Disney Day 1

 Day 1 at Disney was spent at Animal Kingdom.  It was supposed to rain all day so we decided to go to this park first because many of the attractions were inside.  Ann strangling Brady pretty much summed up the week : )

 Waiting in line to go in.  The crowds weren't terrible and we were able to get right in.

 The Lion King show was by far the best show Disney has.  The music, the dancing, the gymnastics were all awesome.

 Cate was picked out of the audience to participate in the final number.  She got to shake her rattle and walk around the stage with other kids.  I was so proud of her for doing this!

 Cate went through 2 autograph books.  She could have spent all day standing in line waiting to meet her friends  : )

 Carter had this look pretty much the whole trip.

 The first "ride" we did was the safari.  We boarded a truck and took off into the African plains.  It was neat to see all the animals up close.

 Ann made sure to get some autographs for Baby Rive .

 One thing I learned about the Smallies is that they love their parades.  We saw as many as we could and would stand around for an hour so we could get a front row seat.

 Disney sure knows how to put on a parade, I will say that.

One of my favorite memories this day was when me and Carter went on the Primevil Whirl roller coaster in Dino Land.  We had just been loaded into the car when we pulled out from under the shelter and it started pouring.  There we were, stopped on the tracks getting drenched.  When we finally started we were laughing so hard we could have cared less we were getting soaked.

 Dinner at Rainforest Cafe.  A great ending to a great day.

 Merry Christmas!  That's what I yelled when I walked into my mom's house Christmas morning.  After opening Santa's gifts at our house we head to my parents to meet up with my sister and her family and my Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe.  These are the most chaotic 2 hours of my year.  Goodness I get worn out.  But once again it was a wonderful morning.

 Santa brought Ben a Kindle Fire.  He thinks he's pretty cool now.

 What??? Cate got new shoes??  No way

 I royally screwed up the kids gifts this year.  Ben and Brady have never played with toys really so buying them anything fun is nearly impossible.  They already have every single piece of sporting equipment so I was stuck buying them clothes.  Yuck!  And I royally screwed it up.  Since it took me so long to get the gifts wrapped I forgot what I get each one.  So Ben ended up with Brady's hoody and Brady got Ben's shorts.  Oh well.  I will let Deb figure it out.

 A couple of years ago I gave Brady a roll of toilet paper.  I had wrapped money throughout it and he had to unroll it to get all the money out.  This drove him crazy and he still rolls his eyes when he talks about it.  Of course, I had to do something like that again.  My life isn't complete unless I am driving my nephew crazy.  It has become a life mission for me.  So this year I rolled his shirt real tight and wrapped it in rubber bands then dropped it into a big box with wadded up pieces of newspaper.  : D   I thought he was going to kill me!  WIN!!!!

 Cate LOVES her baby dolls.  And seeing all the stuff she has for them makes me a nervous wreck because I forgot all the things that a baby needs.  Thankfully Cate can show me how its done.

 Ken had worked all night and was ready for bed.  He was a good sport and came to my mom's before going to sleep but as you can see, it wasn't easy.

 Our Christmas tradition is that the men make breakfast after the presents are opened.  This year Jon really got into making the bacon and eggs.  So did Brady.  He worked really hard microwaving the bacon and putting it out on the table.  Ben and Carter, not so much.

Cody's dad is still in Iraq so Cody spent some time on Skpe talking to him.  

Once again we had a wonderful Christmas.  I am so thankful for the family we have and the great times we get to spend together.  The hardest part for me is that when the kids grow up some of the magic of Christmas is lost.  So I am looking forward to next year when the baby is here and the thrill of Christmas returns.  

Christmas Eve

Every year we spend Christmas Eve with Ken's family.  This year Jen was kind enough to host it and we had a wonderful time.  Since Ken had to work that night (boo) we started a little earlier than normal.  Which I actually like because there is never anything to do on that day and we just sit around and stare at each other.  Maybe I need to come up with a new tradition for that afternoon.  I may have to think on this.....

This year we did something I swore we would never do.  I always said I would never mix Delaney's Christmas and Birthday presents together.  However, that is exactly what I did.  I know I know I'm sorry.  But Delaney said that her whole life she has dreamed of having a dollhouse so there was no way Ken and I weren't going to get her one.  And since we are on a budget, the gift had to be for Christmas AND Birthday.  Of course that wasn't all I got her but you understand what I am saying.  And I think she loved it!  Not for sure since i'm never there to watch her play, but from the looks on her face when she opened it and Uncle Ken put it together, I think it was a hit.  Yay us!

 Harper was a big help bringing the presents into the living room.  I think she just wanted to get it finished so she could start opening!!

 Every year Ann and Cody get all excited about the gifts they are getting us. This normally makes me extremely nervous.  Last year they gave me a ceiling fan Cody found in his grandpa's garage.  And when he gets excited about the gift it normally means we get them early.  Ken and I and the kids open our gifts from each other Christmas morning, but since Cody couldn't wait to give Ken this he brought it to Jen's.  They kids were so proud of themselves for this one.  Along with the wooden tulips and cardinal Cody packed in the box.  Another find is his grandpa's garage.  This could go on for years.

 The girls watching Uncle Jake open his gift

 Delaney waiting patiently to open her big present.  Little presents are great, but when you see a big box with your name on it, the heart just beats a little faster

 Ken decided Delaney and Harper needed to play with the house right away so him and Jon got to work putting it together.  No doubt Allan was thrilled he got out of this!

 The dolls are ready to move in

Giving Honey the tour

Of course we all loved what we got from everyone.  But for me the best part it watching the little ones open their gifts.  And watching them run around to everyone else and helping them open theirs.  

The blogs going to be a changin'

As I read Deb and Jen's blogs I begin to wish that this site was around when my kids were growing up.  So many stories and adventures are forgotten as the children get older.  To be able to write them down and have them available for years to come is wonderful.

The past year has revolved mostly around me and Ken at the camper with some stories of the kids mixed in.  Jon and Ann have their own lives now and I don't get to experience their stories as much as I used to.  But when I do, I love being able to write it down so I have the memory forever. Now a new chapter is being written.  A new life to write about.  And I can't be more excited.  As shocked as I was to hear Ann was going to be a mom, I quickly became excited.  A baby.  More stories and memories to write down.  I can't wait to record all the "firsts" and the happy times and trying times of my grandbaby.

So stay tuned.  The story is just getting exciting!!!

An emotional rollercoaster

Never in my life have my emotions been on such a roller coaster ride as they have been this past month.  We received word from our renter, Nell, that she was moving out the end of November.  This put Ken and I in quite a bind.  Do we rent out the duplex again or sell our house and move in?  Both plans had positives and negatives.  So we started putting feelers out to see what would come up.  

You could say we were lucky because we had someone interested in the duplex and someone interested in the house.  If I had my way, we would have sold our house and moved to the duplex.  And for awhile it was looking that way.  We found someone who was interested in our house, so we started making plans to fix up the duplex and move in.  But just when I started making all these plans, the buyer fell thru.  To say I was devastated would be an understatement.  

The worst part is is that we have to fix up the duplex anyway so we can rent it out.  I have never ever ever ever ever seen such an ugly house before.  Where in the world this woman got her decorating ideas from I will never know.  My eyes almost exploded the first time I walked in.  She had the entire place painted pink or purple, except the bathroom, which had the ugliest wallpaper and 8 different colored blue tiles. We have replaced all the flooring, painted every room, and pulled down the hideous wallpaper.  It has been alot of work and has taken alot of money but it is looking very very nice.  Ken has done a wonderful job and I hope he is proud of the work he has done.

 This would have been Ann's room  if we moved to the duplex.  I had already started painting the walls when I realized I better take pictures because NOBODY would believe me about how ugly this place was.

 Dining room.  Amoxicillin pink.  Pepto Bismol pink.  Why do they even make this color???  The worst part, and yes it gets worse, is that the curtain over that window was MAUVE.  What was wrong with this woman???

 Not only was the kitchen painted pink, but before the pink it was pastel purple.  And apparently when she painted it pink she never bothered to paint the top so the purple still showed.  I am calling Sherwin Williams to make sure she never is allowed in there again.

 The bathroom.  I can't wait to peel this horrible wallpaper off these poor walls.  What did they walls do to her?  Why is she so cruel???

 Absolutely NO comment

 Another beautiful curtain.  Ken said he is going to save it and make Ann's wedding dress out of it.

We ended up laying a wood floor down here.  Cody is actually pulling tacks out of wood and not really laying around on the job.  Even though that was my first thought too  : )

 Nothing better than a man in overalls.  Or at least I keep telling myself that.

If this would have been my house, we would have painted the dining room and kitchen wall brown and have one wall be burgundy.  But since it's not now, it's all going to be brown.

I do feel blessed that we have a renter.  There is a duplex down that street that has been looking for renters for awhile.  Alex Flynn and his girlfriend and baby are moving in.  This will be perfect because it will give us time to fix up our house and sell it when, hopefully, the market is good.

Rotary Student of the Month

A couple of months ago Jon called me to tell me he was nominated for the Rotary Student of the Month.  I was very proud of him, but being the awesome mom that I am, I told him not to get his hopes up to high about being selected.  Now, to defend myself, it is because I have seen who has been selected before.  The class president, valedictorian, straight A, involved in every club imaginable student.  While Jon is smart and a great kid, I felt his lack of gpa and club activities would count him out.

This is one time I was glad I was wrong.  He called me, again, and said, HA! I was selected.  So there!!  I can't begin to explain how proud I was of him.  There are only 8 girls and 8 boys selected every year, and this is from the entire 11th and 12th grade classes.  He was honored during one of their weekly meetings and Ken and I were able to go.

However, my original thought was justified.  At the Rotary meeting they call the students up (this time it was the Nov. and Dec. SOM) and Mr. Harris reads their application entry.  He also announces their gpa and the groups they are involved with.

The first girls went something like this:  Her gpa is 5.2, and she wants to be a surgeon.  She is a member of the spirit club, the hockey club, the science club, FCA, NHS.  She runs track, volunteers at her church, reads to the blind, , helps Santa make his toys.   Her dream is to feed the hungry, help the blind to see, the deaf to hear, cure cancer and find life on Mars. I may have made the last couple up, but you get my drift. And each one of the students applications read like that.

Then comes Jon's turn. Mr. Harris starts reading: Jon's gpa is somewhere between 4 and 5.  He is on the hockey and volleyball team.  He volunteers at the Old Six Mile Museum and likes video games and his friends and family.  He may go into the Coast Guard.  The end.

I assume the selection team knew what an awesome kid Jon is and realized their would be nobody better to give the honor to!

 Grandpa and Grandma are members of Rotary so they were really proud of Jon!  Gpa showed him off to everyone.

Congratulations Jon.  Dad and I are very proud of you!