Christmas Day

I could not sleep so at 5am I got out of bed and headed downstairs. Thank goodness TBS was showing 24 hours of a Christmas Story cause otherwise the only thing on was infomercials. Kato was up next at 7ish followed by Jade at 7:30. I had to wake up Alex, who sprang out of bed with a huge gasping "Santa come, Presents?" We yelled down to wake up Michael and the festivities began. The kids opened stockings, we ate cinnamon rolls, drank coffee, and opened the gifts under the tree. We left everything out and prepared for our travel to Green Bay. We left earlier then planned, about 10:00am. We got up there, had some lunch, went to the hotel, swam, and headed to the Grandparents house about 3:30. We visited, ate dinner, opened some gifts, and Jade got sick. Jade and I headed back to the hotel where she got worse. Kato, Michael, and Alex played the traditional ping pong challenge, and Kato won again! Jade woke up about 1am and didn't go back to sleep. Since it was only one night I didn't pack any tylenol and of course the front desk only had adult kind, so I headed out about 4am to find some. Lucky for me Kwik Trip is open 24 hours a day everyday. It was 4:30am by the time she got some meds and she was finally able to sleep. We got up around 7:30 had some free breakfast and the boys went swimming. We left about 10am, got home, unpacked, cleaned up all the gifts, and started breaking down christmas decorations. By Sunday the house showed no signs of Christmas and we watched the Packers beat down the Seattle Seahawks. It was a great weekend all in all and the kids were happy with their gifts. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas as well. thanks for reading xoxo

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was always special for us kids growing up cause we always got to open one present. This year I did that same tradition only I picked the gift and instead of having each kid open one we only opened one as a family. It was a book my grandmother recorded into, Twas the Night Before Christmas. These books are wonderful and I am glad I got my mom to help with it. My Grandma recorded herself telling the story into the book so when we turned the pages it was her voice reading the words. Everyone listened and it was so wonderful to hear her say at the end...Merry Christmas I love you, GG. It will be our tradition every year to share that book on Christmas Eve. Thank you Mom and Grandma for doing this for our family! Love you lots.

After the kids were asleep Santa brought the gifts, stuffed the stockings, and turned out the lights. Thank you Santa. Thanks for reading xoxo

Kinkos and the quirk

Kato and I went to Kinkos a few weeks back to get some copies. It was busy and everyone seemed to need help. There were about 3 people working and all were helping people. I knew what to do and started with my stuff. Kato helped by doing the cutting. While I was waiting for my printing to be done I saw an elderly lady wandering about looking for something. I asked her if she needed help finding something. She needed to pay for paper she used for printing her xmas letter on. I showed her where to stand in line to pay for it and stood there with her for a few minutes looking around to see if someone else was going to come to the register to ring people up. Since all the available employees were busy helping others I said its busy right now and she should just be patient and wait her turn. She was a little quirky and getting pissy. She was not having that. She said she is about ready to walk out the store. I said thats not a good idea and she should just wait in line like the others. Again I said its busy today and she just said something about it not being an excuse. I quickly said well I tried and walked away from that. A few minutes later as Kato and I watched her, she left the store without paying. WOW I thought...and old folks say us youngsters need to learn values, go figure!!! I bet Santa left coal in her stocking. thanks for reading xoxo

Happy Birthday Jesus Celebration at Preschool

Friday night Alex had his Happy Birthday Jesus party at his preschool. The kids get all dressed up and recite poems, sign songs, and play the bells. This year was wonderful. Last year Alex was in the 3 year old class and he just stood there and did nothing, except play the bells. This year he was so serious about everything. He said his lines, sang the songs, played the bells and never cracked a smile! He was very serious and his concentration level was at maximum level. He decided to wear a suit vest with a white collar shirt, navy blue slacks and his dress shoes. He looked so handsome. I was very proud of him and how hard he worked at doing a good job. This is his last year at preschool so every thing he does is priceless to me. It was amazing how much he has grown over the past year and seeing him stand in front of everyone and put on the show was proof that he is growing up quick. Since Friday night he has decided that wearing a tie is very important so Saturday him and his dad went to St. Vincents where he picked out two ties. He wanted to get a new suit coat with more then two buttons and sleeves long enough to fit but he wasn't successful. We will be on the look out for one. Today at school he wore his tie. I am sure he will still slip on his Spiderman costumes but for now having him dress up everyday and every night is fine with me. I like him finding his own style and even if he decides to wear his spiderman costume with his tie and suit vest with cowboy boots a wolverine mask and Bucky Badger hat at least I know he is expressing himself and confident. Gotta love it cause one day it will all be over and all he will want are designer jeans and the car keys. thanks for reading xoxo

First OB visit

I went to the doctor on Wednesday morning. I wasn't expecting such a thorough visit but I guess it was better to just get everything done at once. I got weighed, peed in a cup, blood pressure was taken, questions were answered and I hadn't even seen the doc yet. After 45 minutes of everything else he finally came in. I was thinking it would only be 20 minutes but as it turned out he did a complete physical from head to toe and we listened to the baby's heartbeat. It took a few minutes to find it which is nerve racking! He decided to do an ultrasound too. I got dressed and headed to the U/S room. Thank goodness my ultrasound was an outie, all you moms know what I am talking about!! Anyway, I saw the baby and the heartbeat. The baby measured 8 weeks and 3 days which makes it due July 24th. After that I got a H1N1 flu shot and then sat for 30 minutes waiting to get my blood work done. All in all it was a 2 1/2 hours doc visit. The heartbeat was 162. I am thinking its a girl. In 12 weeks I will find out cause I will have another ultrasound. I pray for a healthy baby and delivery. I want to cherish every moment of this pregnancy cause it will be my last baby. I enjoy being pregnant and love being a mom. People have asked me why have more and some have said "I thought Jade was your last!" Well here is our way of thinking...we will never regret having our children but we may regret not having more. I am glad that I never finalized my reproductive organs when I had her and I can't wait to have this baby. Thanks for reading xoxo

Nugget is 5

Alex turned 5 yesterday. He was so excited cause all year he waits for his birthday. It is harder for him I think because most of his friends from daycare all have summer to early fall birthdays so he sees everyone else with cake and presents and wants it too. Anyway he wanted a spiderman cake, no surprise there, and presents right away. So Sunday we had a family party for him and Jayne made his cake and he always gets a birthday tree decorated special just for him, can you guess the theme? Spiderman!! Since he is soooo into superheros we found him an old school He-Man dvd set that has the first season of He-Man. He was so excited to get it. We also got him a superhero dvd that has all of his favorites minus spiderman and said it was from Jade, again super excited!! Michael gave him a pair of new shoes that we have yet to be able to remove from his feet. He loves them so much he wants to sleep in them. They are blue and white Nikes and he says they make him jump high and run fast. My Auntie Gail sent him Ice Age part 3 and my mom found these super cool action figures that are knights and horses. He really liked them too. Jayne and Keith got him candyland and chutes and ladders which he played yesterday with his dad. His friends Kale, Rylee, and Eli got him a soft and warm Batman blanket and tshirt, he loves it!! Liam and Luci got him a monster truck pack that has a batman truck and dvd. The neighbors gave him a spiderman lego set. He got some money which is in his savings now and now he is anxious for xmas. Hard to believe 5 years ago he was an 8 pound 10 ounce baby. I am very lucky to be able to say I didn't miss a thing. I got to see all his firsts, steps, teeth, words, rolls, jumps, climbs, everything! Happy Birthday Nugget, I love you very much! thanks for reading xoxo

I finally told

I finally grew some balls and told my mom that I am pregnant. I called her last Friday but she didn't call me back and since I was at Katos work party I didn't try calling her again. Finally Saturday evening I was able to get in touch with her. It turns out it wasn't as bad as I feared and she seemed happy but sad cause we live so far away from each other. In the end I also had to call my Auntie and my Grandma. So now the weight is lifted and I feel much better. Tomorrow I go to the doctors to find out exactly how far along I am and when I am due. You might think it is weird for someone to not know but it happens. I hope it all goes well. Will keep you posted. Thanks for reading xoxo

Michael wants to have a taste but was denied!!

Daddy says "Look Jade your cake is soooo big!" Jade knows how to play the so big game.

Jade shares her cake with Daddy.

Jade Turns the Big 1

Yesterday my darling daughter turned One! Time flew by and it doesn't seem real. I made her a cake on Wednesday and some cupcakes for us. Since November (michaels birthday) is the start of our cake season I figured that was good enough. Alex will be five on Monday, then Kato has a birthday in January then Jayne, Keith and I all have birthdays in February. Anyway, we also got t-shirts that were ordered from Michaels wrestling team so the kids put them on right away. It was cute. We had tacos, one of Jades favorites. She opened gifts from Aunt Gail, GG, Grandma Kim, Katos grandparents, and us. She will have more on Sunday. After opening the gifts and playing with the balloon Aunt Gail sent and one minor tiff with Alex and Michael over some bubble wrap we had cake. We took off all her clothes except for a bib and diaper. I took the cake off the plate and set it on her high chair tray and quick grabbed my camera. Kato video taped. We thought she would dive right in but all she did was take one little finger and lightly touch the side and then a very small taste. She liked it but thats all she did with it was one finger licks. After a few minutes she got a few more fingers involved but it never got to the point that she was stuffing it in or grabbing handfuls. We cut off the corner piece she had been working on and even still not a big mess. She did get frosting on her face and she seemed to like what she had. After the cake she had a bath and played with her new purse. It was a mellow first birthday but just like with all my kids I will never forget it. It was nice just having the family and having all of us just focus on her. Sunday we are having more birthday fun as we celebrate Alex's and Jade's birthdays together and that means more cake. Happy Birthday Baby Jade! thanks for reading xoxo

First Big Snow 12/2009

Jade and Alex playing in the snow! Its the first big snow of the season and Jades first time in it.

Long blog kept short

I realized that I haven't written anything in weeks. I can't believe how fast time is flying by and there isn't anything I can do about it. So to make a long blog short here is the just of the past few weeks...
1. Kato and I helped Alexs preschool by volunteering our time wrapping presents.
2. I went xmas shopping for 7 hours and I am still not done.
4. The house is decorated inside and out with Xmas decor.
5. Its wrestling season and Michael is up early and home late everyday.
3. It snowed ALOT!
4. Jade turns 1 tomorrow.
5. I'm pregnant.

I haven't told my parents yet but if they read this they will find out. If they do read this before I tell them let me say this...I am very happy, Kato is very happy, Alex wants a boy, Michael is fine with this although a little shocked and its no ones business if I get my tubes tied or not. I love you and hope for your support rather then negative comments such as "well I sure hope its your last" or "better get your tubes tied" or "wont this be too much for you" just be happy its one more person to love and if God didn't want it to happen he wouldn't have let it.

Ok so thats the short of it. Thanks for reading xoxo

Grantsburg, hunting, Mall of America

Friday morning we wake up bright and early and head out to Grantsburg to visit with Aunt Barb and Uncle Jim. Michael was planning on going hunting with them over the weekend and the rest of us were off to the Mall of America. Since the trip was about a 4 hour drive we knew we would have to stop often. First stop was the gas station for fuel. Second stop was Walmart in Baraboo to get Michael some gloves. It turned out not to be very busy at 8am so I picked up a few xmas gifts too. Third stop was the Kwik trip cause Alex needed to go to the bathroom. Fourth stop was at a Walmart somewhere to get Alex some stomach ache medicine, oh and I picked up some more xmas stuff cause it was still on sale at 10am. Fifth stop was lunch in Rice Lake at Taco Johns, we thought about stopping at the Walmart there too but decided to skip it. Final stop was at Barb and Jims. We pulled up to the house and right away we saw a deer hide on the wood pile, I guess it was there to keep the wood warm. Jim came out to meet us and as we were on our way in through their garage we noticed the deer hanging without the skin and guts. Alex took one look and said "Yep, that deer is really dead!" I don't know what gave him that impression. Anyway once inside we said hello and unloaded the van. Michael got a quick tour and then they were off in the woods for hunting. Kato, Alex, Jade and I went for a ride through town and stopped at a few stores. Once we got back Katos cousin Matt and his girlfriend Erin were there. They said they just heard a few shots fired so we were anxious to hear if the mighty hunters got something. It turned out Michael took a shot and missed so he took another one he thought he got it but they ended up not being able to track it. We all ate dinner together and then Jade and I turned in early. The rest stayed up and played poker. Jade and the hunters were up early the next day and we were going to Mall of America. It was about 1 1/2 hours away but it went fast. The mall is huge and it wasn't too busy when we first got there. We went to the aquarium first. Alex couldn't wait to see the sharks. Walking through the glass tunnel and watching all the fish and turtles was so amazing. Underwater is really beautiful. Jade seemed to like it too. We saw sharks and all kinds of fish, seahorses, turtles, starfish, sting rays, jelly fish, crabs, and eels. After the aquarium we got some lunch and then walked the mall. It was 5 hours total. We didn't buy that much stuff but it was a good time. We all slept on our way back except Matt and Kato who talked about spiders at the cottage. We heard the sad news that the hunters didn't get anything but would try again in the morning. We ordered pizza and played poker. Everyone slept well that night. The hunters were up early again but so was Jade. They went out until 9 and did not have any luck. It had snowed the night before so all the trees and bushes and ground was covered with a coat of snow. It was very pretty. We packed up everything and headed out. It was a great weekend and we plan on going again next year. Thank you Barb and Jim for having us and taking Michael out hunting. thanks for reading xoxo

Jade and the L-tryptophan

Here is Jade on Thanksgiving day about 4 minutes into the meal. She was shoveling it in as fast as she could before passing out. She is just one of the many things to be thankful for.

Wednesday to Turkey Day

Wednesday night we went to Jayne and Keith's for dinner with some cousins and Grandma Lamb. Jayne made two kinds of chili, a red and a white. The white was super good and the red was ok but once we put some hot sauce in it it was better. Katos cousins came over to our house to stay the night as they were also going to eat with us on Thanksgiving. So we get back to the house and they decide to watch a movie as Jade and I went to bed. I was tired and so was Jade. The movie was a bit loud but once I finally got their attention they turned it down. I made some cinnamon rolls for breakfast and we were off to the in laws. Jayne made everything herself. I offered to help but she was happy cooking it all with her mom. She made turkey, ham, corn, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, sauerkraut, homemade cranberry sauce, jello, salad, rolls, and pies. It was really good. She makes the best stuffing ever!!! We watched the Packers win and got so full. It was really great being with family. I called my parents house and said hello to everyone. Thursday night we came home and had to get ready to leave for Grantsburg. It was a Happy Thanksgiving! thanks for reading xoxo

IM HUNGRY

Well after 5 straight weeks of bad fantasy football I finally got a win, maybe it was only 4 weeks but it felt like forever. I was pretty happy since for the first time I got over 102 points. I am sure the thrill will soon be over and I will be right back on the losing streak.

Lately Alex has been a little off with his eating habits. When we are eating he isn't hungry and when we are not eating he is starving! So last night he has a little bit of what we have and then says he is full. I was somewhat ok with that cause I knew he ate some. So later on we are watching Monday night football and chatting when Alex said he is hungry. We ask him what do you want and he usually replies with I dont know. So we say think about it and let us know. After a few minutes Michael comes in and we are talking with him and watching football when all of a sudden Alex comes around the corner and yells out "UM HELLLLLLOOOOO GUYS....IM HUNNNNGGGGRRRRYYYYY!" It was super funny cause he said it like we purposely starve him and never offer any food to him. So after a few giggles Kato gets up and gets him a snack. Things would be much smoother around here if he would just eat on a regular schedule. The good thing is he got on the scale last night and weighed one pound more then the night before. Let's hope some turkey will do the trick! thanks for reading xoxo

Weekend Activities

It was a good weekend! Saturday I woke up without having anyone wake me up which is always nice the only bad part was that I didn't really sleep in. We had some chores to do around the house which Kato did most of them since I had other errands to run around town. We headed up to Baraboo to get some stuff and then when we got back home I decided to hang some Xmas lights. I felt like we were missing something so when I had to go get some extension cords I stopped to look at more Xmas decorations and got some cute little snowflakes with lights that twinkle. We hung them up right away and it was a nice finishing touch to the outside of the house. Kato and Alex love watching scary movies so they did just that and I watched a chick flick upstairs. I went to bed early cause I was tired and on Sunday I woke up and still felt tired. I was tired all day. Katos grandma Lamb, who is visiting from Florida, came over and we watched the Packers game. She is getting older now like everyone is but her short term memory is slipping and she asked Alex about 50 times how old he was and he kept saying I already told you Im 4 years old. It was cute and we told him to be nice about it cause sometimes grandma forgets. He did pretty good for a 4 year old. Kato took her back to his parents house and we had dinner. Afterwards I got to watch another chick flick while Kato and Alex watched a scary one, Alex said it wasn't scary and was upset about that. I had to get up earlier today but it was alright but now I could use a nap cause I am tired again. thanks for reading xoxo

Thats Crazy Talk

So we are sitting around the table eating dinner, the TV is on behind Alex and the news is giving updates. A story about a guy who enters a place with a gun and a bag and fires a shot and robs the place just finishes up. Alex asks about it and we begin to explain to him that a bad guy is in trouble because of what he did. Alex says "so a guy has a gun?" We say yes. He says "and a BAG!" we say yes. He repeats the story in a way only a four year old can...so a guy with a bag goes into a store and robs it with a bag? We say yes isn't that sad? He exclaims "THATS CRAZY TALK!!" Oh the mouths of babes. thanks for reading xoxo

Crazy Morning

So at 8:10 this morning one of my moms starts the day by saying her kids H1N1 shot is at 12:30 and I freaked out because we were supposed to take Jade and Alex for theirs at 7:00am but we forgot!! So I quick called Kato and reminded him that we forgot and to see if he could come and take them if I rescheduled. Well he himhawed about it and I was upset so I just said forget it I will figure it out. So I called the clinic and it was ok and I could bring the kids in anytime today. Well with daycare kids its not always easy except it was Thursday and that means two of them are gone at school for 2 hours in the morning and I would only have to bring my kids plus one extra. I could do it I just needed an extra car seat. While two parents are here watching me freak out I am running all over trying to find the car seat. With no luck I called my helpful husband back and once again he came through with NOTHING! He couldn't tell me where the car seat was except it was probably in the garage. I looked twice and only found one part of it. Anyway, back inside a mom said I will leave mine here I was relieved. So now it was time for breakfast, wake up Alex, feed 5 kids, clean em up, off to school, change diapers, put car seat in car, get kids in coats, get kids in van, drive to clinic get shots! Its easier to type it out then it actually was to get it done. Once at the clinic I asked Alex who should go first him or Jade. He quickly says Jade. She gets her shot and doesn't even cry or make a peep. Alex is up next and it was world war III!!! He instantly starts crying saying no no no. Once up on the table he is now screaming bloody murder. I have to hold him down and pin him to the table. I am singing and saying its almost over but if felt like it was taking 12 hours! He cried so loud I thought he would pass out. He got a sucker and we left. The entire rest of the day was him reminding me that he was never ever never never ever getting another shot for the rest of his life. I didn't have the heart to tell him he has to go back in 4 weeks for a booster. thanks for reading xoxo

Gifts are not always wrapped

Have you ever been given a gift but you didn't really know it was a gift until you were older. For example when I was younger my grandparents spent alot of time with me. I was always over at their house, spending the night, cooking and eating yummy stuff with my grandma. I would get into her best shoes and clothes and play dress up. My grandpa would spend hours teaching me about wood stuff or farm stuff or just stuff. We would go on road trips to places all over Washington state and sometimes to places out of state. My grandparents were the best thing in my life for almost my entire life. I miss my grandparents so much and sometimes wish I could go back and do more for them. All the time with them was a gift. I got the best parts of my grandpa, the gentle, loving, fun, inspirational, sensitive, and forgiving sides that maybe he didn't get to share with his kids cause he had to raise them. Its different being a grandparent then being a parent. Kids mind better for grandparents but grandparents let them have a little more freedom. Freedom to make mistakes or messes. My time with them was the best gift and I hope that my parents and Katos parents will give my kids that same gift. Its really not the wrapped presents or the stuff in hard to open packages that make kids most happy it really is the time you have to give them. Its the unconditional time love and understanding. I hope to be able to give my grandkids this same gift and that one day they will be saying the same things about me. I am writing all this stuff because we just got another gift. I won't say what it is until I am certain it won't be taken away from my kids and from my nieces. All I can say is I am very proud and if I could give all my strength to my parents I would in a heartbeat!! thanks for reading xoxo

Spiderman pays us a visit

As I mentioned in a previous post Alex got a spiderman silly string shooter. We decided to let him play with it in the bath tub cause we thought it would be easy to clean up. Well it turns out silly string is not that easy to clean up but it was so worth the hour of fun for Alex. Thanks for visiting our bath tub Spiderman! thanks for reading xoxo

Oh baby Jade what are you thinking?

Sometimes I wonder what is really going through the minds of children. Sometimes they can be so excited about something and 2 seconds later they are in tears or frustrated about something else. I guess that is supposed to be one of the joys of parenting. I don't know what got into Jade one night but she decided to be goofy which in my mind is better then pissy. She didn't want to be dressed and was really into a book. She must have read something funny to her cause her face was too silly. Then she noticed I was taking pictures and she really hammed it up!! Thanks for reading xoxo

Badgers Blinkers and Silly String

So today Kato, Alex, Jade and I all went to a Badger volleyball game. We met up with some friends although we were so busy watching the kids and eating that we didn't talk much with the friends and watched very little of the game. It was still fun to go and support the UW and do something new. We were also on a mission. Alex has been wanting a Batman utility belt so bad that he doesn't stop talking about it. We went to Ace, Toys R Us, Target, Walmart and Farm & Fleet and didn't find one. They used to have it at Walmart. Anyway, so with no luck finding the belt we were on our way home after the Badger loss. Some guy in a truck who was merging onto the beltline left his blinker on. Kato was not happy and decided to show him that the blinker is still on. So he passes the driver and merges in front of him. He then turns on the blinker to signal the other driver, after a few seconds he then switches the blinker from the right to the left. After a minute of this game the driver behind us in the truck figures out his blinker is on and turns it off. Kato who was sooo into trying to get this guys attention then proceeds to tell me that he then likes to flash his emergency lights to signal to the other driver ha ha yes your blinker was on and its ok. As if it is some kind of universal car speak or short hand like LOL or LMAO is when texting. I laugh almost to the point I could pee cause its only in his mind that flashing your emergency lights twice means ha ha its ok!! I can only imagine what the other guy must be thinking when he sees something like this. So if you ever leave your blinker on and you see someone flash their emergency lights twice that is my husband in his own little world saying haha its ok!

Oh and since Alex wasn't able to find his belt he got a spiderman web thrower that sprays silly string. He has been having fun in the bathtub with it. thanks for reading xoxo

Jade is a walker for real now.

Since Jade has finally decided to walk more then crawl its been so much fun watching her. She is so cute when she waddles and when she falls down she doesn't seem to get mad or upset she just gets back up and keeps on going. The down side to her walking is the hard wood floors and making sure she has grip on her feet so she doesn't fall weird and get hurt. She also has been enjoying getting into the cereal cupboard and pulling out everything in it. It crushes all the cereal boxes but we have not yet had to clean up scattered cereal, notice I did say yet! She really likes having the freedom to roam around where she wants. She has also been biting a little more lately. She doesn't do it as revenge or to get back at someone for taking a toy but she does it to the point that you can feel it. I don't want her to be a biter cause its so bad and because I see the wounds other kids have left behind because of biting. Its no fun telling parents that their kid was bit by another kid under my watch especially if that kid is mine. Anyway I am working on getting that stopped! Keith came over and did some video taping of her and sent it to my mom and auntie. I hope they share it with my Grandma. well thanks for reading xoxo

Leaves leave!!!!!!

Every fall when the leaves fall from the trees they always congregate in our yard or driveway. We don't even have any trees in our yard that produces leaves! Still someone is always out there raking them up and even though its cute to see the kids play in them its a pain in the butt! So we rake them up and put them on the curb and a big sucker upper truck comes by and they leave, but every once in a while the wind blows and the leaves come right back to our house either from the curb or from another tree that is down the block. I think this year was the lightest load we had. Thank you Dan (our neighbor) for helping rake up the leaves and thank you to my husband for getting it done. thanks for reading xoxo

Thursday November 5th 2009

Today Michael turned 16. We invited Jayne and Keith over for dinner to celebrate this milestone. I baked a cake to Michaels liking and came up with a menu plan. I cleaned up the main floor and decorated with balloons, a sign, some streamers, and we used a table cloth. Michael wanted hot wings, taco dip from the Pig and the rest of us had pork chops, salad, broccoli, and garlic bread, followed by cake and ice cream. We got Michael some gift certificates for local businesses and Jade and Alex gave him a ton of Sun Drop. My brother sent him the GI Joe video which I am looking forward to watching. My grandma and mom sent him some money so did Kato's grandparents. He got some cupcakes and brownies made for him from some girls at school and I am not sure what his buddies did for him. Jade and Alex really liked helping him open his gifts and cards. His birthday is the same day every year November 5th. Its been this way since he was born. Every year he has lived with me he has had a birthday party or some sort of get together with friends and we buy them food. This year he wants pizza. Its funny that even though his birthday comes on the same day every year, its been this way all his life, his dad can't even get enough of his shit together to send him a card and have it be here on time for his birthday. It doesn't have to have anything in it just a note saying happy birthday and i love you. I don't get it. Its not like the date changed or was erased from the calendar. There is always some excuse. It really sucks cause no matter how much crap his dad throws at him Michael still takes it. I hope that everything we do for Michael can help make up for some of it. thanks for reading xoxo

WI Badgers vs. Purdue

Saturday Kato and I went to the Badger vs. Purdue football game. It was my first time to a game at Camp Randall and it was a blast! We met up with one of Katos high school buddies who was also in our wedding, Rob and his wife Missy. It was so nice to see Rob again cause it had been forever since I last saw him. We went to the Stadium which is a bar just outside the actual stadium where the Badgers play. They had a beer garden set up with music and a big screen to watch the game. It was about 10:30 in the morning and tons of people were there. We had a beer, well I had a beer which was all I could handle and we headed inside for the game. We ended up trading seats with some of Robs people and so we were able to sit with Missy and Rob. They had great seats and although we were smashed in like sardines it was the best first time experience. We kept warm cause we were all so close. I don't know how it got there but a spider started crawling up my sleeve and I freaked out, cause I do NOT like spiders. It was huge and Kato, my prince and protector, saved me from the horrible attack. Its fangs were the biggest and I could tell it was out for my blood. Thank goodness for my husband otherwise I would have been a goner. After the attack we watched the best game ever, the Badgers kicked butt and sent Purdue home with a 37 to 0 loss. The experience of being at Camp Randall is truly amazing. If you value the history of places like that then you understand its meaning. Its the oldest stadium standing out of the Big Ten and just think of all the great players that have been there before and have gone on to the NFL. It is impressive. At the third they play the song jump around and the student section goes nuts! They literally JUMP AROUND and its like a red sea of waves going up and down! Afterwards we headed back to the beer garden and had another beer with Rob and Missy. It was so good to be with them and hang out. We headed back to the car and split up with them promising to get together again soon. We got back to our house as Jayne and Keith were dropping off the little kids for more trick or treating. Michael was spending the weekend with a friend helping on their farm. We took a walk around the block and Jade and I called it a night. Kato and Alex kept going for a bit with Dan and Olivia. This time Alex was Spiderman. We ordered some pizza, watched some TV and Kato got called into work. He scared the heck out of me at 1am after getting home and we slept until 7:45 which was actually 6:45 cause of the time change this weekend. So today is the big game everyone in Wisconsin has been waiting for...Green Bay vs. Minnesota. GO PACK GO!! thanks for reading xoxo

Trick or treating 2009

Friday afternoon the kids and I, along with Kato, Becky, Trent, Stacey, and eventually Stephanie and Leo went trick or treating around the local businesses. The kids liked it. It was a bit windy out but dry. We managed to get the entire Prairie side done in about 40 minutes so we hopped on a bus that took us up to the Sauk side and we got a bit more done. It was around 6pm when we finally got back to my house and split up. I think the kids were tired and all that fresh air wore them out. Alex and Jade went to Grandma Jaynes for the night. Logan was a vampire, Rylee was Cinderella, Liam was Darth Vader, Alex was Wolverine, Eli was Diego, Luci was Snow White, Kale was a dragon, Jade was an elephant, Becky was a member of Kiss, and I was a fisherman.

Wednesday Oct 28

Halloween is almost here and the kids are super excited. I can't wait to have them all here and see what they are dressing up like. Last year we got a great group photo and I hope to get one this year too. Alex had his grandparents day at preschool today and he wore his Wolverine costume. He looked great!! They made a cute pumpkin project using a roll of toilet paper. Grandma Jayne was there to help. This weekend should be fun. The little kids are going to the grandparents while Kato and I go to a Badger football game. Then back at our house we will trick or treat at the neighbors. I am sure the boys will want to watch scary movies. Not sure what is in store for Michael. Happy Halloween thanks for reading xoxo

Girls weekend

It was a great weekend even though it was only Jade and I. The boys went to the cottage to help get it ready for winter so Jade and I had a girls weekend. Friday night we played and watched tv and went to bed. I get a little nervous being alone here which is silly but when you are used to having your husband here you feel safer. Anyway we woke up Saturday morning and had breakfast and Jade had a little bath. We got ready for the day and headed over to Jaynes house to visit the Aunts and an Uncle who were visiting while Keith was up at the cottage. They were busy make soups and painting. After our visit we went to Madison to find Jade some shoes and run a few errands. We were not successful in finding some shoes for her and I was ready to give up. I didn't go to the mall because I didn't take the stroller and carrying Jade is not something I wanted to do. We went home and had lunch and I decided to try the outlet mall. So after a bit we headed out again. I was thinking that the outlet mall would be the perfect place to find her some shoes but decided to stop at the shoe box in Baraboo. I am glad I did cause I found her the perfect pair of pink and white nikes. They are super cute and they match mine. So after the shoe box we stopped to get some groceries. After that I picked up 4 chick flicks and we went home. I managed to watch all the movies last night which is impressive considering it takes Kato and I 4 hours to watch a 1 1/2 hour movie. I put Jade to bed at 9:30 cause she didn't have her usual long nap and she was tired from all the shopping. After the movies I went to sleep and woke up excited to have my boys home. I missed them but it was nice having some girl time. Its going to be a busy week with Halloween and trick or treating along with extra kids on Thursday and Friday since there is no school. Its now time to get ready for football. Thanks for reading xoxo

JV and Varsity Football comes to an end

High school football has come to an end. Michael had a very busy season with alot of ups and downs...literally! The JV team did fairly well this year compared to past seasons, they finished 7-3 which includes the game against Wisconsin Heights. It was kinda sad though because the boys get it in their minds when they are going to suffer a loss and they end up doing just that. They give up before the game even starts. Also it doesn't help that Deforest and Waunakee are usually undefeated except when they play each other. I think as our town goes the boys are more of a wrestling type anyway. So good job to the JV team I am really proud of our Eagles!! As for the Varsity...well they sucked!!! I am not going to even post their record as it is really truly bad. The good part was Michael got to be a member of the team and he did get some playing time with the big boys. As a matter of fact last night was their last game against the mighty Waunakee and they lost but Michael got to start. I made sure to tape the game although I doubt he will want to keep it. I hope that next season they do well and I am looking forward to going to his games. Today wrestling officially started and I know Michael is excited as he somehow almost prefers this sport now. I think it is because it is more of an individual sport and he doesn't have to rely on others to win, its all up to him how he does. He can control the outcome more. I love that he plays sports and I will always encourage my kids to play sports over anything else. He still has to find a job and juggle school, sports, working, and play time. I know he can do it! He is a great guy and everyday I look at him I feel proud of him. I just love him and want nothing but the best for him. thanks for reading xoxo

Are you going to act this way...

Its funny how things can come back to bite you. The other night we were sitting around the table eating dinner and Alex was acting a bit out of line. He wasn't too bad but it was getting to that point. Kato asked him "are you going to act this way up at the cottage?" You see the boys are heading up there for a weekend and the girls are going to stay home. It is going to be a clean up weekend so if we all go one of us would have to stay inside with Jade and that person would not be very helpful so it is better to just stay back. Anyway, back up at the table Alex answered with a "noooo!" It was fine and we went on to eat in peace. Later that night as we were watching a movie and hanging out Alex and Kato were playing a bit in the living room. Kato must have been a bit rough with Alex cause he started to whine about it being too rough. At that moment Alex turned to his dad and yelled at him "ARE YOU GOING TO ACT THIS WAY UP AT THE COTTAGE?" It was too funny and I couldn't help but giggle a bit even though little Alex was very serious. I guess it just goes to show we really do take after our parents!

Chloe is here!!!

On Wednesday we welcomed our newest family member, Chloe Lorraine. She is my new niece born to her wonderful parents Nicholas and Courtney. She has an older sister Bailee. She weighed in at 7 pounds 12 ounces and was 19 3/4 inches long. I wish I could have been there to meet her. That is the hardest part about living so far away from family. I miss out on alot of family stuff and don't get to see family as much. I would love to be able to have my nieces come over for the night or babysit them or just be able to watch them grow up. I wanted to be the favorite auntie who spoils them. Plus I want my kids to know their aunts and uncles. Too bad we can't cut out Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota so that Washington and Wisconsin could be neighbors.

Its Sunday again and that means more football. I hope to win this week as I got my butt spanked last week in Fantasy Football. I didn't even score 1/2 the points my opponent did. It would be nice to get 100 points. We will see how it goes. thanks for reading xoxo

ps i tried to upload a pic but its not working i will try later

One step forward two steps back

It seems that no matter how hard we work to get a little bit ahead something always happens to push us back again. Its a never ending cycle of one step forward two steps back. Michael is going to be 16 in a couple of weeks. I got the privilege of going for a drive with him on Sunday. He needs the hours before he can get his license. So we were able to talk for a bit about things. He mentioned he would like to join the military. I support that decision if that is what he really wants to do. He said college isn't for him, I am fine with that as long as he is. If he came to me and said Mom I want to go to college I would help him get there. If he wanted to be a circus clown I would help him with that too. When he was six he didn't want to be Michael anymore he said he didn't like his name and that he wanted his name to be Title Wave so I called him that for a bit. Even when he was 4 and didn't want to live with me anymore and wanted to run away I said ok but you will leave me the exact same way you came into my world so being the supportive parent that I am I allowed him the opportunity to run away by striping him down and putting him outside the door and closing it. It gave him the chance to run away and leave just like he wanted only as he was standing there buck naked outside the door he realized it might not be the best plan so he apologized and I let him back in. The bottom line is I have tried in my own way to be supportive. I don't want him to be unhappy and when he was 13 and wanted to go live with his dad I let him go. He came back and I think he is a better person for being able to make those decisions. He got to see what it was like and he got to do something I never did...get to know his dad. So now he is turning 16 and a big door of responsibility is upon us. As we were driving he made comments about how he wants his license right away and how he wants to be able to drive to school. I asked him how he would pay for the gas to get there. I asked him about his plans for a job. We brought up a ton of things that needed to be talked about and we even butted heads a bit. So today I called the insurance company about a quote for how much its going to cost to add him and the truck full time on our policy and I just about passed out. Our rates are going to triple and things are already tight enough. When I was his age I was working, going to school, paid for my own car insurance, I even bought my first car myself. I played sports and babysat and still had time with friends. I found out also his grades are not at a good level and he is splurging on school lunches when we had a deal of how much lunch money is enough. So now you see when we get a little bit ahead something always happens to push us back. I love him but I think its time for him to get some things on his own. thanks for reading xoxo

Night of the Living...sick and not feeling well

Sometime Wednesday night Alex got sick. Not a fever sick but vomiting sick. It was horrible as he was up until 11:15 getting sick then through out the night he woke up to vomit some more. My heart was broken as he looked at me and asked "when is it going to stop?" I knew he was hurting cause he had nothing left to vomit up yet his little body kept trying to purge the toxins. The next morning Kato took him to the doctor who concluded he had gastroenteritis. So he was on a no food diet, but he could have flat coke, jello water, and Gatorade. Poor little Jade must have had some of it too because she woke up with vomit all over her and her bed. I felt bad because I never knew she too had gotten sick during the night. She never woke up and cried or made a fuss. Kato stayed home to help take care of them and I continued to have kids that day. It turned out little Eli also got some stomach aches and as he was going big job he said he was going to throw up so with two kids sick it was a handful. Eli went home early and he was so sad to be sick he asked his mommy to take him to the hospital. It was cute but sad because I knew he was hurting too. So later that night after all the kids went home Kato decided Alex was ok to eat a bit. We gave him some banana and he held it down. The doctor said to start with the brat diet...bananas rice apples toast. Well someone gave Alex some stuff he should not have had and come early Saturday morning Alex was vomiting blue stuff and was sick yet again. This time it got all over our bed and so we had to get up at 4am and change all the stuff. The boys stayed up and I went back to sleep. Alex started getting better again but this time we stuck to the brat diet and resisted the urge to give him what he wanted to eat. We told him he would get sick again but its not easy telling your kids they can't eat something when they are hungry and haven't eaten much in the past two days. We brought up the Halloween decorations and started decorating the inside. We will finish up the outside today but it is so cold outside. The Packers have a bye week this week so maybe we will have a relaxing Sunday. Lets hope all the other daycare kids are well and have had a good weekend. thanks for reading xoxo

Goodbye Summer Hello Fall

Its definitely not summer anymore. We are expecting temperatures reaching the high 40's! Its cold, wet, and yet beautiful. The colors are changing and the grass is still green. It really is a nice time of year. The leaves are reds and oranges and some are falling off the trees. Its crispy outside and it feels good to breathe in that fresh air. I love being super warm under the covers and having it chilly outside the covers and snuggling the kids to keep them warm when they sneak into our bed at night. I love that it means thanksgiving is almost here and Jayne will be making her super yummy stuffing!! I don't really love knowing that we will be cooped up inside and the children will be restless but we always manage to get by. We had a great summer although it wasn't nearly as warm as we would have liked. The garden produced tons of cucumbers, peas, and tomatoes, and we got a couple of carrots. Some flowers from last year popped up and a friendly bird deposited a sunflower that sprouted up. Kato has been eating cucumbers now for a good month. Alex likes them too. We got to go to the pool and play outside alot. Alex learned to ride a two wheeler. We went up to the cottage and had great fishing. I guess if I could have changed one thing about this past summer it would have been the temperature, it needed to be a bit hotter. Now it's time to prep the snow plow and put away the outside toys cause soon the snow will be falling and if you haven't seen our driveway well lets just say its a small parking lot! thanks for reading xoxo

Green Monster and Facebook

Just when I thought I had created a monster, the monster destroyed itself. For the past few weeks I have been encouraging Kato to try Facebook. I wanted to build him a farm mostly but also because I thought it would be a good way for him to get in touch with his Navy buddies and family and of course a few close friends. See, I am very picky about who I let be my friend on Facebook. I get requests but don't always accept because I am not the kind of person who wants hundreds of friends especially if they are not my friends only acquaintances so I figured Kato would be the same way. The nice thing about FB is that you can pick who you want as a friend, what they can see, and you post what you want when you want. I don't want pedophiles to see my kids, I don't want to chat with people in high school who weren't my friends back then and I sure as heck don't want to be bombarded with crap. Anyway, Kato has been teasing me about my farming and playing my games when I get a chance to. I get to check it through out the day on the itouch and sometimes on the main computer when the kids are napping or eating or at night and sometimes I don't log off. So finally on Saturday I get him to start on FB and he begins with alot of questions that were honestly driving me crazy. He was really concerned with it and how it all works. I tried to answer as best as I could but its kind of hard if you don't know FB or haven't seen it. So Saturday night he starts looking up friends and people. I teased him about looking up old girlfriends which lets face it almost everybody does and its not a big deal just be honest about it. I also teased him about figuring it all out and that its not so complicated. It was all in good fun until our movie started and he was still on FB. After the movie he continued to be on it and he and Alex stayed up to watch another movie together. Jade and I had gone to bed and at about 3:30 in the morning Jade wakes up. I get up and notice Kato isn't in bed. I figured he was sleeping on the couch or with Alex. I had to go get Jade some milk to help her back to sleep and as I get down the stairs with her in my arms I realize Kato isn't sleeping he is STILL on FB!!! I couldn't believe it. I had created a monster! He had been on FB for about 8 hours!!!! And he didn't even start a farm. I made a comment about it being 3:30 AM and we had to get up and go look at a house. I was a bit upset but whatever. So he comes upstairs and goes to bed. I couldn't sleep anymore because my shoulder was hurting and I was a little concerned about the entire thing which yes seems stupid but I didn't want FB to consume him so much. Anyway, I ended up watching He's Just Not That Into You which at this point wasn't the best movie to watch considering my husband was up all night looking up old girlfriends and whomever else. Ok I was maybe a little jealous. So you can imagine my surprise when he was up at 7:45am with Jade. I asked him about it and he gave me vague answers so I just let it go cause I would rather not know then have him lie to me. Besides its not like I can't find out but if I can't get a straight answer from him then do I really want to know...no. So tonight he tells me he decided FB isn't for him and he doesn't want to be on FaceBook. So needless to say I am fine with that but a little sad because its a good way to get in touch with REAL friends. Someone like him who was in the Navy and has buddies all over the world should have a way to get in touch without his concerns getting the best of him or me. Maybe in time or maybe I should just let him use mine either way its really up to him even if I don't get a Farming Neighbor out of it. thanks for reading xoxo

Trains and Toddlers

Today the Jesus Loves Me Preschool had their first field trip. Alex, Eli, Luci, Kale, Jade, Stacey, Staceys mom and friend, and I all went to North Freedom and rode the trains. It was fun. The kids were super excited to go. We got up there around 11 and had some lunch. It was chilly out and the kids didn't eat very well plus they were excited to get on board the train. After a 5 minute potty break we boarded the train, got our tickets, found a seat and away we went...at about 2 miles per hour. The train was old fashioned and had alot of history that none of the children were really interested in but they are only 3 and 4 years old. The setting was pretty because the colors are changing. We had an entire car to ourselves so the kids were playing up and down the isle and just having fun. Sometimes I caught them looking out the window all quiet and I couldn't help but wonder what they were thinking. For most of them it was their first time on a train. We rode for awhile then the engineer unhooked the engine and drove it to the back of the train, rehooked it up and we went back to the station. It was about a 50 minute ride. The conductor punched our tickets, answered some questions and helped us on and off the train. It was a great field trip and I am glad I was able to go. Now all the kids are snoozing...thank you fresh air!! thanks for reading xoxo