Bugs Bite


On Saturday we went up to campus to an exhibit called "Bugs Bite' put on by the Entomology Department. Yes, I had to look up the spelling. Anyway, it was pretty neat. There were Hissing Madagascar Cockroaches, which were creepy, and all sorts of bugs there. A lot were mounted, some were alive, some you could hold, and some you could EAT. The insect deli was pretty crowded. We all said we weren't hungry....lol.
The kids each made a Bumblebee hat, which is cute, and received stickers, tattoos, etc. as we walked around. Oh, we did watch a cockroach race. Four were competing, and it was pretty cool, too.

Then, we went to Fun Unleashed. A little bit like a Chuck E. Cheese, but it costs $9 just to get in the door to play. The kids loved it, and we stayed about an hour and a half. Let me tell you why I probably won't go back for awhile. I took Molly to the bathroom. The first one was busy, the second was full of poop and toilet paper, and the third had no toilet paper. I swiped some from the bathroom that was clogged, and let Molly have her turn. We then went to wash hands, as you do, and there was no soap! I told the lady at the front desk the bathroom needed toilet paper, soap, and a plunger. She thanked me, and went about running the register. Ten minutes later, I told another worker. She thanked me, and continued strolling the place. When we finally left, not one employee had even gone to check on the bathroom! So, I'm in no hurry to go back. Yuck.

Oh, I ordered our new carpet today!!! Hooray! They will call me when it comes in to arrange an installation time. I can't wait.

DelGrosso's

We went to DelGrosso's Amusement Park here in PA. This is a picture of Mikey and Emily, the sitter who lives next door on The Scrambler. She filled in on the rides we didn't want to go on! The kids had a ball, and Mikey loves to ride anything that goes FAST! Let me tell you a little bit about the park...

I wish I had a lapel pin camera to show you what I saw! Everytime I saw a new "sight" I'd think "OH!! If only I could show that to..."

I saw mullets, a rat-tail, a lady with one round eye and one Asian eye, and a lady with a hair line that had receded more than Chris's! The amazing part was she had it pulled up in a ponytail on TOP of her head, so you could see the receding hair line went all around her head...lol

As Chris said "Welcome to central Pennsylvania" all I could think was "These people could be in Southwestern Virginia!!"

The kids had a wonderful time. The funnel cake was absolutely delicious, and we came home tired. Fun, but not as good as The North Pole. THAT place rocks!!

And we have begun...

Mikey has started soccer. He has had practices twice a week for two weeks now, and loves it. Poor thing inherited my grace, so he spends a lot of time tripping over the ball, but he is happy. I was hoping to make some new friends with the other moms, but most already knew each other and hold their own conversations, while the questions I try to ask about their interests receive very short answers. Oh well. Hey, I have a son to cheer for! He is getting to be more aggressive about getting the ball, and is starting to remember to not use his hands. Molly is content to sit on the sidelines with me, or kick a soccer ball around with Chris, and wait for the team snack to be handed out. We all agreed to bring for siblings, too, so no one has hurt feelings.
Sorry the blog was so long coming out - we have had internet problems for the past week and a half or so. I have so much to tell and share about our latest adventures here at PSU! If I can get online tomorrow night, I'll fill you in.

Pickwick Picnic

This past weekend was our annual Pickwick Picnic. The entire street of Pickwick Avenue gets together, brings a dish, hangs out, and cranks the ice cream. So, here we all are and you can see how crowded we are!! It is a short street that has a lovely cul-de-sac, and everyone is so friendly. In all of our moves, no one has ever come over and knocked on the door to say"Welcome to the neighborhood..." until we moved here. I had people coming to visit for weeks with hot muffins, fresh vegetables from their gardens (knowing we don't have one since we just moved!), and even a phone number of a dentist they recommend!! Chris found us such a great place. Yeah, it's not our retirement home by any means, but the neighborhood is the best one yet. I wonder if we could buy the last lot left and build our retirement house there??

Out with the old, in with the new.

I was busy during the game this week, so I didn't watch very much of it. Good thing, since we got blown away...
Anyway, I was outside cleaning the deck. Our neighbor's lent us their pressure washer, so I started the deck. What a difference, huh? We spent the better part of the day out getting paint, looking at carpet, scheduling a measuring and an estimate, peeling wallpaper and broder, etc etc etc. It takes an awful lot to make a house a home! But we're getting there.

How Sweet It Is...

To be loved by you! Every day Chris packs our lunches for us. As I get myself ready in the mornings, he is getting lunches together in the kitchen. He has started sending notes in the kids lunches, too. Today, I was hoping that maybe I'D get a note. No such luck. I was a little bummed, and went up to the office to drop off some papers. Sitting there on the counter were these flowers that had been delivered from the local florist. Our director's dad died this week, so I was sure they were for her. Apparently, so was she! But no, my husband sent them to me at work today. For nothing. Just to tell me he was glad I had a great first week of work. And that I am the world's greatest mommy. (I don't want to tell him that all of you daddies think otherwise!) I have had the discussion with book club about who we love more - our husbands or our kids. I still think that Chris and I come first, and the kids are little satellites of our great relationship. Not that there is a right answer. After all, it is a different kind of love, isn't it...
But I sure am glad I have his.

M.I.A.


That is my camera, Missing in Action. Therefore, no posts or pictures in days. Sorry! I have taken pictures as late as this morning, but now I can't find it. If you could see the state of this house, you'd understand....I'm hoping for a new one for my birthday. Camera, not house!!

I just wanted to update you on some news -

Amy in Colorado Springs is having a BOY!! She found out today, and now I can start on some birth announcements for her.

Brandy in Colorado Springs is already a week overdue with Delaney. I am checking my email religiously for any news!

Katherine in Colorado Springs is doing well with her sunshine, and is due in less than a month.

Laura in Colorado Springs is 15 weeks and is starting to show!

Liz in Colorado Springs is growing hers just fine, and will separate from the Air Force when she has the baby.

Geez, after re-reading all of that, was it something in the water?? Glad I got out of town....

We took the kids to DelGrosso's Amusement Park yesterday for Labor Day. Check it out on the internet, and I'll post our pictures tomorrow.

Today was our first day of school. Both of the kids had great days, and mine was incredible. It makes the year look very promising. Today I had my Tuesday, Thursday group, tomorrow I meet the other one. I'll let you know how it goes.

We seem to have a lot of new's here...

New town
New friends
New school year

The thing is, I LIKE the new's....even though I still miss the old's....

We ARE.... Penn State!!!

We went to our first game since we had kids yesterday, and had a fantastic time. We bought tickets, they got traded, and we got the best seats we could have dreamed of. We were on the 27 in the FRONT ROW. We no longer cared that it took us 45 minutes to drive a mile and half, we no longer cared that we were paying a sitter, we no longer cared that it was raining, and we no longer cared that we were pretty much drenched even with the rain ponchos. WE WERE AT THE GAME!! And look at our view!! For the record, next time - we're walking to the stadium. We can take the bike path that comes out at JoePa's house, and be there in less time than it took us to drive. Let's go Lions!!

We did meet an interesting couple. While we were waiting in that traffic, we got cut off by a car that decided they didn't need to wait in the line. Chris gave them a short honk, but let them in. They stopped, got out of their car, and said they live a few blocks from the stadium and have an extra parking spot - they are so sorry they cut us off, would we like to park at their house?? So, we followed them and parked there, and drank a beer with them. They offered their bathroom, but we didn't need it. However, I went inside just to get out of the rain. They had gone in, I thought to go to the bathroom. When I walked in, their entire house smelled like one big doobie. I almost got a bad case of the munchies just standing in the kitchen! So, as we walked to the game I talked to the girl, who could barely keep her eyes open and focused. I wonder how long they made it at the game.... Chris laughed and said they probably ate their way out of the stadium and went home to nap. You meet all types here in Happy Valley. They sure were happy!

Rained out.

In a nutshell, that's it. Molly has the cutest cheerleading outfit, and she hasn't even worn it yet! All of the pep rallies, food vendors, JoePa, cheerleaders, and players speaking were called off. So, the kids are in bed, it's cold, raining, and I am STILL looking forward to the game tomorrow. I am in charge of a dessert for the Keller's tailgate, so I am thinking of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies so ppl can just put them in their pockets and head into the game. Either that, or a pineapple cream cheese cake. It is nice and light, and summery. But, I think summer is about over here. I guess I'm making the cookies.

Back to School

I don't have any pictures today - I had an in-service from 9-4, and didn't take any when we came home. I REALLY like the staff at school. We laughed a lot today, which is a good sign. I got teased a lot, which is also a good sign.

Not a good sign? The one that will say "SOLD" across the street at Tanja's house. They sold their house today, and even got a little over asking price if they would leave the washer and dryer. So, I'm happy for them, but selfishly sad for me. They close on their new house next week, and are relieved to have sold this one first.

Other big news...one of my bridesmaids just told me she is getting divorced. That is a bummer. Another bridesmaid had an uncle die yesterday, and she is in Germany and didn't make it home. That is a bummer.
So, here is a list of things that make me happy. Why end this evening on a bad note?


1. new school supplies
2. pink levi's on sale
3. towels just out of the dryer
4. waking up, looking at the clock, and realizing I can go back to sleep
5. getting mail from friends
6. stripes
7. curling up with a good book
8. keeny beeny ice cream from The Creamery
9. vacuuming
10. FOOTBALL SEASON!!

Tomorrow is the beginning of the festivities...so check back!!

Mikey's Open House

This is Mrs. Lebold, one of Mikey's teachers. His other teacher, Mrs. Lee, is from Seoul, but she was busy with another child and couldn't pose. You see how much Mikey likes having his picture taken! He is hard to catch happy in front of the camera, so it seems most pictures are of Molly the Ham, with Mikey running away or hiding in the background.

Mikey was lucky to get into this class. Out of the 16 kids, 14 are returning from last year, and there are two new ones - Mikey and Stacey. Mikey jumped ahead of a long waiting list, but as the director says, "My staff is my first priority.." Hey, that's why I took a lousy paying job. My kids educations comes first, not the pay. That, and now that I am there, I LOVE the staff and the school. Everyone is always so happy, laughing, carrying on, teasing each other. The parents really like the school and are happy their children are there. I consider providing young children with a sound, Christian education my ministry. Teaching 3's is just so YOUNG. Tomorrow is the first staff in-service, so I'll let you know any new epiphanies tomorrow.

Wink, Wink
As you can see by the second picture, Molly is learning to wink. When she is just sitting, she is pretty good at at. When she tries to do it in a picture on her own accord, she is just scrunchy-faced. But adorable. Chris says she is practicing to be in her sorority. We went to McLanahan's today to check out the PSU apparel. The kids had these hats on and attracted quite the crowd they were so cute. Needless to say, they have new winter hats. Today was also Molly's Open House at school to meet her teachers. Ms. Lonnie is on the left, and Mrs. Pritchard is on the right. God bless them.

Cute quotes from today's bathtime:

Molly: (singing) "A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, CUPCAKE!!....ha ha ha ha ha ha" (She laughs at her own pathetic jokes - at least I know she takes after me)

Mikey: (pretending to be reading a tub book) "So he took his frog to school. Then, the frog DOODOO'd ON HIS BAND-AID!!! ha ha ha ha ha"
Why is it boys love to talk about bodily functions?? And, why is it they never outgrow this??

The First Scab

You know how as a kid, if you had a scab, you just HAD to pick it?? Well, I found my first "scab". Everytime I walked by this border at the top of the steps, I'd just give it one little pick. By the end of a week or two, it looked worse than the original border, if that is possible. So, upon the advice of my little sister, I squirted the border and wallpaper with a mixture of Downy and good ol' water. Boy, that paper scrapes right off! In just a few hours, I had done two whole walls!! What were the kids doing this whole time? Playing. A little bit unsupervised, but all was well. They weren't playing in the street, they were in their rooms for the most part!

So, now I have the hallway going down almost done. Just a few more walls, and a zillion miles of border to go. At least I have the tools! I even took the railing off - I'm so proud of myself....

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head.....

Today it rained. All day. A steady, cold rain. We let the kids go outside to play in it since it wasn't thundering or lightning. Mikey LOVED the "river" running down the gutter and ran down the street in it until we called him home. We came inside, dried off, popped popcorn, watched some TV, and played some games. Candy Land and Go Fish were very interesting. What a great way to spend a rainy day...

A New Toy!!

We "bought" a scooter from Chris's mom, and charged it up. Let me tell you, the kids on the street LOVED it. Chris was definitely the 'big man on campus' today as they lined up for rides around our cul-de-sac. (Did I just say sac? LOL) The street was having a neighborhood garage sale, but since we just moved, and don't have much to sell, our gains monetarily were little, but we managed to meet a lot of neighbors. We have a street cook-out in two weeks, so then we can actually sit down and talk to them. They clost down our end of the street, we all pull out grills and tables, share food, the kids play.... sounds like some ideal place, huh? Well, it IS. It is Happy Valley, and there is only ONE WEEK UNTIL THE FIRST HOME GAME!!!

Friday is the Farmer's Market

Every Friday since we've been here, we've gone to the Farmer's Market. It's not huge, but it's something to do. Our adventures start at a hotdog stand called The Happy Dog. The kids each eat a hotdog while I eat pizza from Brother's Pizza next to the stand. We then walk towards "the market" and pet the pigs. These are statues that were erected (ha ha, I said "erected") for the centennial of State College back in 96, I think it was. Anyway, we pet and climb on the pigs, and continue on our way.

The market is less than two blocks long, and it runs between College and Beaver Avenues, the two main streets in town. They have had vegetables, fruits, flowers, and some prepared baked good that the Amish bring in. All we needed today was a basket of raspberries, some whoopie pies, and a few zucchini to make some bread.
So, we stopped to smell the flowers, bought what we found we couldn't live without, and left for yet another week. Next week is our last week before school starts - good thing the hours are from 11:30 until 5:30!

Just Another Day in Paradise....

It seems that every day here we are more settled in. The kids love going the 100 yards to the park to ride bikes and play on the playgrounds, the kids play with Pia and Ben most days, I head up to school to work on my classroom. Today was my big Open House to meet the kids and their parents. Very encouraging. The kids were sweet, the parents very friendly, and everyone was so excited. It is the First Pre-School Experience for most of them, and that thrills me. To be able to get those kids pumped to learn, and try new things, and make messes to clean up, and learn about manners, taking turns, standing in line, not crying when Mom or Dad leaves....I just can't wait.

Tonight I am going to try to get my craft table set up here in the basement. Quite a daunting task when you look at this place, so I had better get busy.

New Kids on the Block

Once again, the Solo kids are the "new kids on the block". No, not Justin Timberlake wanna-be's, just new. The family across the street and down one house, Pia, Ben, and Tacia, (and parents - Tonja and Brian), have welcomed us with open arms. The kids all watch out the windows to see who can go out to play first in the mornings, there is getting to be a well worn path between the two houses, and they are all so comfortable together. We have made our first friends. It's a shame their house is up for sale,huh? Luckily, their new house is only about 5 minutes away, but is will be more difficult than walking out the front door!

Hopefully, if the new family has kids, OUR kids can be as welcoming and make the newer ones feel like they fit right in. They've had a good example to follow....as a mom, I just hope as they get older, they follow the good examples and make sound decisions. Most moms I know have times of self-doubt, days when we feel like the worst mommy ever....all we can do is pray they go in the right direction.

Chris had the kids today while I worked in my classroom. He is whooped. hee hee. Sometimes I think it does a daddy good to be in charge for a whole extended period of time. He is extremely capable, as he showed when I stayed in OH for four days in the middle of the move! I like to call it "Job Appreciation".

1, 2, 3 strikes you're out!

Today the kids went to their first baseball game - the State College Spikes. It is only a single A team, and the kids know NOTHING about baseball, but it was fun. My new director gave us the tickets as a "welcome to State College" evening. Sweet, huh?
Some highlights of our trip:

Mikey says "I smell giraffe poop. Does anyone else smell giraffe poop?" (We were near the chicken coops, I guess.)

Mikey kept asking "When will it start?" It HAD started, but he was waiting for the "big boom". He could hear the games in Colorado Springs begin by the fireworks they started the game with. Once he explained he was waiting for the "big boom" I had to show him they were already playing. He was bummed he missed the beginning.

Molly says "Are we outside?" Now, mind you, this was after 4 innings of baseball...Geez, we hope she gets a good sorority bid and marries a nice engineer...

Molly screaming for cotton candy - she throws a HUGE fit, and in the middle of it screams "THEN BUY ME SOME ICE CREAM!!" What a princess.

Mikey asked "why can't EVERYONE couldn't play baseball?" oh, and "Why can't I stand on the dugout?"

We did manage to last until the 5th inning, which isn't bad considering it started at 7:05 and the kids are usually in bed around 7:30.

It's after the ninth inning here at home, the garage looks a lot better than it did this morning, and I'm off to bed.

Everything is so GREEN here. It has rained several times now, and this is what I see as I sit on the couch and watch the Earth being cleaned. Luckily, the rain doesn't last all day, and it isn't accompanied by lightning, hail and strong winds like in Colorado Springs - it is just a nice, gentle rain. Thought you might like to see my view of the world.