Wonderful day

I had a wonderful birthday yesterday. The day started out nicely and got even better quickly when Rob presented me with 12 long-stem red roses at my desk. He doesn't do that often, so when he does, it's extra special. I left work early to take Emily to an orthodontist appt. - hard to believe that she'll only have her braces on for 13 months. Then we picked up Sam and met Rob at Johnny Carino's for supper. It was so nice to have some down time with the family. We're so rushed these days with all of Emily's activities and our busy work schedules. After dinner we shopped at the mall for about an hour and a half and then went home. We rested there for 30 minutes and then started getting ready for bed. It was so nice to relax!

Today is the 65th anniversary of the bombing at Pearl Harbor. Rob and I watched the movie on TV this past weekend. I cried quite a bit during it.

Cute picture of the kids

My friend from work came over to take some Christmas pictures of the kids. I don't want to share all of them yet - the surprise will be in your Christmas card. But here's one that's adorable.

Sam lost his second tooth!

Halloween pictures

Sam is the ninja between the two girls. Holly is Violet Incredible, Paige is the purple and black cat, and Sarah is the princess. I took this picture on Halloween when Sam's kindergarten class went to Bethany Homes to sing songs and trick-or treat!

Sam lost his first tooth!

Sam lost his first tooth yesterday! He was so excited about the tooth fairy coming to visit! He went to bed early without any fussing! The tooth fairy brought him a Susan B. Anthony silver dollar and a flat rock with an angel on it. I told him that the tooth fairy usually brings something special for the first lost tooth. The other bottom middle one will be going today - it's hanging on by a thread!

My, how time flies!

Rob went hunting last week and was gone for quite awhile. I guess I didn't realize just how much he helps out around the house! ;-) He left on the 3rd (Emily's 13th birthday) to go pheasant hunting in SD with family and took Riley. It was her first time out and she did pretty darn good! After being there for 5 days, he came home just in time to pick up my dad from the airport. Dad wanted to visit the kids during their veteran's day break from school. I had a tamale cooking class that didn't get over before the plane landed.

Then, Thursday morning Rob left for mule deer hunting in Western ND with a couple of friends. The three of them go every year, but this is the first year they got mule licenses. After 2 days of hunting the barren plains, they came home. Rob didn't get one, but wasn't upset about it - I think he got bored! ;-)

Emily's basketball games started last week. Her team won their first game against D-G-F (Dilworth, Glyndon, Felton). She has another game tonight and another one on Thursday. She likes it and I'm glad she is keeping busy. Sam is excited to start basketball "camp", as he calls it, on Saturday. He really is his father's son!

School happenings

We have a Level III sex offender who not only lives in our school district, but who has a step-daughter that attends Hawthorne. So, legally he can be on school grounds and at school events and functions. The parents are in an uproar over this, and rightly so. Last night there was a meeting at the school to discuss sex offenders and laws in general. There were representatives from the police department, the states attorney, and the school district at the meeting ND is behind-the-times in laws regarding sex offenders. There are some that are being worked on and the district is creating a policy, but everyone wants it NOW. You can read about some of it here: http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=144907&section=news. I'm the PTA President, so I was hounded all day yesterday by the media for a comment. I just avoided them and let the other parents have their say last night. Now if we can just make it to the next school board meeting, when the policy should be drafted and presented to the public.

Halloween 2006

It was a scary day, alright. I spent the first 2-1/2 hours of my day driving 5 kindergarteners to a nursing home to sing songs and trick or treat with the residents. It was fun, but I don't know how teachers can spend all day with that many kids and still be sane. Of course, Sam's teacher was dressed up as Amelia Bedilia and said she was often compared to her...

On the way back to work, I ended up with a very flat tire. I did hear something about a mile and a half earlier, but didn't see anything. While Rob was changing it, he broke a lug nut. Once he got going, it only took 15 minutes. But we ended up having to run around and do all of our stuff last night with one vehicle. Sam was done with swimming lessons at 5:55. Emily needed to be picked up at 6:00 from swimming and dropped off at 6:20 for dance. Sounds easy enough, but the buildings are nowhere near each other!

Sam did get some trick or treating done. I did take pictures, but haven't gotten them off the camera yet. Hopefully tonight! Emily did a little bit after dance, but she was pretty tired. She originally wanted to be Marilyn Monroe, but it was only about 20 degrees here and the halter-style dress just didn't work with the weather! Maybe next year.

Attitude is everything

I read this today and it really made an impact on me.

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.

"Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today." So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.

"H-M-M," she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today." So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.

"Well," she said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.

"YEA!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"

Attitude is everything. Have a Good Day!

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly.......
Leave the rest to God.

Bowling scores for Emily

Emily hasn't done as much bowling as she usually does by this time of year because of her swim meets. However, this past weekend she blew her average out of the water with a 111, 134, and 157!

Wonderful weekend

I spent last weekend at a scrapbooking retreat. 12 women, one cabin, 3 bathrooms, and lots of scrapbooking supplies! We had a great time. It was nice to focus on getting some pages complete - I finished almost the entire year of 2005 - one book for each kid. It was also nice to not worry about cleaning the house or getting someone somewhere on time. Rob did a great job with the kids and hosue while I was gone. I told him I might need to do it more often! Emily had a swim meet on Saturday, so he had to get her to the school by 7:45 AM to catch the bus. Sam had a birthday party at noon that Rob needed to get him to, plus shop for a birthday present for the birthday boy. He also mowed the lawn, cleaned the house, and took care of Sam. Wow!

Emily swam 500 yards again

And she did it in 8 minutes and 2 seconds again! Quite consistant! This meet was in Moorhead, so it wasn't far to drive and it was just the two schools, so it started at 6 and ended at 8. Unfortuately Emily didn't swim until 7:15 and I dropped her off at 5 for warm-ups, so I spent over 2 hours watching other girls. Now, had I waited to come closer to the time she actually swam, I would have saved myself 2 hours and $5! But it was fun and I learn something new everytime I watch a meet. I've been lucky to sit next to seasoned swimming moms who share their knowledge with me.

I also got my hair cut. It's not at my chin - maybe an inch below. Rob thought I should try it and since I wasn't attached to my current style, I thought I would. Not sure if I like it or not - it dries faster, but I haven't figured out what to do with it yet. It's great for those windy North Dakota days when your hair whips around and gets all knotted! And today is one of those days - swirling snow - our first snow of the season!

She did it!

Emily completed the 500 yard freestyle event today! She swam it in just over 8 minutes. I'm so proud of her. She was exhausted afterwards, but proud to have accomplished it.

Rob and Sam stayed in Fargo, so I drove to Mandan by myself. I was looking forward to some "alone time" to clean my van, take a walk, window shop, etc., but instead, I twisted my ankle at the swim meet and it's now swollen to the size of a tennis ball! I'm resting in the room with ice on my ankle. I'm so bummed that my free time is going to be spent resting.

Another swim meet

Another Saturday, another swim meet for Emily. She had some personal bests at this one! It was in Dickinson, ND - she left on the bus at 5 AM and didn't get home until 1 AM - LONG trip! I wasn't able to attend this meet, but plan to be at all the rest of them. Emily swam the 200 yard freestyle and decreased her time from 3:32.20 to 3:03.10! That's 30 seconds better! She also swam the 100 yard freestyle in 1:19.57, and swam the 200 yard freestyle relay - her time was 37.63 and the total team was 2:35.75.

This was all good practice for her as next Saturday she's swimming at a meet in Mandan and will be doing the 500 yard freestyle! That's 20 laps!

Sam and I had a cute conversation over the weekend:
Sam - "Mom, when is my next birthday?"
Mom - "You just had a birthday last month. You have to wait 11 more months until your next birthday."
Sam - "But what day is my next birthday?"
Mom - "August 25."
Sam - "Why is my birthday always August 25?"

Weekend news

Emily attended her first swimming invite on Saturday. These are different from regular meets that usually have 1 or 2 different schools (duals). Whapeton, Willeston, Fargo North, Fargo South, West Fargo, and Shanley. Emily competed in 4 of the 11 events. 4 is the maximum number you can compete in. She had a great time and I was able to learn a bunch because I sat next to a seasoned swimming mom and asked a lot of questions!

On Sunday, Sam attended his first day of Sunday school. He really enjoyed it and even asked on Monday if he was going to Sunday school. I explained that he had to wait 2 weeks now because our church's Fall Festival is next week and there's no Sunday school. Emily and I then prepared food and served it at the Salvation Army that afternoon. We picked up one of her friends and there were 2 other ladies from our church there, in addition to the kitchen manager. I definitely want to do that again. It made me very grateful for what I have, and there were so many kind, thankful people there that it made me want to help more.

Emily's first swim meet

Emily's first swim meet was Thursday, September 7th. She participated in the 100 butterfly and the 100 breaststroke. The pools are 25 yards long, so that means she had to swim back and forth and back and forth! She finished both heats, competing against upperclassmen. Sullivan has a no-cut policy, and only about 20 girls on the team, so Emily is swimming at varsity level right now! Most of the team is young with only a few older girls (grades 9-11). The coach said that this year and next year are the building years and by the 2008-2009 school year our team should be awesome!

Kids with Disney characters

Disney World Fun

We're back from a great family vacation! (Although I did have to work a bit.) I've got a ton of super fun pictures to post. Quick recap:

We flew to Orlando on Sunday, August 27 after and dropping Riley off at the Barnesville Bed & Biscuit and leaving Max with Kathy and Jerry. At the airport, we simply went to the Disney welcome area and hopped on a bus to the Disney Yacht Club, leaving our luggage behind for the Disney staff to gather and deliver to our hotel room! Once in the hotel, we were amazed! It was huge and beautiful and filled with lots of staff anxious to do things for you! We registered and then went to the welcome reception put on by Microsoft. Lots of good food and drinks and conversation. Then back to the room to unpack and get to sleep for the next day!

Monday started slowly with us getting to the character breakfast around 7:45. The kids had their pictures taken with Mickey and Minney Mouse, Donald Duck, Buzz Lightyear, and Cinderella. Oh, and we ate. Then Rob took the kids off to Animal Kingdom while I worked. We had some meetings and then I got to participate in a team-building activity called geo-caching. It was an awesome experience and I learned a great deal about competition and working with other teams toward the same goal! Unfortunately, it was about 95 degrees and had to be near 100% humidity and this activity took place from 11-1 at Epcot! We were drenched with sweat when we were finished. A few more hours of meetings, and then I had dinner with the UA folks until about 9:00. I beat Rob and the kids back to the room as they were watching the fireworks at Epcot. They had a blast visiting Animal Kingdom and Epcot on Monday.

Tuesday I worked from 8-6 with 30 minutes for lunch in the same room as all of the meetings. Rob and the kids went to Magic Kingdom and we met at 6:30 to attend the Dynamics AX ship-it party! The kids went into a separate room with games, activities, computers, and TVs to have their own fun while we drank and ate and conversed with other grown ups until 10 PM. Then I took the kids (both ours and others) to our room while the rest of the adults went out to a piano bar for more fun.

Wednesday was fun for all of us as I got to go with Rob and the kids to the parks! We slept in a bit because of the rain from Tropical Storm Ernesto, but were able to be at MGM by 10 that morning. After visiting lots of fun stuff, we decided to head back to the hotel when it started to rain again. We rested, took naps, and did 2 loads of laundery. Then we ordered in a pizza and went to bed early.

Thursday we got up early and went to Magic Kingdom for a few hours and then Animal Kingdom for a few hours. I have so many pictures to post that will describe all the fun that we had! At 7:30 PM, we attended a dessert reception at Epcot. The resort we stayed at is considered an Epcot resort, meaning you can walk to the park from the hotel. Or you can take a boat, which is what we usually did just because it was more fun! We had wonderful desserts and watched the fireworks from a little island between France and the UK. Then we went back to the room and packed.

Friday we got up early to catch the bus to the airport. We were able to check in at the hotel so we didn't have to haul our luggage around anywhere. It was very slick. Next time we go to Disney World, Rob wants to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I think the Animal Kingdom was his favorite park! I got bumped up to 1st class on the flight home, but explained that I was sitting with my son and couldn't leave him in coach alone, so they bumped him up, too. I decided to let Emily and Rob take the first class seats. I think they really enjoyed it! We spent Friday night in Minneapolis and went to a drive-in movie with Sue, Terri, Kathy & Jerry, Karin, Kaylee, and Karissa. The kids watched Barnyard and then most of them fell asleep (including Rob) during Talladega Nights (which was probably better than watching the movie).

Saturday we made it home and started the unpacking and cleaning. We're not done yet, but we're getting there! Emily has her first swim meet tonight, so I'm very excited to watch that. I plan to take some pictures to post, too. She's nervous about the butterfly - she says she doesn't know how to do it but she's scheduled to compete tonight with it. We'll see what happens!

Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom

Running around like crazy!

I feel like I'm constantly running in a circle. But things are falling into place. I got Emily into viola lessons with a retired orchestra teacher in Fargo. Her 5-6th grade orchestra teacher gave her rave reviews and a great recommendation, so this new teacher was happy to take her on as a student.

Last night was the sports night at Sullivan. But we also had to stop at the dance studio to get Emily measured for costumes and order new shoes (because we forgot to do it on Sunday). So I left work early, rushed home to get Emily and ran her back to the dance studio - which is 1 block from work. After 30 minutes there, we headed to Sullivan. Sat in the auditorium for 15 minutes; listened to the athletic director for 15 minutes, and then were told to go to the band room for the swimming session of the evening. The band room was empty and dark. We waited another 15 minutes and then left. So, I have a call in to the swimming coach.

Tonight is back to school night at Clara Barton and Hawthorne from 5-7:30 - each school is 1-1/2 hours, overlapping. As the PTA president, I'm responsible for the setup of the PTA tables at each school, printing out volunteer sheets for our numerous activities, staffing the tables, and helping the secretaries with lunch money, bus tickets, and PTA registration. PLUS, Sam gets to meet his teacher, put his school supplies away, and look around the kindergarten room. We're supposed to bring a picture of him doing something fun this summer, so I frantically called my dad this morning to see if he had any of Sam at the ocean when we were in NJ. Thank goodness he did and e-mailed me some great ones.

Tomorrow Emily has orientation from 9-10. Then we have parents' night at the school - Emily's not supposed to come. We meet her teachers and run through her schedule. She's got 8 classes and 4 minutes between each class. Whew!

I'll be glad when this week is over!

So quiet at home

Emily came back from camp and left 2 days later to spent time in SD with family. It's very odd only having one child running around. I've been spending the "extra" time cleaning Emily's room. Boy is that girl a packrat! Her room is beautiful now. I plan to put some shelves up tonight and launder all her bedding (bed skirt, comforter, pillow shams), so it's fresh when she comes home on Saturday.

Sam wanted to know why Emily had more stuff than he does. I told him that's not always a good thing. He has his first loose tooth and is so excited about it! He's anxious for the tooth fair to visit him and leave him something under his pillow!

Emily's off to Camp Cormorant

We took Emily to camp on Sunday afternoon. She was really looking forward to going and quite excited once she got there. On the way, Sam and Rob noticed a racing track and talked about going. We stopped on the way back and decided to watch. Sam had a blast and thought it was great fun. He loved learning about all the different colored flags and we bought him a checkered flag. During the last lap, he'd run down and wave that flag for every car that crossed the finish line! It was so cute!

Whew! Made it home!

Emily, Samuel, and I took a trip to New Jersey to visit my grandma who will be 90 years old in September. She still lives in her house and drives to do errands and is quite independent! Once we got there we had a great time meeting my cousin's new little boy, Owen, and playing with her 2-year old, Nicholas. Dad and Melissa, were also visiting at the same time, so we went to the ocean with them and then walked the boardwalk at Pt. Pleasant.

Sam's favorite part was sitting on the beach right at the point where the waves crashed the beach. He like tumbling up and then back into the water with the waves. Emily just floated on the wave swells for hours until we had to beg her to come in because we were tired. (My dad and I took turns floating with her!)

Our trip there wasn't as fun, though. We had a layover in Detroit and due to bad weather, lightening, and crews hitting their 13-hour flight time limit, we ended up stranded in Detroit for the evening. Just Emily, Sam, and me. With no luggage, because it was still on the plane. It was pouring rain outside and we were stuck. But, we made many new friends on our adventure - Lloyd, the Wal-Mart greeter who cut holes in large plastic bags so we could use them as rain coats; Claire, the Hampton Inn worker who called around to find a hotel that did have vacancy and then called the Hampton Inn shuttle to take us to the Red Roof Inn; and Mary, who gave us a $69 room for $47 after she heard my story.

It's so good to be home! Now if we could just get some rain here like we had in Detroit!