this year!). It's a fun time and so interesting to watch all the people who are there. Last year a family from Italy was sitting in front of us. And of course, all the silly drunk people.

So look for us sitting behind Pit Row on Race Day. We'll be the ones eating yummy homemade turkey sandwiches during the race!

Relaxing Nights

2009-05-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

I love nights like this. We had dinner (without the TV! - big thing for Tony), I gave Drew his bath and now Tony and Austin are playing golf on the Wii and Drew is walking back and forth down our long hallway throwing balls as he goes. It is very cute to watch, especially since I put him in some of Austin's old pjs. I get very nostalgic when he is in his big brother's clothes.

It is so wonderful that Drew can entertain himself sometimes. I love it when I have to clean or cook, but I also love just watching him play. Most of the time he talks or whispers to himself as he is playing. I also find him in his room on his rocker reading books a lot. Now that I totally love!!

Austin has been reading through his Bible lately when we are in the car. He has one that is kind of comic book-y, so it is easier for him to get into some of the (Old Test.) stories. When I told him he could skip to the Jesus parts, he said his goal is to read straight through the entire Bible. I say go for it!

Off to play with Drew some before he goes to bed at 9.

Tony don't read!! (you may freak)

2009-04-29T20:41:00.001-07:00

I'm trying very hard not to, but I am starting to get a little baby crazy! Someone needs to have a baby soon so I can hold yours! IF I were to get pregnant soon, I would hopefully not until Aug/Sept so I can do an entire year of school before baby is born. Of course, my body seems to have its own idea on "all that" stuff, so it could be next month or it could be years. Who really knows (frustrating!!)?

So tell me, who is pregnant? The youngest baby I know right now is 7 months, and that isn't young enough. My sista, if you could follow through on your honeymoon plan, that would be great! I need to get this baby fever gone and soon. Who will it be???

I am registered. But am I ready?

2009-04-27T11:10:00.001-07:00

I met with my advisor today at IPFW and then registered for my classes. She is very nice and good at explaining things. I didn't really have any questions except what if I have another kid can I sit out a semester? (the answer is yes) I do kind of wonder if she could tell I am inwardly freaking out about going back after such a long time away??

I have full days Tues and Thurs and the M,W,F have an 8am class (which I may regret!) then W also a lab from 10-12. I'm taking Anatomy and Phisiology(sp?), Chemistry, Nutrition, a writing class (good thing my mom teaches writing so she can help me), and speech. Darn Butler only 2 credit hours for speech so I have to take it over!!!

I am glad I have Mon and Fri and most of Wed left for the kids. Tony is going to help some w/homeschooling, but it will be a challenge to make sure Austin is still learning what he needs to. I am thinking of switching up some of the curriculum; I found one kind that does a lot on the computer and Austin really likes computer work. I may use it for a few subjects so Tony can supervise and work at the same time. It is going to be a fun semester of experimenting. I have in the past functioned better with more on my plate, we will see what happens!

Not sleeping!

2009-04-23T00:26:00.000-07:00

I am awake at almost 3:30am and watching this show about the world after people are gone. It is pretty interesting to hear what scientists think will happen - too bad no one will be here to see it. I would love to be able to get to sleep quickly every night. (oh my there is a tiger on the white hosue lawn!) Tony's head hits the pillow, and before I can fix the covers, he is asleep. How wonderful that must be!! I would be happy with 5 or 10 minutes, but usually on a good night I wait around at least an hour. Tonight I am attempting to reset my body clock. We will see what happens . . .

I am so excited about the upcoming warm weather! Tomorrow (this) morning we are going to play at a park nearby, and Friday morn we are going to the zoo. Saturday Austin has his first soccer game. It will be a different experience for him since usually it is FREEZING for his first game in the spring. I am glad we won't have to be bundled up in blankets for his game.

Next weekend we go to Indy for the 5k (mini marathon also but not up to that yet!) I am excited to be back down there, even for a short period of time. Tony, Drew and I are going down Friday and spending the night and then after the race we are hopefully going to visit my grandparents in southern Indiana. I am looking forward to seeing them - I was a lot better at going to their house when we only lived an hour away. That is one of the many things I miss about living in Greenwood. I know my grandma especially will be tickled to see how big Drew has grown. I would like to take Austin also but he can't miss his game since we will be in Michigan the weekend after for a wedding. (note to self: buy gift, find dress)

I have reread this post and have pretty much babbled, but hey it is really late - or early? - and I am obviously not all with it!

Oh What A Beautiful Day!

2009-04-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today is gorgeous!!! It is sunny and warm and my kids are in shorts! I wish the zoo opened today instead of tomorrow - we definitely would have gone!

We went to a cool park down here in Aboite by the YMCA today. Drew of course wanted to do all the big kid stuff that he is not able to do yet, but I put him in a swing and he went down a little slide and through a tunnel a bunch of times. He also was playing in this mulch/rock play area and bumped his head : ( All is well though.

Austin was bored at first - the swings were all taken when we arrived and it was mostly little kids since it's a school day. He did eventually find a friend and they played on the tire swing and regular swings for a long time. The swings have always had a big pull for him. He also did the monkey bars for the first time since last fall. He needs his callused hands back!

The zoo opens tomorrow and as long as the weather cooperates WE ARE GOING TUESDAY!!! I am so excited because we have a season pass (thanks mom and dad) so we can go at least every week and since we homeschool we don't have to go on the weekends. Africa opens in June, which should be amazing - expecially since it has been closed for 2 (?) years.

I am so glad we have days like this where we can go play outside and have a great time. I am looking forward to many more days as it gets warmer and warmer.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T21:08:00.001-07:00

Praise God for sending His only Son to die for my (and your) sins! Thank you Jesus!

Easter was good this year. This past week we (Austin and I) progressively read out of the gospels as the week went on.

Saturday night we made tomb cookies. I found them on this website: http://www.sugardoodle.net/Easter%20Ideas/Easter%20Story%20Cookies.shtml
This was pretty fun, as each step/ingredient has a significance about the death and resurrection of Jesus. Austin helped me make them and then we put them in the oven overnight and sealed the tomb - put pieces of tape on the door. He was confused about why we couldn't eat them Saturday night, but it was pretty cool this morning when he bit into it and it was hollow. A fun way to talk about Easter!

This morning we had our egg hunt. Austin probably asked me 10+ times before I was ready to wake Drew up if he could just "leave a few for him" and start on his own! I feel that if I don't have to wake Drew up early, I shouldn't. So around 9 I got Drew and he was not so much interested in the hunt, but he did like the candy in his basket. As expected, Austin got the majority of the eggs. Today I learned that Austin now eats cadbury eggs all in one bite!

After that, we went to my parents' house for brunch which turned into 4 hours of being there. The food was yummy and Drew got a small nap, but I was tired by the time we left to go to Tony's brother's house! Then we had lunner (as Austin calls it) and hung out for another 4 hours. Needless to say I am pooped! But it seems that if I stay up past 10pm I can't sleep until around 1am so here I am.

If this doesn't make much sense, just laugh and move on! It is about 12:30am here and I'm running on empty. I hope you had a great Easter!

We've moved!

2009-04-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

We are officially in our new place! I have almost everything unpacked, except for the DVDs and Cds and some books I don't have a bookshelf for. Why I ever gave away a bookshelf, I'll never know. It has been so nice unpacking our things - some I forgot we had!

Austin unpacked most of his books and toys, and I could hear him say "I remember you!" or "I am so glad you're back!" It was so cute to listen to his excitement. : ) I am loving the boys both with their own rooms. Besides making bedtime easier, Austin doesn't have to make sure to put all his toys away (especially important if the bionicles are having a battle!). I told him he will have to mega clean once in awhile, but for now all I need is a toy free path to his bed. Those bionicle and lego pieces sure hurt the feet!

If anyone knows of a bookshelf for cheap let me know (I'm talking garage sale/goodwill cheap). I would love to empty every box soon!

80% and 6 days

2009-03-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

Drew (who is sunning his feet at the window right now) is choosing to walk about 80% of the time. YAAAAAYYYYYY!!!! I was doing my best to not freak out about the no walking thing, but since he has started doing it more I have realized how relieved I am. Now when we go to the doctor next month I can say "why yes he is walking".

Austin and I are watching the NCAA Tournament right now. Butler is playing LSU and we are rooting against each other. I can't believe my own son would root against me! He has loved LSU ever since his football team was LSU when he was in first grade. Right now, Butler is losing by 2. We will see what happens. Austin did his first bracket this year and he is pretty excited about his choices. Memphis all the way!

Only 6 days until we get the keys to our "house-apartment". That is what Tony calls it because I really wanted to rent a house instead of an apartment (I feel closed in). This place is one story, so no one up or down and we have our own front porch. It is actually bigger than our house - 4 bedrooms, and has a huge front bathroom. It's kind of in the boondocks though. I don't suspect people will be visiting often! It's off exit 105, so closer to Indy (we will get back!) and in a good spot for Tony's clients in Huntington. I have no idea how to get anywhere down there so I am glad Tony got a GPS for his birthday!!

I am very excited to get all our stuff out of storage - I haven't seen some of it for over a year! It will be like Christmas morning while I unpack boxes. I can't wait to see what we already own!!

Now Butler is losing by 4 . . .

Randomness

2009-03-05T17:54:00.000-08:00

This station is now broadcasting in digital only. I am seeing that on NBC right now so thought I would write it also!

Onward and upward . . . we got to play outside today! Yaaaayy! Around the middle to end of January I always want winter to be over so we can play and go to parks etc, etc. Hopefully the rain will be spotty the next few days like the meteorologists are predicting. I may have convinced my dad that they really do need to get a shorter basketball hoop to hook onto the huge one for the little kids (we've been trying since Austin was 2!!).

I've started teaching Austin CURSIVE. How did he get so old? He has wanted to for awhile and finally I gave in. He really likes it and is pretty good (of course only loop letters so far).

Drew is starting to walk more like he wants to. Maybe me telling him he can play outside more if he walks has helped? Doubtful, but I am glad he is walking more no matter what the reason.

I have watched "Dan in Real Life" about 5 times in the past week. First of all, I really like Steve Carell and secondly, it is a definitely a good movie. Besides the fact that I wish I had told my dad he was a murderer of love (as the middle daughter does) when I was a teenager (it is definitely how I felt at times), I love the line at the end where his character says "Instead of telling our young people to plan ahead, we should tell them to plan to be surprised." I have needed that many times in my life so far and know I will probably need it again.

I am blessed

2009-02-28T18:54:00.001-08:00

I am blessed because . . .

~when I got up today Tony had already called on three rentals.

~Austin and Drew are good restaurant kids.

~I got to have a whole afternoon hanging with my little sister (while Tony watched all three boys!)

~I am able to homeschool Austin and learn new stuff as I teach him.

~my parents have let us live with them since August and aren't kicking us out yet.

~mostly because I am loved by God no matter what!!!

Our winner

2009-02-25T12:51:00.000-08:00

Austin had his first Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby this past Sunday. His dad and Uncle Steve helped him make a car and had a lot of fun doing it! Austin wanted to make it look like Scott Dixon's car but ended up just painting it black, because that would be "cool". His car ended up looking very cool and got third place in the Wolf division of his pack. Pretty good for their first try!

There was also a cake auction to raise money for the pack and the animal shelter, and we let Austin bid on a few cakes. He was so excited about it! He got close a few times but it wasn't until towards the end that he won the bidding for a cake.

I'll post pictures after Tony shows me how to hook my new camera disk or whatever up to our computer!

Going batty back to school

2009-01-29T12:04:00.000-08:00

Well one of the perks of living with my parents is the wildlife we get to see! The other night a bat flew into their house and decided it would be fun to fly around for awhile. Of course I screamed and scared the poop out of Drew. Tony came to the rescue and got the bat downstairs and out of the house. I just don't like them at all ever since I was in high school and heard my cat chasing something up and down the hall. Lo and behold it was a bat that we had to trap in a little plastic trash can (this was after I crawled into my parents' room so it wouldn't get me!). The bats are fun to watch in the evening OUTSIDE but I would rather they not come in and say hi!

We are back to homeschooling. After many months of praying, we decided that this is the best option for Austin's education. His school wasn't bad, but it wasn't geared toward kids who excel. We are doing a unit study on pirates right now. Aargh! Although Austin has told me he doesn't want to BE a pirate he just wants to LEARN about pirates. It is pretty fun so far and we are starting a book soon that looks really good, about a ten year old boy who becomes a pirate and keeps a diary. It should be a lot of fun!

My nephew is turning two next week. Two years old wow! Austin teaches him stuff as part of his school, this week they are working on the color blue. We also played "Simon Says" today and Jack really got into it. He loved to copy whatever Austin did - even tried push ups! It is very cute. Drew just loves watching us play and laughs and laughs when we do something funny. I'm sure by the summer he will be ready to run around with us outside (can't wait for the warm weather!)

Bye Coach Dungy

2009-01-12T22:00:00.000-08:00

Coach Dungy (of the Colts for anyone who doesn't know) announced his retirement today. I can't say that I am surprised, the last few years have been a wait and see after the season ends. But I will miss him being the Colts' coach. He is a man of such faith and integrity. I am proud that he coached the Colts and won the SuperBowl the right way. Tony has read his book and I have read part of it and his story is amazing. You really should read it if you haven't! I just have such respect for that man and I haven't even officially met him (although I have been in the same building - just across a football field).

He will be missed in Indy (and Fort Wayne).

Snow Day!

2009-01-07T17:22:00.000-08:00

Today was a snow day for Austin. I guess it was really slick in the roads, I didn't go out at all so who knows? Tony went in to get Austin up this morning and he was lying there listening to his radio for delays and he said "2 hour delay!!!" Woohoo! So he came in bed with us for a little bit and when I couldn't take his 'I'm not going back to sleep but I will lie here and TRY to be still' any longer I said just go watch tv. Then later he burst into our room and said "Imagine schools cancelled!" He was so excited, but maybe not as excited as my mom (teacher)!

Since Austin didn't have school he got to watch the tree guys partially take down this tree that is growing right next to my parents house. It has bent the gutter it is that close. He loved watching the pieces crash to the ground and see the big parts of the trunk be lowered with the rope. He got to go outside and see a man waaaaay up high at the top of the tree before he cut off the top part. He said it was really cool but he would never do it. Austin seems to have inherited his dad's fear of heights. I guess he won't be my skydiving buddy!

The only bummer about no school is when it's yucky and there isn't enough snow to have fun in. Austin doesn't use up enough energy so he is a little crazy in the evening. But bedtime is here and all will be well. I wonder if he will have a delay tomorrow . . .

Last one for 2008

2008-12-30T19:11:00.000-08:00

Well I think this will be my last blog until NEXT year! Seems like such a long way away . . . : )

2008 was an interesting year to say the least. We moved out of our house, moved up to Fort Wayne and are ending it still at my parents' house. Did not see that one coming. We are planning on being here until beg. of April so we can bank some income and not have to move in the snow (hopefully!)

Austin is back in school and is doing great! He loves to be around other kids I can tell, I am not as thrilled about some of the stuff he learns from those boys :) BUT he has a great teacher and the kids are good kids. I have fun when I volunteer on Wednesdays; inside recess = Uno time! Austin is in 3rd grade reading and math and loves math which is great. I always wished math came easy to me but it didn't. He has also started cub scouts and is enjoying that.

Andrew is a complete charmer. He smiles at everyone and waves to people in restaurants. Old ladies (and men) love him! He is a happy baby, but let me tell you I know when he wants something NOW!! He is a boy with his own time schedule. It is weird to have one child that started walking on textbook baby time and one who thinks it is just faster to crawl or be held! He takes steps now but hasn't bought into the whole "walking is better" thing. He will do it on his own time - as long as he is grooving before his 18 month appointment, I am fine with that!

Tony is getting ready to start his pre-reqs for PA school this semester. Hard science classes but he likes those kind. I may or may not start this semester, Butler is taking its sweet time getting me my transcript. Maybe I will just start in the summer. Then I have more time to get used to going back to school. Hopefully in 2 1/2 or 3 years I will have all the classes finished and be an RN. Then after Tony is finished w/school we can go on mission trips together and do medical stuff! That is probably what I am most excited about being an RN!

For 2009:

Lose weight - not be all huffy puffy for running
More time myself and God - that has fallen by the wayside lately and I can totally tell!
Focus on goals and don't sweat the small stuff
Find more fun stuff to do in Fort Wayne with my boys
Pay off the van (definitely) and possibly the car also

Late Christmas present

2008-12-26T18:18:00.000-08:00

Drew walked today!! Took 2 steps then 6 then later 2. I am so excited!! It's what I wanted most for Christmas!

Ahhh the Spa

2008-12-18T20:29:00.000-08:00

I went to the spa last night for four relaxing hours. I had a pedicure, manicure and massage which I have had all before. And I had a facial which was a first. It was a pretty good experience. I felt like I wanted to laugh when she put stuff on my face with what felt like a paint brush. It tickled! And she did that three different times.

My massage was by far the best part of the night. I think I would get one every week if I had the time/money. It was so relaxing and the only thing I would change would be that I could sleep right there for a few hours after it was finished.

When I got home Austin said I smelled like flowers. That is a nice thing to hear from my 8 year old, especially when since I know he tells it like he sees it (or in this case smells it).

Waiting for the ice/icy rain to hit, wondering if Austin will have school tomorrow. His teacher already gave their spelling test and gave them the gift she made. Darn me that I didn't send in his teacher's gift today!! That's what I get for procrastinating - I have known what I wanted to get her for a long time but just finished getting it all today. And I attempted to make a bow out of ribbon. It kind of turned out but looks weird. Oh well my first attempt I can't be too hard on myself. I have always wanted to learn to make bows so my packages can be really beautiful. I dream of wrapping packages that look like those in movies and on TV. Of course with my boys it would only be for my benefit. Maybe I will just practice and make pretty packages for decoration around the house next year.

Okay I went on a little tangent there. I am hoping for at least a delay for Austin and we will see maybe no school!

School school and more school

2008-12-12T11:22:00.001-08:00

In an effort to be able to make some actual money when Tony is in PA school I have decided to go back and get a nursing degree. Since I have been out of school since 2003 (and even that was part time!) it is FREAKING ME OUT!!! I think this next semester will be part time since I have some classes done but still a few pre-reqs to get into the nursing program so that will be good to kind of ease back in. I want to be able to watch my nephew through the summer and then if I go full-time in the fall my sister will have enough notice to find a good place for him.

I am also homeschooling Austin again starting after Christmas break (99% sure). I haven't officially pulled him out yet but that's what next week is for! So I figure he will learn more about anatomy and physiology than any other 8 year old out there! I am still not happy with his school, I do think his teacher is a great teacher, but the way they do the curriculum is not how it was described to me when I signed him up. He is in the highest reading group a 2nd grader is allowed to be in, but he is still bored by it. As for math, he is kind of between 2nd and 3rd grade and there isn't a level for that. I have been supplementing with stuff in the evenings (since he actually likes to do harder math!)

As Tony said the other day, we don't do easy. He is also going to be taking a few courses to fulfill pre-reqs for PA school. We are going to be in learning mode AND kid mode AND teaching mode AND working mode. So I'm sure I can handle all this stuff but I think I am just really nervous about going back to school. Plus if I'm a lot older than the other students it will be very weird!

This craziness is the reason we moved back to Fort Wayne where there is lots of family!!

Let it snow

2008-12-06T09:44:00.001-08:00

It's snowing!! Pretty snow since before I woke up. I love to watch the snow fall when I have no place to go and don't have to drive in it. It is b-e-a-utiful!!!

We drove around downtown last night to look at all the lights - the Santa, wreath, Sunbeam building, and many other lights. Austin was not excited about it before we got down there but he got into it and I think really enjoyed finding lights before Tony and I.

Today we are going to do our Christmas craft. Usually we paint birdhouses in red, green and white but since all my stuff is packed up and we have no place to put them this year, we are coloring wooden pieces that stand up. Austin picked out a train for himself, a woman w/packages for me, a nutcracker for Tony and a small penguin for Drew. It definitely won't be as messy as painting!

hello from drew

2008-12-03T14:27:00.000-08:00

Drew has been wanting to type like crazy so here goes . . .

,l,jhhjnng n çcnnbvnbt4ja nfmndsndfmn,. cvzbzzzzzn g nxghbpbhdlbnnn;;;;;;n,vbvnnbbc,b,l-lm,bvvbbb,0iop[;gfjvlklfn

bfgggf9bhgghhhhhgghgg hjjm

,inlktfghaaxvcccvcccccccccvfnnnnvv b

jzuer./

krkr.,drdrh i/ ll,.

bb.,b.,.

b cxcncbxbxby bm,p

I think what he typed is "Hi I have the BEST Mommy in the world Bye"

Yum yum!

2008-11-28T21:19:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving = yummy food. Yesterday we ate at my parents' house. Today we went to Tony's brother's house and ate again. (They made everything from scratch - even the whipped cream!!) Afterwards Drew was crawling around on their floor and checking stuff out. Well he decided he was still hungry so he ate a piece of dog food!! He really liked it and even crunched it in between his front teeth. Yum yum! I guess that filled his little tummy because he didn't go after any more pieces.

Fort Wayne - Indy

2008-11-16T10:15:00.000-08:00

I like being able to go on a date with my hubby and having free childcare. The zoo is pretty fun - hopefully next year it will be evven better with the new Africa part opening. No real rush hour - if I don't time my driving right, it doesn't matter. Seeing family and hanging out more often.

I miss the fanatic support of the Colts. The Indy skyline. Our church. Austin's friends he has known since he was 3/4. Being closer to my grandparents. Will probably really miss Indy in the month of May for all the 500 stuff. The Children's Museum. The newscasts and meteorologists -these fort wayne newscasts are bunk. The basketball and soccer leagues at our church for Austin.

Fort Wayne was just voted the best city in Indiana to raise kids. My brother said "yeah in the summer" and we will see after this winter, but I think I might agree with him. Not so much to do in the cold months - science central is small and quite a few of the exhibits don't even work how they are supposed to!! I'm sure I will find more things as I look for them.

my cutie pie second born

2008-11-12T06:14:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here watching Drew eat his breakfast and talk to Gracie the dog (and feed her) and he is just so darn cute!! He is starting to talk a lot more these days and says "hihihi"all the time and "bye bye" and sometimes kind of says Papaw but I don't know if he knows it yet. He's learning a lot of words from his older cousin, like "stuck" and "uh-oh" Can you tell my nephew likes to get into things? Drew has yet to say Dada, which I kind of feel bad about but Austin said that WAY before Mama so I am okay with it too! Tony's grandma said when your baby says Mama first, then your next kid will be a girl. Here's hoping!!

Drew loves loves loves to dance! He jams to music, toys that play music, Hi-5 (tv show) and anything else. Sometimes I think he has a song in his head! He seems to like music with no words better to dance to. It is just so fun to see his little bottom bopping around to the beat!

Well, off to the races! I think I'm going to the library today to see what I can see.

what what what

2008-11-08T17:58:00.001-08:00

nursing

music therapy

do i really want to go back

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

definitely not teaching, engineer, business, no desk job

what what what

Bottle that and use it

2008-11-06T11:39:00.000-08:00

As I was getting frustrated at the fact that it seems only I can run my parents' disposal, Tony said to bottle that and use it when I talk to my dad. I've decided the only way to get him moving on the house thing is to nicely nag. I don't like to nag and ask constantly, but come on he has had six months to work on stuff. It doesn't directly affect him so he puts it out of his mind. Trust me, I know my dad. So we talked the other day and I looked up everything he asked for and sent it to him and sent him another page I had done a month or so ago. Here's hoping. I just need to (sweetly) get on his butt and make sure it gets done. We have a house in mind that would be a great deal and great layout (bed/bathroom for m.i.l. if needed) and quite frankly it may not sell anytime soon since it has been on the market almost a full year (foreclosure). I think I have already said this in a blog since I am having deja vu.

Here's hoping the plan works . . .

Two super good reasons to homeschool:

1. Austin did not get sick last year. Today I had to pick him up early. Plus last year he couldn't pass anything to his little bro. Therefore, his little bro didn't get sick AT ALL in his first year of life. This past week was the first time.

2. Austin has been learning assorted middle finger alternatives from boys at school. He was dared to put his ring finger up at a teacher and see if he got into trouble (thank goodness he didn't!) and also has learned what the kids say is a chinese "middle finger" (pinky up) and word. Super!

Times he comes home and tells/shows me those things are when I most wish we were still homeschooling. At least I know he wouldn't be learning that stuff at school. cub scouts maybe, but not school! : )

Congratulations to President elect Obama. I didn't vote for him but I will be praying for him and his administration to lead the country with integrity the next four years. My only hope is that he leads more like his campaigning and less like his very liberal voting record.

My mom asked Austin who the president was yesterday and he said Obama and she said "nope! it's President Bush". She asks her classes that every year when a new President is elected and rarely does any student answer correctly.

Christmas is coming

2008-11-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Christmastime is coming!! Well I can't very well decorate super early this year since we aren't in our own place yet, but I am getting excited! I love when the calendar turns to November and I start thinking about Christmas carols, what to get people, how I want to decorate, etc. I found a unit study on different Christmas carols and their origins and I think I might do a scaled-back version with Austin. I'm not sure if they will sing any in school or not . . . (gotta be PC and all). I may get my nativity set out of storage if we are still w/my parents, just to have on decoration that is our own. Maybe our small tree also . . .

My poor baby boy is sick today. He has a fever and threw up all over Granny. I mean, it was one of those entire contents of stomach things (parents you know!) After he got her all messy I gave him a bath and then he fell right asleep on me for about 1 1/2 hours. He has been sleeping off and on today and just now woke up after being in bed for an hour. So it might be one of those nights, but that's okay. I actually love how my boys stop moving constantly and cuddle with me when they are sick. I wish they were healthy and cuddly, but I'll take what I can get I guess! Austin's stomach was hurting him when I put him to bed, so we will see if it's sympathy sickness or he might be cuddly tomorrow too! He has a bucket by his bed just in case.

Those of you who aren't parents, sorry about the last paragraph - once you have kids you will understand the bodily function talk!! :)

With 25 seconds left in the third quarter the Colts are beating the Patriots. WOOHOO!!! Hopefully they can keep it up and beat their butts this year!

Election

2008-10-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

I am very very very glad that the election is in less than a week.

I am so very very very tired of the never-ending talk and debate and plain meanness by people on both sides.

Don't forget to vote next Tuesday!! And not just for president, vote for the other races as well please.

bagging rant and other things

2008-10-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

Why can't cashiers and baggers learn how to bag properly?? I worked in two grocery stores and I knew to bag non-foods with non-foods, frozen with frozen, etc. It's not like I had any extra training on this - I just have common sense. It wouldn't bother me as much if I didn't organize AND put small spaces between my sections of food on the conveyor belt. Then, when I rebag things right there (shampoo does NOT go with bananas!!) the cashier gets a little pissy. It's not like I was holding up the line, there was no line. I didn't make her re-do it, which I have seen people do. I didn't even say anything to her, just did it. I really don't think she was greatly inconvenienced by my re-bagging my stuff. AHHH I wish people used common sense in bagging.

So three houses I've had my eye on just got lowered in price. I guess one is out b/c there is no place for Tony to have an office space (he works from home). I told him he could have part of the huge master closet but he wasn't super excited about that idea. : ) I wish we had the cash and could just buy one outright. How easy would that be, right? LOL.

Drew is not a fan of broccoli or acorn squash. Squash was actually the only baby food he had that he never liked. We had both for dinner tonight and he didn't eat more than one or two bites. Austin did pretty well once he got some cheese on his broccoli, but hey he ate it!

We are going next week to visit my friend who had a baby last month. It should be nice, she has a little girl Austin loves to play with and a 1 1/2 yr old Drew will probably follow around. We haven't hung out since Drew was able to play with other kids so it should be cute. And who doesn't love little babies??

Resisting Naps

2008-10-20T10:40:00.001-07:00

As I sit here during nap time and listen to my youngest cry instead of sleep, I still wonder why little ones fight naps so badly. Drew has given up his morning nap and the past two days has only taken a 1/2 hour afternoon nap. Austin won't nap unless big consequences are threatened, or I make him nap with me.

I guess they didn't get the "Doerr gene" as my brother and sister like to call it. My nephew seems to have gotten it - he takes 3 or 4 hour naps AND sleeps in! How nice that must be on the weekends for my sister. Us Doerr kids (what good English!) could sleep all day if possible, and the latest I have ever slept in was 4pm. That was back in the day before I had kids. I do still enjoy sleeping in, although now a great late morning is 10am!

I wonder, in 5 or 6 years, if I will have to make Austin get OUT of bed or wake up from a nap by threatening big consequences!!

Ahhh . . . Drew is quiet now.

Three (new to me) Movies

2008-10-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

I have seen a few movies recently and really enjoyed two of them. . .

"Fireproof" - Tony and I went on a date (yay!) and saw this in the theater. This is a great movie for anyone who is married or even seriously dating. It is very honest about some of the struggles people can go through in marriage. There is a book to go with the movie called The Love Dare (I think it is out?). This movie is made by the people who did "Facing the Giants", which I also highly recommend. I wouldn't let Austin watch "Fireproof" for quite a few years though, there are some intense scenes not appropriate for young ones.

"August Rush" - okay so I like most anything Keri Russell is in. Loved her in Felicity and Waitress is a good movie too. This movie is predictable yes but it is an enchanting sort of story about a boy who wants to find his parents and does so through music. Austin walked in halfway though this and he sat down and watched it until the end. He really liked it also. I love stories about parent-child bonds/love and this one incorporates music, another of my loves. I got to explain to Austin what a prodigy is during the movie!

"Indiana Jones 4" - I love the Indiana Jones trilogy! BUT I felt that this movie was a bit campy to really fit in with the others. Some of the dialogue and situations were just out there. It was okay and I always like watching Harrison Ford be Indy but come on people could you have thought of another plot?? It was a bit far-fetched for me. SPOILER ALERT: And Austin can't watch it until he gets over his fear of aliens (or interdimensional beings that sure look like aliens). He has had issues ever since Tony let him watch "Signs" in spite of my protests. I think I will still to the first three Indy movies.

What movies have you seen recently that you like?

It's all going to work out

2008-10-06T18:03:00.000-07:00

That happens to be something Tony kept telling me as we moved up here and he didn't have a job and I wasn't happy with Austin's school and we have a civic and an old truck to try to fit 3 kids in (when I watch my nephew) and let's see what else. . .

Tony has a job now and starts training in (ironically) Indy tomorrow. Yay for that! He doesn't have to be on-call! Also he will be working from home a lot so I won't always have to take the little boys to pick Austin up from school.

My grandparents have decided they don't need two vehicles anymore and are giving one of their really nice vans to my parents. There is a high possibility that we might be getting or buying for cheap one of my parents' vans. Awesome! Then I don't have to beg my dad to borrow his van when I have all three boys in tow. He always lets me but I feel bad about him having to drive his truck which doesn't get good gas mileage.

Although I love my hubby very much I am excited about him being in Indy for 3 nights. I get my own bed and get to spread out and put the pillows anywhere I want!! Also Austin can't sleep with me because every night is school night!

I have a lot of exclamation points today . . .

I am still not so sure about Austin's school but I am giving them a semester and watching, watching, watching. I am helping out every Wednesday, so I get to regularly see what they do. His teacher is really nice and does a great job with the kids and never seems to lose any patience! I would love to set her up with my brother : ) I still feel that Austin is not being challenged with the work and I have not seen science or social studies happening. I know he is loving being around other kids, even though he doesn't love all the kids. And he learned how to give the finger/what to say in Chinese today. Don't know how accurate the kid who taught him is but isn't it just wonderful that they teach each other things? : )

Top 100 book list

2008-10-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

Got this from Matt's blog. . .

A post I recently read claims that the average American adult has read only six of the top 100 books ever written. I'm not sure who put this list together, or what (if any) significance there is in the numbering, but I thought this would be fun. Try your hand at the list.

The Rules:
1) Look at the list and put one * by those you have read.
2) Put a % by those you intend to read.
3) Put two ** by the books you LOVE.
4) Put # by the books you HATE.
5) Post. (Don't forget to tag me.)

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen %
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte %
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee*
6 The Bible **
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte %
8 1984 - George Orwell*
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman #
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens*
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott**
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare*
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien**
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell*
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald*
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams**
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck*
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens %
33 Chronicles of Narnia- CS Lewis**
34 Emma - Jane Austen %
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis**
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini ** (awesome!)
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the pooh - AA Milne **
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell*
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery ** (read this over and over as a kid)
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding*
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan % (I've started it)
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens*
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon*
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck**
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas*
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker*
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett **
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens*
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White *
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle*
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad *
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery** (french class!)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare ** (my fav shakespeare)
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl *
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo *

32 out of this list, not bad. Some I have started and just can't get into them - wonder what that says about my taste in books? : ) A few I have read to Austin and are better as an adult I think. I love to read and will keep on reading books I think are good!

Disjointed ramblings

2008-09-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Austin is EIGHT YEARS OLD!! Holy cow!

There are some things I can't get out of my mind lately. One house in particular, which I know is not a good idea to get b/c it has foundation issues!! Other than that is is great! : ) 4 bedrooms, nice kitchen, even a basement. If only we could find out how much it would cost to fix ahead of making an offer . . .

Something Tony and I used to be involved in is also constantly in my thoughts. When I hear certain things said, or songs, see certain cars etc I always think of it and wish we still did it. The people we met were some of the nicest and most genuine people I have ever met. This may not make any sense to anyone reading it but it does to me.

Well this post is a bit of a ramble but sometimes that is good right?? Still praying for the right job for Tony, he has had some interviews but none have panned out yet. Hopefully we will be in our own place before Christmas, I would like to be able to decorate with my own decorations and do our family traditions surrounded by our furniture. Although I am so grateful that my parents are allowing us to stay with them, it is so vastly different from being in our own place. Also, I would prefer not to move in the middle of a snowstorm, and we are usually pretty safe until mid-December. I am watching a "Home Improvement" Christmas show - I really do love this show! Ahhh Christmas! Less than three months away!!

My kids rock!

2008-09-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

Tony and I took Drew in for his one year old shots. Five of them - 5!! He didn't cry until she poked him with the second needle, then cried until I could cuddle him and he calmed down right away. He is so good with the shots, I am very glad. BTW the Supershot location near Parkview is very nice. I thought we would have a long wait by the number of people in there, but it was around 20 minutes or so.

We all got library cards today since we just moved. I let Austin pick out three books to read but he ended up getting only two. He put one back that was a "comic book" book because he knew I didn't really like him reading those. I was going to let him get it, I have decided it's better than nothing. I am very proud of his decision making ability.

One of my friends is supposed to have her third baby tomorrow and I pray for her a short and (relatively!) easy labor. I can't wait to meet him or her!

Updates

2008-09-16T19:03:00.000-07:00

Tony has already had one job interview and has two more this week. Praying for the right job to come through. I know he will do great in any of them.

ANDREW IS ONE!!! My baby is not so much a baby anymore! We had a little family party on the weekend and then on his actual birthday made pizzas, since that is one of his favorite foods. He seems to really like his new toys - so do his brother and cousin!

Tony and I went and got our new licenses today, so we officially live in Fort Wayne and we can vote in the election. I am very glad about that, I didn't want to be someone who tells others how important it is to vote and then not do it!

I pray that I either grow to like the church we have been attending or we find another great one up here. So far, I haven't "felt it" while I have been at that church. The people seem nice and the sermons seem right on with what I have been taught and believe, but for me I am not connecting how I feel I need to.

I am going to work on getting a better schedule during the day. With Tony being home, I have let myself be a little lazy and not do housework and/or go many places. I am going to get my library card soon and check out the nearest branch and well I don't know what else. I have told Austin's teacher that I will volunteer one morning a week at school, so that should help things.

We are taking Austin to a Bishop Luers home football game this Friday. He is excited and it should be a fun time for the three of us! Hoping for no rain and chilly but not cold weather. I am actually looking forward to it!

what to do what to do

2008-09-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

Austin is in his third week of school at Imagine. So far I am not impressed. I am trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, but he has been switched classes and I have not even gotten ANYTHING from his new teacher say "hi this is me" I think he could find time to type/write a little note saying that. Also the pick-up procedure is very unorganized, as well as the lunch money/ordering. They say they need parents but then don't take up on the offers of help.

(Yay I am so happy that this autosaves - my computer battery died and it is still here!)

All that complaining to say - I want to pull Austin out so badly! But I don't know if it is b/c last year I had total control with homeschooling and I need to adjust or if it is as bad as I think. If I still feel as strongly when he has finished a month (and if he is still doing single-digit no carrying addition) I think I will talk seriously to Tony about pulling him out. For now I am praying and trying to find the silver lining of this school. Maybe it is just beginning of school craziness who knows.

A kid must be bored when he asks his mom to teach him borrowing if they aren't doing it by October!! No joke.

UPDATE: We got a call a few days after I wrote this last post that the other Imagine school had an opening and got him in there. I like it better, the facility is larger and nicer, they seem to have better communication. I am still giving this semester if they are not teaching what up to his level. He might be a bit ahead of his grade level, but that is part of the Imagine schools - they teach to each child's level, not just all the kids lumped in together. I have high hopes and he can stay there until high school (if Tony gets his way - BLHS) or through graduation. We will have to wait and see, but I am a bit more optimistic.

Can't we all just get along?

2008-08-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

I will say right off I am a conservative. I will vote for John McCain in November. I am not a fan of Obama at all. Now having said that, I did watch some of the DNC last night (mostly because my parents wanted to watch) and I was proud to see Obama accept the Democratic nomination. I even believe he is a great speaker, and while I don't agree with what he says I do like to hear him speak.

Why are some people (who say they are open-minded) the most close-minded? If you want others to allow you your opinions and beliefs, allow them to have theirs also. Why feel the need to berate and name-call people who believe differently than you? If I did that I would have almost no friends, since a lot of them are supporters of Obama. State your opinion but don't be rude and disrespectful of others opinions. So there is my blogging soapbox for this week. . .

Go McCain!

Back home again. . . literally!

2008-08-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

I am now a Fort Wayne girl (again). The little boys and I moved up here today, back in with my parents. I am so grateful for the opportunity to stay with them until we find/fix up a place but it is really weird living with my parents again at the age of 27. One perk is that until the end of the month I have my own bed! woohoo! Tony works in Indy until the 29th and hopefully will pack up a lot of boxes before I go back down there. He keeps saying he will be bored :)

Austin starts school next Monday. I am excited for him but a little ~frustrated~ by the lack of communication from his school. Still don't know his teacher or what room he is in. I am going in tomorrow and I fell like I will be that "annoying" mother. Oh well they want parental involvement right?

I've been watching Michael Phelps swim and wow that man is such an amazing swimmer!! I hope he gets all his golds. Go Team USA!

To Mississippi we will go

2008-07-17T08:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight my mom, sister, her son (1), my two boys (Austin 7 , Drew 10 months) and I are traveling down to Mississippi. It's baby boy's first long trip! We are starting around his bedtime so hopefully he sleeps most of the trip and in the morning his brother and cousin can keep him entertained!

Are we crazy to assume we can do this? Tony has to work so he won't be with us and I am starting to freak out that there won't be enough room for all the stuff I need to take. It's only a four day trip but I need a bed, bathtub (blow up), I would like a high chair but I don't think any of us has one that folds up. It will work out, right?

I am excited though because I haven't seen a lot of my family in awhile. We're going down for my cousin's wedding on Saturday. Most of them haven't met Drew or seen Austin in years.
I'm a little nervous about seeing one of my uncles who reacted badly (massive understatement!) when I told him I was pregnant with my first. We have not really talked much since then but he has expressed regret to everyone else in my family. It will be interesting to see what if anything he has to say to me, or if he acts like everything is cool. I have done my best to forgive him but it hurt me badly at the time. I would love an apology but don't know what will happen.
We will see. . .
In the meantime I am very excited about seeing my cousin looking beautiful in her wedding dress and marrying her love.

2008-06-12T19:12:00.001-07:00

Well hubby says it's time for me to write a blog. Maybe I should tell people about it so someone reads it!

I just signed our older son up for school. Ahhh ... I homeschooled him this past year and feel like a failure since I am not continuing on with it. But hopefully he will have fun and it will be less stressful at our house. I really liked the planning and teaching - when he would do school. A lot of times it was a struggle to say the least, especially towards the end of the year. Funny how he has no problems with authority unless it's me!

I think he will really like the new school; it is a charter school that many people have heard great things about. I met the principal today and he used the phrase "I/we are blessed . . ." three times when I was talking to him. That always makes an impact when people say that instead of "I'm lucky . . ." So it helped calm my nerves about signing him up for this school. Although I hope they have A/C - they are doing construction on the school now and it was mighty hot in there!

It will be interesting having him wear a uniform everyday. He didn't even have uniforms at his Christian school. I am okay with uniforms, it simplifies the buying of school clothes and I know there is less of a chance for him to be distracted by what someone is wearing (or not wearing as he gets older!)

I am and will be praying for a great start to his new school. If anyone who reads this wants to send one up please do.

last night

2008-05-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I envy my husband. He can lay down in bed and immediately (no joke!) fall asleep. Me, it takes me an hour or more sometimes. Last night I was so tired I went to bed around 9p and baby boy woke up at 10:15. After I got him back down, I couldn't go back to sleep. So I watched the office and sex and the city and no idea what else until 2AM. Then I felt it - my body would let me go back to sleep now. It's amazing how many commercials there are for sleep aids late at night : )

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2008-05-09T07:24:00.001-07:00

It's May and that means my husband is excited beyond measure. I truly think this is his favorite month of the enitre year, because of the . . . INDY 500! We start the month by doing the 5k downtown (not quite up for the mini marathon yet!) then there's opening day, pole day, bump weekend, kids day downtown with the rookie run, and finally THE weekend. Memorial Day weekend is now called Race Weekend in our household!
Tomorrow is Pole Day so I need to get our kiddos earplugs. I've seen some nice ones for babies/toddlers that are like earmuffs, but I have no idea where to find them! It will be fun and shouldn't be too hot or rainy (hopefully). It's baby boy's first time to the track!

Hello!

2008-05-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd introduce myself first. I'm a 27 year old Christian wife and mom of two gorgeous boys. Right now I am homeschooling our oldest, next year is up in the air. I love to read and my oldest knows that the first thing we do at the library is go to the new book section! I also enjoy making cards and scrapbooking, but haven't made much time for that since my youngest was born in September. So now you know a little bit about me, here we go!
(fyi: not very experience with all this, just thought it would be fun)