The Blue/White Game

This weekend was our annual Blue/White game, and we had beautiful weather for it! The estimated attendance was 72,000, which is incredible when you stop to think it is just a spring practice that we go to see.

My college roommate, Teresa, and her boys came up for the weekend and we had so much fun! Her boys were so patient and kind to my kids, and tolerated their antics the whole time. I hope my kids grow up to be that nice.

Here are some pictures, with quick descriptions:

This is our student section, honoring Virginia Tech. We all wore maroon and orange to the game instead of blue and white. A first. Hopefully, the last. I hope nothing like this tragedy ever happens again.

Kyle, Teresa's oldest son, carried Molly to the game from the tailgate. Behind them, is Emma M., from my class. Isn't she a cutie, too?

Here is one shot of our tailgate. We ended up having 9 families come, and even managed to get PRIME REAL ESTATE. There was no space left, so we just took it. Yes, it is where we usually tailgate with Mark's parents, and since no one else was there, we pulled right in! The kids had so much room to play, it was incredible. Good friends, good weather, good play space. It was almost a shame to leave it to go into the game!

We went and found Mark's parents during half-time, also known as Grandma and Pop-Pop Keller. They hadn't seen Teresa and her boys in years! The kids were so excited to see them again, as it has been since football season. We love the Kellers.

Ryley let the kids sit on him while he played his computer game. They were enthralled!

Saying good-bye in the parking lot! Came back soon!

I will post a new blog tomorrow - I have Bunko here tonight and have to get ready for it. I have LOTS of pictures to show you!!

The AFROTC Military Ball

Last night Chris and I went to the Det. 720's Military Ball, and had a lot of fun! One of the cadets invited us to meet his parents, so while Chris was talking to them, I was standing next to an older couple. A lot of the cadets had brought parents and grandparents, so I asked them if they had a child in ROTC, and he said no, he works for the university, but do I have a child? I didn't quite know how to reply! His wife looked shocked, and I simply said I do have children, but they are 3 and 4. His wife looked at him and said "You aren't off to a good start, honey. Would you like to try again?" I just laughed. It turns out, he is the assistant vice-president of the Dept. of Undergraduate Studies. So, I asked his wife what table they were sitting at, and she said "Um...I think the head table." Then, I just laughed at my own stupidity. I told her to wave to us down at Table 5!

They were such a sweet couple, and I really enjoyed talking to them. It turns out he is retiring this spring after working here 36 years. All I could think of was "Wow. He has been doing this since I was 1. Almost my whole life."

I also went out dress shopping. I found one on sale for half-price that I loved, so I got it. After a fiasco getting it hemmed in less than a day (a friend of mine from school is a prefessional seamstress, so she did it in an hour the afternoon of the dance!) I had my hair done, my nails done, and I was ready.

Getting dressed up with Chris is so much fun! Hooray for babysitters.

(I had to learn to edit to update my food list!)

Catching Up



Since the last post, we woke up to overe 2 inches of snow on Easter morning (pretty, but unexpected), and have had crummy weather in general. I want spring to be here!!



I was tagged about 3 weeks ago by Wendy on her ChaoticKiddos site, so I thought I'd catch up on that one.



Things You Probably Never Knew About Me (as if you'd care)



Four Jobs I've Had In My Life

1. Assistant Manager of a Mexican food restaurant

2. Camp Counselor

3. Teacher - ok, so you knew that one

4. Red Lobster Hostess

5. checker-outer in the grocery store

(I KNOW that was 5, but it was ALL of my jobs!)



Four Movies I'd Watch Over and Over

1. Pretty Woman

2.Something about Mary

3. Cocktail

4. Dirty Dancing



Four Places I Have Lived

1. England

2. VA

3. OH

4. CO



Favorite Bands and Singers

1. James Taylor

2. Jimmy Buffet

3. George Strait

4. Um....Laurie Berkner???




Four Loves of My Life

1. My family, of course

2. My friends (I don't think they realize how important they are to me)

3. Reading

4.College Football



Four Most Memorable Moments

1. Our 4 day long wedding festivities

2. The kids arrivals

3. Having Heather meet my kids (FINALLY) in October

4. Catching tadpoles with my brother in our creek, just to have our dog drink every last one of them from our bucket!



Seven of My Favorite Foods

1. edamame

2. anything Mexican

3. Thai coconut soup

4. oatmeal

5. avocado egg rolls at The Cheesecake Factory

6. coast-to-coast cheesesteaks from CC Peppers, no onions

7. Creamery ice cream (big surprise, huh?)

Four Places I'd Rather Be

Well, since we move so much, I am a firm believer of "be happy where you are", but if I could VISIT somewhere...

1. Eating out in San Francisco

2. In Europe with Chris

3. Skiing out in CO

4. At the beach with the whole family


I'm tagging Laura, and Amy. Unless you've already done it. Then, I'll do what I do with emails that say "Forward this!", and just forget about it. I'm fine, no one I know has died because I didn't forward the email, and we haven't declared bankruptcy because I didn't forward the email.
We'll declare bankruptcy because of my trips to Gymboree! LOL

Our pretty day today!

The weather was SO pretty today, the kids and I decided to play after school. We came home, changed clothes, and Mikey packed us some snacks. We were off! ( I apologize now for the poor quality pictures - I had to use the old camera, since mine wasn't charged!)

First stop: Old Main

The kids are in front of Old Main, which is across the street from my college apartment. It reallly made me miss the days of living there...

I used to take a quilt and pillow just behind where the kids are standing and take lovely afternoon naps. Ah, those were the days...

Next stop: INSIDE Old Main

which was one of the original buildings on campus. Maybe THE original?? Can't remember...

Mikey and Molly even listened to the audio tour. How cute are they?!?

Then, we had to stop to look at a big pile of ants eating something by the base of the step!

Next stop: The Nittany Lion Shrine

After the Lion, I dragged the kids over to Chambers building, where most of my classes were, and we found my old advisor! Kep Sones is the best advisor in the world, and still going at it... We'll meet up for lunch together this summer when things calm down on campus and I'm out of school. That stop didn't get a picture - it would have been too cheesy.

Next stop: The Nittany Lion Inn

The kids were about done hanging out on campus, so the promised land that I bribed them with followed...

Final stop: Holmes-Foster Park

What an adventurous day!

While I was away over Spring Break...

Very different from my beach pictures, huh? Chris took these and emailed them to me while I was away so I could see the difference in weather. I was glad I was on the beach! However, I did miss my "snow angels".

Update on Chris

I called her husband Jon today, and here is the latest:

She is still in the ICU, but did manage to get up to shower today! She still has a fever, she may have a colon infection, and her white count is still up.

The dr. said it will be about a week before she goes home, so her mother-in-law flew in for Spring Break with the kids, since they are at home.

In order for her to go home, she has to have a normal white count, she has to be off oxygen completely (she has a nose thing in now), and she has to be fever-free for 24 hours.


Here in State College we had a BEAUTIFUL day. I pulled the kids in the wagon to the park ( I think they were too lazy to walk the 4 houses down...lol), and after about 3-4 minutes, a cloud appeared from nowhere, and we had to take shelter in the picnic pavilion! ha ha It poured down rain, we came home, and as soon as we got home, it rained again! Honestly, it was so hot on the playground at school. At least it rained while we were at home, and not at school!

Tomorrow is Mikey's last swimming lesson, so I'll take pictures and post them on Thursday, hopefully.

Gosh, tomorrow is only Wednesday. I miss the beach.... ;-)

p.s. You can see a picture of me and Chris if you go to Wendy's blog - Chaotic Kiddos - which is linked on the side here!

I'm back....!!

Now to finish up some of those vacation pictures...

There was a pelican on the beach that had a fishing lure stuck in him, so the lifeguards did a "pelican rescue" as they spoke about it on their walkie-talkies. Here are the pictures:

The pelican flew RIGHT back to the pier where it got caught in the fishing lure in the first place. Humans can help the animals, but the animals don't always learn their lessons...

Pretty beach, huh? We spent 2 1/2 hours there, and I got BURNED on the backs of my legs. Now, they itch, but are tanning nicely... :-)

Home sweet home.

OK, I can't figure out what happened to my blog settings while I was gone, so I can't use my usual font size or change colors, but I figured any post is better than no post, right?

Vacation. That, it was. No kids, no husband, no work, no responsibilities. I hung out with my sister, my mom, my dad, and my brother, and my niece. Heather flew down for the weekend. We went and saw John Edward, but no one got read. It was still fun, though. Interesting.

My brother, David, turned 40 while we were all down there. We haven't all gotten together in years, so it was a treat. I just missed having my husband and kids with me, that's all. As nice as vacation is, I like being home better. Just call me a homebody, I guess.

OK, now I have tried to add pictures to my post, and it won't let me! UGGG! I should never have left this until 10:40, with school work still to do. Frustration is setting in. I'll try once more.

If this works, this is a picture of the beach I sat my rear-end on. Juno Beach.





Here are Gary, Stella, and Keeko eating Chinese food. Gary had never added "in bed" to the end of the fortune cookies, so we had a good laugh at the fortunes that night.




Here are Heather and I on a DivaDuck tour. That was a long truck that also went in the water and toured West Palm Beach.



This was Stephen King's house there. Someone was outside waving to us. Everyone thought it was him. I guess a gardener...LOL



My girlfriend Chris had stomach by-pass done on Monday, and had some complications. She's still in the ICU using a ventilator. Please say a prayer for her, her husband, and two kids. I can't imagine.

Finally, MY Chris is driving me crazy telling me the time every five minutes because it is a "school night". I'm going to end here, and I'll work some more on this for the next post. I still have lots more pictures!!

Quick post!!

My niece, Stella, is on page 32 of the summer Hanna Andersson catalogue! Check it out.

ON VACATION

No post for now because I'm on vacation. In Florida. By myself. For 8 days.
I'll fill you in next week! For now? I'll be reading on the beach...

A Favorite Friend

Shinyoung lived in Ohio when we lived there, and her husband was also a student at AFIT. They are from Seoul, and we became good friends with them. Moon, her husband, came over months before Shinyoung and their son came over, so we took him under our wing. Chris made sure he was learning English, and I made sure he wasn't learning dirty English. One time, Moon said to Chris "Is it right to say "Move your fat ass'? " Chris said "Not to me, it isn't!" Moon was not satisfied so he said "How about 'Move your boney ass'? " Chris asked him "Moon, where are you getting this stuff?" It turns out that Moon was renting old movies on the weekend and learning English from them. I think this one was Working Girl.

So, Shinyoung shows up. She is a quiet, intelligent, beautiful woman. I tell Moon that he batted way out of his league. Shinyoung and I became friends instantly. I loved showing her around, telling her things that we do, and learning from her, too. Not long after she got here, she was pregnant. How exciting! It was fun to go through that with her, especially since by then Molly was already here, and I knew I would not have another.

The biggest honor I have ever received? That daughter she has in the picture is named Susanne. After me. Wow, huh. Think on THAT for awhile. We call her "Little Susie".

Lumps.


It seems like everywhere I turn, everyone I talk to lately has "lumps". Problems. Face it, none of us live in a perfect world. We wish we did, but we don't. At least, not on this Earth.

I friend I once taught with actually taught me a LOT. Not about teaching, but about life. Here is one of the lessons I learned. Thanks, Jenny.


All of lifes problems can be divided into groups.
1. A lump in your oatmeal.
2. A lump in your throat.
3. A lump in your breast.


When you encounter a problem with family, friends, relationships, cars, children, etc. etc., ask yourself "What kind of lump is this??"
It really puts things in perspective for me. Fellow oatmeal eaters, unite.

Thoughts to think about...

Why does every kitchen have a "junk drawer"?
Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are going dead?
Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough money?Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?
Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?
Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?
If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?
Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?
Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?
How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?
Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?
In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?
Why is it always the mom that gets up with the kids in the middle of the night?
Why do we love the shade trees provide, but when it is time to rake, it seems like the leaves from a MILLION trees are there?
Why is it when someone asks you to go upstairs to get something, it seems like it is so FAR?
And my FAVORITE......The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.

Thinking about it, I'm not so sure they ARE okay...so I must be alright! :-)

I've been sitting here looking at my entry while my friend Wendy updated my page for me. First, thanks a ZILLION, Wendy. I adore it.
Second, I was looking at the picture of Chris and the kids with Snowy. Everything that matters to me is in that picture. My family smiling back at me. What an incredible feeling.

That will be all.

"God bless Snowy, ...."



Mikey and Molly love playing in the snow. Especially when they are playing with Daddy. This was the fruit of their efforts. Snowy. Now, Snowy was a little bit fragile. For example, he was often leaning over in the direction the wind blew. He hat was often on the ground. And his licorice mouth was often squirrel food in the grass. However, the children loved him. they repeatedly fixed him. And every night, he is to this day, included in their night time prayers. Oh, he's not just included! He is usually FIRST on the prayer list. Before the immediate family, friends, teachers, and anyone else they can list to stay awake.

He did melt, and has not been resurrected as of yet. God bless you, Snowy.

Here is a quick picture of the kids in the pool at their swim lesson. We are fortunate we can have our kids learn "life skills" beginning at early ages. The next one? Driving a 5 speed car. Mark, I will teach you that one day. Just tell me when you think you are ready!

My dear friend Karla came out to visit for a long weekend. It was her first trip away from her girls! It was lovely to eat, talk, walk, shop, talk, eat, and talk with her face to face. You know how you have friends that you just immediately clicked with, and you know they will always understand you. (And if not, they will at least PRETEND to?) That's Karla. A friend 'til the end. God bless you, Karla.

International week blows. Chunks.

I know, I need to put on some pictures. But for today, I just have to vent. Let me set the scene...

It is a pre-school. International week. And we have "flown" to Canada, of all places. Not a single thing against Canada, or the people there, but there is not that much interesting to report on the Northwest Territory. Inuit people. Cold weather. And bears.
So, my room got "culture". Grrr. Ok, I thought, I can do this. No problem...
My plans - we have 30 minutes. I will have kids that are 2 1/2, 3, 4, and kids that are 5. That is a HUGE age gap - twice the entire life of the first group for the last group. So, I have Michele pre-cut 137 Canadian flags, complete with the maple leaf. Thank God for the Ellison machine.... The kids can glue a white strip in the middle of the red paper, and glue the leaf on top of that. Simple. I smile.
Now....that will take about 5 minutes, so I have 25 more to fill. Ok, throw in a few non-fiction picture books, a few dolls, and we're done. I have now done it for 2 days, and both days it took between 28-31 minutes. Pretty good, huh?

So, why does it blow chunks, you ask? (If you don't want to read a gripe, just go to your next blog now...) Two of the classes - the OLDEST two, I might add - aren't having anything in their room. They just come to all of our classes to enjoy our work. So, some days, I have 22-24 kids in my room. Yes, we are in compliance with "codes" because their aides come with them. But try to do an activity with that many kids in a room sized for 1/2 of that!! My new suggestion for next year? If you don't have an activity, you don't travel from room to room. Why should the rest of us have to accomodate you?
Other gripe. After I had had Michele cut out the flag supplies, the other teachers all started making the flag in their rooms!! NOW what am I supposed to do? Why make the flag in your room before you even travel around for the week? If you want to supplement the week, wait until AFTER you know what everyone else plans on doing!!
Today I had the 2 1/2 class, and a class of 3's. (Molly's class) Of course when they got to my room all they wanted to do was go see the toys in MY class. Because they are different from the toys in THEIR class. I can't blame them. I didn't know the tiny kids names, they were all over the place, couldn't sit on their bottom for a 45 second story or directions, they twitched the entire time. Therefore, I twitched the entire time.

Thank God I took Monday and Tuesday off to hang out with Karla. All I have to do is the 24 kids on Wednesday, and we "fly back" on Thursday. Maybe next year for International Week, I'll get on a real plane and just leave the country.

Things to Talk About


I haven't posted a blog for awhile because I don't have anything to say. Yup, me....with nothing to say. Let me sit and ponder.

- A family in town had the dad die this week of stomach cancer. Had 3 boys under the age of 10. What a terrible tragedy - made me appreciate family and time together all the more.

- My friend, Karla, comes to visit me this weekend from Colorado Springs. I am more than a little excited! I even took time off work while she is here, just to play!

- Chris has decided to make chair rails and new base boards for the house. After he gets the painting done. When in the world will he get this PhD?

- Our cadet, Mitchie, has a date for the Ring Dance. We are so proud and excited for him!

I'll take some pictures of swimming tonight so I have something to show on the next post. I hope I can get the shutter speed to work for me!

Does anyone have any ideas for next time I hit a "posting slump"?

Six Things That Make Me Happy

1. A freshly painted room. Thanks, Chris.

2. Mail from friends. Real mail.

3. Cheesesteaks from CC Peppers. Coast-to-coast, no onions

4. Stamping at my craft table

5. Unlimited long distance

6. Blueberry pancakes

Notice I didn't mention the kids - I did that LAST time. I don't want them all to be the same. Besides, they are a given. They are my kids.

Six Weird Things About Me

1. If I am tired, hungry, or cold, I get GRUMPY.

2. My sense of humor is weird, according to Chris.

3. I have to have both shoulders covered when I go to sleep, and I sleep on my stomach.

4. I have arctic feet. Ice cubes. Really.

5. As mentioned before, I have to wear rubber gloves to do dishes or clean. I have extremely sensitive skin, and I only shower, not bathe. If I am to clean ANYTHING, hand over those gloves.

6. I collect cookbooks. Do I use them? Rarely. But I read them like a novel. I don't even really LIKE to cook. But I LOVE cookbooks.

OK, I'm tagging Wendy, Laura, and Keeko. If I could figure out how to link them, I would. Erin tried to explain it, but I can't find a little chain anywhere...???
Also, I'll work on putting people's blogs on the sidebar of mine. Anyone want theirs posted on mine?

"Happy Vallemtimes Day!"

That is the greeting we got yesterday when we woke up from Molly. However, the best part of the day came later. They were playing in Mikey's room, and he comes running down the hall yelling "She stunk me out! She stunk me out!" I asked him what he was talking about, and he said "Molly has gas. Stinky gas!" So, of course she comes out and says that she doesn't, that it was HIM. She says "Let me smell you." He lets her smell his bum. He says "Let me smell you!" He smells her bum and yells "TOLD YOU!!"

I still don't understand WHY they feel the need to smell the bums. If it stinks, why would you want your nose up in it?

More things they say. As requested.

We were watching the Super Bowl. Molly came out and asked "Who's winning? Indy-apples?"

Our heat went out downstairs last week, during the COLDEST week of the winter so far. The pipes under the house had frozen. Well, the heat/plumber/fix-it guy was here to fix it. Molly is sitting on the steps watching, and says "Dad, is this OUR house?" We've only lived here for 6 months - where does she THINK she has been living?? C'mon good sorority bid!!

Mikey's drink of choice lately - Tank. You know, the orange powder you mix with water, the astronauts drink. I laugh every time he asks for it.

Speaking of astronauts, I feel really sorry for that chick that cracked last week. You know she had to have her act together to do what she does. It just goes to show, your life can change in an instant. And the chick she attacked in the parking lot? A PSU Det. 720 grad from 2002. Small world. Oh, and her? Her life will never be the same, and all she did was date some space shuttle pilot, which she probably thought was pretty darn cool. Personally, I think he is way too old for her....

The other night, Chris was pushing Molly's bed back into place after he dug out a stuffed animal mashed against the wall. Molly was already in bed, and after he pushed it she chirped "Thanks for the ride, DUDE...!" She's a funny one.

My friend Laura had her baby on the 9th, just as she had dreamed she would. A few weeks early, but not very. She was healthy, and a whopping 5 pounds, .7ounces. She has to wear preemie diapers!!
Congratulations to Laura and Bryon on a wonderful baby Evelyn! I can't wait to come to Colorado Springs to meet her!

I've been tagged by Erin to do 6 Weird Things About Me, and 6 Things That Make Me Happy.
That will be the next post. Promise.

Things kids say...

Mikey went into school the other day and told Mrs. T. "Molly isn't coming in today..." Mrs. T. asked "Why not? Is she sick?" He said "No, she has a doctor's importment." Mrs. T. grinned and said "A doctor's importment?" Mikey said "Yeah, my importment is NEXT week.."

He hurt his foot on the furniture. He started to fuss with it, so I asked him what he hurt. His answer? "My thumb toe."

Molly went to a dance clinic on Sunday afternoon. The kids learned a dance from the Lionette dance team up on campus, and at half time they went onto the basketball court and performed their dance. Molly went down to the court with Chris and his movie camera. She asked him to come out with her, and he told her he couldn't. So, out she went. She looked at the crowd, and just started crying. She ran to the dance student, who picked her up, and handed her to Chris. That was it. The whole dance, down the drain. To top it off, when she settled back down in her seat, she started crying again because she wanted to go do her dance!! I guess she is not meant to be a dancer....

A week in the life.

Mikey was climbing on his art desk, fell off, and hit his Lego table with his face. See his Lego-Cheek? Perfect circles. Bet he doesn't climb on THAT for awhile...

Chris took the kids to a PSU hockey game on Sat. afternoon while I was at an all-day-too-f-ing-long-teachers-conference. This is how they looked when they came home. Happy, but tired.

Chris and the kids lounging on the couch on Sunday morning. Remember when we could only watch cartoons on Saturday morning? The kids will never know such a thing.

Monday after school Molly decided she was a ballerina. And what a ballerina she is.

Not to be outdone, Mikey was building a tower. We are studying "building" as our science theme at school, and he loves it.

We have a magnetic white board in the kitchen. I bought it to try to stay in touch with Chris, as we always seem to have something going on. However, after I bought it, we decided that we like doing it the old fashioned way. Talking with each other. So, the white board is always a source of amusement for me. Have you noticed Chris's sense of humor?

I was Susie Jennings before we got married. He still calls me that. He just shortens it to "Susie J."

We finally got some snow today. Not much is sticking to the roads, so we will probably have school, but Mikey finally got to go play in it. Molly didn't want to get cold. Big surprise.

So, that is our week, from Friday afternoon until Tuesday evening. Not quite a week, I suppose, but if I wait a whole week, think how many pictures I'll have to post!

The bracelets, as requested.

We are at Shula's Steakhouse, compliments of Gary. We ate whatever we wanted, drank all we wanted, and it was all paid for. Thanks, Gary! That's a great way to earn points with your sister-in-law and mother-in-law, huh?

Now, I'm back in State College, where it was 8 degrees this morning with a wind chill of about -20. Pretty darn cold. I think I'll go take a snooze on the couch with the fire going while the kids watch their Clifford and Curious George. One hour of tv every now and then won't hurt them, and it does wonders for me!

Why I LOVE Him

Luckiest Husband in the World said...
FOR SALE: One wife, doesn't clean, doesn't cook, be-atches all the time, spends like there's no tomorrow, constantly cackling on phone or typing furiously on laptop, leaves gas on "E" in cars, too weak to take out garbage, pilfers wallets, cannot positively identify broom, dustpan, or mop, has un-humanlike cold feet, thinks she's good at Jeopardy but she's not, once placed cat terd in husband's shoe to express anger at said husband. Will take best offer or trade for...nothing in this world. ;o)
1/20/2007 12:09 AM

He left me a comment while I was in FL. There I was, playing with my mom and sister, and he missed me enough to leave me a comment, which he has never done before. Am I the luckiest girl in the world, or what?

Speaking of my trip to FL... it was GREAT. Here are some pictures:

This was where we sat our rear-ends on the beach with waitress service. Sun, a breeze, and everything we wanted brought to us. It was heaven for two hours.

Keeko and I met Gary out for a bite to eat, a couple of glasses of wine, and an ice cream cone. It was good to see him. Oh, and the sushi was delicious!

Stella got her sitter to bury her in the sand. She sure is my sister in a little body. Change the hair color and curl, and that is Keeko when she was 3. To a T.

Mom, Keeko and I went to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch. See those avocado eggrolls? One of my favorite foods in the world. With two of my favorite people in the world.

OH, OH, OH, I almost forgot...

We went to the mall, and were just walking into stores... they have Burberry, Coach, Brooks Brothers, etc.etc.etc. Well, we also went into Tiffany's. We just looked around, Keeko tried on a bracelet, so I tried it on, too. Mom looked at the saleslady and said "We'll take 3." And she looked at the two of us and said "I can buy us a birthday present..." I was totally shocked. I now have my first piece of Tiffany's jewelry. Lucky me. All around, just lucky me.

Rainy days and Mondays...

NO, they don't get me down. Quite the opposite when we have the day off school! Chris let me sleep in, and this is what I awoke to. I think they had every stuffed animal we own out in the TV room. But they were happy. Daddy helped them build a great fort. Or clubhouse. Or whatever they called it. Later on, during the day, Chris was going downstairs and I said to him "well, you are the best daddy..." and Mikey yelled from the kitchen "in the WORLD!!"

Here's a picture of Chris, little Mar (the kids Godmother) and her fiancee, Brian when Chris went down on his "mancation" to the Outback Bowl. I can't wait to meet him!

I won't blog until early next week, as I have a busy weekend coming up, but I'll let everyone know our latest happenings later, I promise. Here's thinking happy labor thoughts for Amy

this weekend, in case anything happens!!

It's Saturday night, woo, Saturday night...

If you have ever been to The Phyrst in State College, you know how to sing it. If not, well, pretend that you do.

Anyway, today was the Dad's Are Cool breakfast at Grace Lutheran. The kids made an invitation for their dad, and they had pancakes, sausages, applesauce, milk, juice, and coffee this morning. Chris decided to take it one step further. He took the kids to the PSU men's basketball game at 12:15 while I had the "day off". Yup, I had the day off. I didn't cook, I didn't do laundry, I didn't pick up a darn thing. I showered, went to CC Pepper's for a cheesesteak for lunch, and came home and stamped.

Then, we took the kids to Ben's birthday party. Ben, Pia, and Tassia were our old neighbors that lived across the street, and then they moved two months after we got here. Yup, the nerve of them, huh?

The party was fun. Although the picture doesn't do it justice. LOL

The picture was actually taken post-party while they were watching a movie. These are the kids whose parents hung around to eat, drink, and chat after the chaos of a "pizza making party". Really, they DID have fun....!!

Mikey and Molly DO have the coolest dad. Really, they do. And I love him to death. Even though he got ticked about my last post be-atching about him.

If you want something done right, do it yourself...



I'm not be-atching, I'm just venting. Chris said HE would do the Christmas cards this year since he got out of school a week before I did. So, I reminded him, and he did the newsletter, folded it, and stuffed the picture into it. There it ended. TODAY I am finishing the envelopes and cards. WHY say you are going to do something if you AREN'T??? So, your cards will be in the mail tomorrow. Better late than never, I suppose. UGG!!



This morning on the way to school Mikey was talking about how deep the snow is in CO, since we just got our first real flurries today. He said it was "over Cowin's head". (Colin is our darling Godson who is still out there...) He asked how "Cowin would see?" I said I don't know... and just kept driving to school. He got kind of quiet and said "I guess he'd need some ba-knock-ee-urs".... He thinks binoculars solve everything.



Oh, and he still calls Molly "Mah-we". If he is in a hurry, she is just "Mah." So, sometimes he said "Mah, wook!" That is if she needs to look at something. He goes to speech therapy weekly, and I'll be glad when he is done, but I'll forever call her "Mah-we" to Chris.

Oh, random picture... let me find one...



This is how much coconut chip ice cream is left AFTER I've eaten my fill....
Coconut chip ice cream is like eating a Mounds bar ice cream. Yummy!

The coffee stirrers? The kids call them "poke poke pokes". Don't ask me why, I don't know, but they are a favorite toy when we find them by coffee dispensers. I have screwy kids.

Things I Love for Today

* Warm clothes from the dryer

*Lights on Christmas trees

*cold fresh fruit

*stripes

* skiing, both water and snow

*getting mail - REAL mail, not bills...

*hearing my kids laughing

*a cold drink on a hot beach

*having time to do what I want to do, with no interruptions

*my friends

I got a comment on my blog from a friend in England. I haven't heard from her in the LONGEST time (years and years), and now she can see my and my family on my little blog!

I just wish I knew how to get back in touch with her....??

Email me at home: SusiePSU@adelphia.net

Oh, and the picture? Just a random picture of the kids opening presents on Christmas, but blog entries are SO much better with a picture, don't you think?

MORE exciting news!!

Stella, my niece, has been selected for a Kraft modeling thing. She has done one for Hanna Andersson already, so this is her second "gig", I guess you'd call it. (Although I really don't like that word...) They called Katherine, my sister, and she had two meetings already, so they shoot tomorrow. She has been asked to bring a solid color bathing suit in case the ones they have don't fit correctly, or something. It will be in the shallow end of the pool, and if they actually print her, she gets paid a bonus. I want to know how I can get paid for swimming in January. Although if people had to look at me in a bathing suit, I would have to pay them...LOL.

EXCITING NEWS !!!!


Check out Erin's blog. She is in my bookclub back home, in Colorado Springs.

www.thepigbear.blogspot.com

If I knew HOW to put in a link, I would have done it...lol.

I like to think that my votes helped. Yeah for Erin and Sarah! (And Brent, of course!)

It's almost over.

College football season has almost come to a close. I have watched so many Bowl games in the past week, it is like a power boost before the end. Some of the team I cheered for lost (like Va Tech) and some of them won (like PSU), but in every game, I had a favorite. Usually the lower-ranked team. Why? I like the underdog to win.

I've been thinking a lot of New Year's Resolutions. Should I make one? If so, what do I choose? To take the kids to church more regularly? To keep the house cleaner? To finally try to get in shape? To do more with the kids in the afternoons? To try to email my friends more often?

So, I have come up with something. Just to be a better ME. A better mom. A better wife. A better Christian. A better friend. A better sister. A better daughter. A better teacher.

I'm sure Chris would be happy if I were just to try to be a better SAVER. Especially with a kitchen full of new appliances. Hey, it adds value to the house - that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.

And for those of you who love random pictures, here are Mikey and Molly mailing their letter to Santa. Yes, that is a tiara on her head. And no, it was NOT my idea...lol. Some battles just aren't worth fighting.