A very late Christmas post...

Molly is sporting the tiara and earrings that Michael got her for Christmas. This was Christmas Eve after church when we let them open one present. The sweetest part of Christmas morning?

Even with all of the presents under the tree, they insisted they dig out what they had gotten us FIRST. They went shopping with some Girl Scouts at a "Santa Shop" earlier in the month. Instead of tearing into all of their gifts, they wanted to give us ours first, so they could see how happy they made us. We wouldn't have cared if GARBAGE was in those little stapled bags they gave us. Molly gave me a "lovely" jeweled pen, and Mikey gave me a bracelet. He gave Chris a tablet and pen with the American flag on them ('cause he knows that's Daddy's favorite flag) and Molly gave him a Christmas tree photo foam frame. After we "ooooh" 'ed and "aahhhh" 'ed, THEN they were willing to open the rest of the presents. We couldn't have been prouder.

They got Leapsters for Christmas and have turned into teenagers overnight. They would sit and play those things all day if we let them! Molly's other favorite present is a My Little Pony ice cream truck and Mikey's is his Rubik's cube. They got lots of neat gifts from lots of people and started their Thank You notes today!

Some old pictures of Mikey, too.

Here is Mikey when we went to visit my mom and dad for the month of Dec. 2002. Chris had finals at AFIT, so Mikey and I went down and moved in for an entire month! I was already quite pregnant with Molly, so the help was appreciated.

Then, in March, we went to Roanoke to see my dad's mom. It was the last time I saw her, so I was glad we went and took Mikey. Look how pregnant I was with Molly! Oh, those were the days.... ha ha.

Fast forward to Molly's first birthday. I think the noise was too much for him. In this picture he was 2 and almost 1 month.

I looked for decent pictures of this week, but I don't know how they are labeled on the computer, so I'll have to post it later.

This one will work. Here they are with Mark the day before Thanksgiving.


Ok, I really do have to go clean up anything today. Just anything. :-)

Miss Molly

Here she is at Christmas in 03...

And HERE she is at Christmas 07...

She still makes me laugh.

The Loser Blog

I'm sorry I haven't blogged in ages. My mom and dad came to visit, which was incredible amounts of fun, thanks for asking! I, of course, being the Great Blogger that I am, took not one single picture the whole time they were here. I suck.

The tree is up, the presents are bought (although not wrapped or shipped to the people they go to!), and Christmas is coming. Oh, that reminds me of the funniest t-shirt I saw downtown.

So, Teresa (my college roommate), Rey, and her boys came for the weekend. We went shopping downtown to this t-shirt store. It is green and has a picture of Santa on it. His mouth is open, and his shoulders are bare. The t-shirt says "Santa is coming!"

I've laughed about it since Saturday. It STILL cracks me up!!

The Preemie Club

My friend from England, Debs, brought this to my attention. Check it out.

www.prayforkyle.com

My mom and dad are here visiting, so I'll post a real blog entry later!

This is Mikey and his friend.

I took it during a hayride at Halloween, and it was the first time I met her mom. Isn't she just the cutest thing??

The highlight of my week? The packages I got in the mail today.

One was my new Keurig Platinum B70 coffee/tea maker. It's my Christmas present from Chris. He THOUGHT it was coming in a plain box, but NO, it was labeled on all sides for me to see! Talk about excited!!

And the other? Kristen, my Godson's mom who still lives up the street from us in Colorado Springs sent a box. The contents? A new picture of Colin, the Godson. The kids' Christmas presents, a dress and tights that Karina outgrew for Molly, and the best thing ever. My favorite cookies. Snickerdoodles. That she made. And packed up so they wouldn't break. And shipped them across country. Some friends you just love so much you can't describe it. Thanks, Kristen. I hope I'm 1/2 of such a good friend to you!!

They crack me up.

When Chris took Mikey on his field trip he called Mikey over to a cage. He said "Mikey, take a look!" Mikey said "Baby PANDAS!!" No, they were just black and white rabbits....

Mikey had his first "own" playdate today. His friend Lizzie came home with him on the bus. I have such a big kid.

I'm TRYING to become computer savvy...

But now I've lost my links. I'd better call Wendy again.

I love Wendy. For so many reasons.

But the main one this second is because she designed me a new blog. Don't you just LOVE it???

Get in line, ladies. Step right up....

This man cracks me up. Life is definitely never boring here in the Solo household. I think I've even convinced him to wear it to Thanksgiving Dinner. Should be a BIG hit!!

Let's see what else is going on around here.

Mikey had an Upper Respiratory Infection last week so we kept him home for two days. Chris let me go to work in the mornings while he stayed home, and then I stayed home while he went to class or into his office. They played a lot of trains while they were home, as evidenced here:

That is their GeoTrax train, which they LOVE. Mikey is really good at switching the switches for the tracks.

They also have the old stand-by:

He's now all better and we just keep the humidifier in his room at night.

Other news that's fit to tell:

- We're going to Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving. We are heading over on Thursday, and coming home either Friday or Sat. (For those of you reading this stalking us, please don't come rob our house!)

- Tomorrow we will go visit Mark for a few hours. He is flying home to Williamsport tonight and he always drives to see us, so tomorrow we will make the trip to see him. Added bonus: seeing Pop-Pop and Grandma Keller! I can't wait to give Mark a big ol' hug tomorrow!

- Erin is having her baby. Tonight. I keep checking the book club portal to see what's going on. Had him! You guys will have to wait to hear from her.

I'm off to watch a movie with Chris now that I know Ephraim is here and all is well. Sitting on the computer is over for me for this evening.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Dining Out

Last night we went to Dining Out. I know a lot of you don't really like the whole "military thing", but I really, really do. Really do.

So, we got a sitter, got cleaned up, and out we went.

Let me think of anything else to blog about...oh, we went to Mikey's kindergarten conference.

They wanted to take him out of speech. Most parents would think "Wow, that's great that my kid doesn't need speech anymore! Yahoo!!" Not this mom.

All I could think of was "I've had this kid in speech since he was 18 months old, most people can't understand all that he says, he sounds aren't clear at all, and YOU WANT TO TAKE HIM OUT OF SPEECH?!? Are you CRAZY???"

So, I told them I would take the papers home, read them, sign them, and return them, but they would NOT be checked in the box they wanted checked. A couple of hours later the speech teacher was calling me here at home to set up an IEP meeting to start speech again. I went to bed a much happier mommy that night.

My friend Joe came up for the Ohio game and that was a lot of fun. It seemed he hadn't changed since I was 17. Same sense of humor, same laugh. Just older like me.

Bo came up for the Purdue game. He hadn't been here since The Reunion in July, and we were sad his whole family couldn't come, but it was fun to see him again, too. Can I tell you how much I LOVE having a spare bedroom in State College? When hotels are $250 a night with a two night minimum over football weekends the Solo room is free, breakfast included. What better deal can you get? I think it should be illegal to jack up the prices of a room because of the game, but it isn't. So, what can you do...

Here's a yummy recipe.

Poppy Seed Bread (really cake, but I feel healthier if I call it Bread)

1 box Betty Crocker Butter Pecan cake mix

1 package French Vanilla instant pudding mix

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup poppy seeds

4 large eggs

1 cup hot tap water

Preheat over to 350. Mix all ingredients well and bake for 20-50 minutes, depending on the container used. I use a Bundt cake pan and bake it for close to 50 minutes. You can use cupcakes or loaves, too....

OK, I guess that's about it. I've doing a craft show next weekend to take orders for cards to me make for Christmas. Last year I did the same thing about made about $120, so I'm pretty excited. I love getting paid for something I enjoy doing!!

(No Susie Solo = porn name = paid-for-something-I-enjoy-doing jokes necessary)

Per Kristen's request...

Here they are. One of The Incredibles and Scooby Doo. This was taken last week when we went trick-or-treating at the local Wegman's. Have I told you how much I LOVE that place?

Anyway, quick post just for a quick picture.

Last night we had fun on a pretty warm night, and we had a total of nine (9) kids come to the house. Kinda lame.

I hope all of you had fun, and I've been checking your blogs to see pictures. I still want to see a certain lawyer dressed up as Dorothy with her red sparkly shoes....hee hee.

My hero.

You see what he bought? And do you see who is using it? Hooray!! It's a leaf blower, and I don't even have to use it!! What a great day in my little life. Here is what is left to fall on us:

So, he will get a lot of use out of it!

Mikey went on a field trip today to a pumpkin farm, and Chris got to go with the class. Here they are on their adventure.

Oh, funny story. Well, maybe not funny. But a quick story. Chris went out of town last weekend to go to his cousin's wedding in FL. It was the Ohio State game, they are ranked #1, it is a home game, and Chris has to leave. He's bummed.

So, I say to him "Do you mind if I invite Joe to come to the game with me? I'd like to see him, and I haven't seen him in 15 years, and we have your ticket..."

His response? "Go ahead. That's fine with me."

A few days later, I think about it, and just want to clarify that he really IS "fine" with it. I ask him again "Are you SURE you don't mind if Joe comes? You don't know him, and you'll be out of town, and I just wanted to make sure..." His response? "Well, he's not going to be on my side of the BED, is he?" And then he laughed.

I picked up the house after Chris left, but before Joe came to town. I was on the phone to Chris and said "Well, most of the house is pretty good. I threw what was left in our bedroom. After all, he won't see that....well....maybe he WILL!!"

Chris laughed and said "Don't worry about it. He'll just see the ceiling."

See why I love that man?

I am editing the post, because I forgot about this. More proof. He's my hero.

Wifey,

I bought the domain name www.susiesolo.com tonight. We own it for 2 years. (I found a promo code, so it cost less than $15 total for two years.) I will show you how it works. For now, I have it set up so that when you type www.susiesolo.com, your blog shows up (it redirects to your blog page..or wherever you might want it to.) Cool, huh? Indeed, I am the best husband.

Looking ahead: One of these days, you and I are going to write a book based on our experiences, including those documented in your blog. I thought buying www.susiesolo.com would be a good idea.

I love you.

-Christopher

I don't mind getting older. As long as I don't mature.

Yes, I'm getting older. The good part of getting older is you get better presents. Look what I got this year!

It is a watercolor print of Old Main, and is the view I had from my college apartment. The triple-matting and frame are so beautiful - I put it up in the living room immediately!

Fall is officially here. I've tarped some leaves from the backyard and the colors are stunning. Here is one of the first leaves that fell:

And with the fall comes more tailgating. We had 3 home games in a row, and that wore us out!! Luckily we had 2 weeks to recover, then had 2 more at home, and have this weekend off. I know those of you from PSU really don't feel sorry for us at all - having to tailgate and sit through every home game. It's a tough life. Really it is.

The kids are still playing soccer. Molly has a game on Tuesdays, Mikey has a game on Wednesdays, and they both have games on Sundays. We spend a lot of time at these fields.

Chris is one of her coaches and she LOVES it. That is Becca sitting next to her. They are best friends from school and asked to be on the same team. She's a lovely girl.

Mikey plays with a couple of his friends, and they are getting to be pretty good! The big Solo news? They BOTH scored goals this week!!

Oh, we also did a Poker Ride on campus! It was put on by the Campus Police, and the Bike Club, and I think some other group, too. It promoted bicycle safety, so we let Mikey ride it with us and borrowed a bike trailer to pull Molly. She likes being pulled like an infant...Mikey got the best hand in the whole competition, so we won a $50 gift certificate to downtown! It was a yummy Indian dinner for my birthday.

We also had the Homecoming Parade last weekend. Boy, was it a fun parade! There were over 50 floats, people juggling fire, and of course, what parade is complete without the band?

And of course, it wouldn't be October without a jack-o-lantern on the front porch, would it?

So, that has been the Solo household lately. We meet Grandma and Pop-Pop Keller at The Creamery every Wednesday for ice cream, have a play date or two in the afternoons throughout the week, have Bible study on Monday afternoons, soccer Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays, tailgating and football games on Saturdays, and one week starts to look like the last one and the next one. I think it will only get busier as they get older, so I enjoy from 3-4 in the afternoons while they watch PBS and I can check my email and blogs!

Susie's Birthday

Hey everyone...don't forget to wish Susie a Happy Birthday!!! (Oct 14th.) I know she'll be mad that I hacked into her blog account, so I'd better say some nice stuff. Honestly, Susie is the most wonderful, loving, involved, loyal, caring, funny, off-color, tell-it-like-it-is, loves-the-simple-things-in-life, gets-grumpy-when-she's-hungry, doesn't-hear-me-when-she's-reading, doesn't-know-where-the-mop-is, once-put-a-cat-terd-in-my-shoe-'cause-she-was-mad-at-me, best-Mommy-in-the-world person I've ever been in love with. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETHEART! Love, Chris

The power of prayer.

We have had some unusually warm weather here - like, in the upper 80's this weekend. Chris and I were taking the kids to the football game. So, we buy them each a ticket outside of the gate and in we go. Since it was so hot, I asked Chris to stop to get us each a water. He stopped, pulled out his wallet, and had ONE DOLLAR in there. Now, there is NO ATM in the stadium. I didn't have my purse, since I didn't want to stand in the "bagcheck line", and if you go outside of the stadium to use the ATM, you can't get back in the stadium. What to do, what to do...?

I immediately thought of our next door neighbor, Rebecca. She is a PSU police officer, and works in command control underneath the stadium. So, I tell Chris to take the kids to the seats, I'll find us money for water. I go to track down Rebecca, only to be told she is out of the stadium at that time. I proceed to leave her a note that went something like this:
"We brought Mikey and Molly to the game, but are out of $. It is hot and they need water.
Section SH, Row 46, Seat 8. Thanks! Susie"

As I leave command control, all I could think of was my responsibility as a parent was to take care of my children. I was failing. I said aloud to the thousands of people entering the stadium "God, what do I do now...??" I walked about 20 yards, if that, and entering the stadium was Pastor Lynn from my school!! I said a quick prayer of thanks, explained the situation, and borrowed $10 until Monday at school. I felt much better as a mom.

I go all the way to our seats, and flash the money to Chris. I told him I had borrowed it from Pastor Lynn! He said "You borrowed MONEY from a PASTOR?!" I said "Yup, sure did." Chris asked me where the waters were, but I was so excited, I had forgotten to get them! So, I went to the bathroom and stood in line for waters. There wasn't really a line, just one dude in front of me buying 6 waters. He turned around, and it was my neighbor! As I bought the kids each a water, I was laughing, telling him the story of how I was buying the water. He insisted I take a $20 to last the game, since I had "two kids and four quarters". So, I took the change, his $20, and the waters back to the seats. Chris said "Where did you get THAT money??" I told him I ran into Greg, and he laughed, saying only I could go to Beaver Stadium, and in 109,000 people find two that I know well enough to borrow money.

Later, Mikey said "Hey! There's Miss Rebecca!" She had come to the rescue with a water, and offered us money, too, but by then, we were fine.

See, one deliberate prayer, and the kids were fine for the whole game. God is indeed good.

Mikey has received speech therapy since he was 18 months old. We are used to his speech. Molly is now starting to say things a little differently, but not as he says them. It started this summer....

"poach" is porch
"cone" is corn
The funniest? Over the weekend she threw a ball into a tub. She shouted "SKWO!"

At the game, she always wanted to know what the "skwo" was. I wonder when she'll realize it is score.....

A Bad Influence

Sometimes I think the kids spend TOO much time with Chris. He is such a hands-on daddy. I love him all the more for it. However, the kids are now old enough to pick up on his cues.

Lately when I get out of the shower, or Mikey walks in on me in my underwear I hear one of two comments from him.

a.) THAT'S what I'M talkin' about!

or

b.) Just in Time....

I don't want him to think that is what all men say to all women when they are scantily clad. But I laugh every time, which probably only encourages him further. Honestly, how can I NOT laugh??

They USED to be babies.

Sometimes I miss them being babies. No, not the waking up in the middle of the night, not the changing diapers, not the crying, colic, acid reflux or lactose intolerance. Just the baby. Feeding them at 4 am, knowing that we were the only ones awake on our street. The cuddles and the clutch of their hand on my shirt. The gummy grins.

I've come to the realization that we as a family have moved past that stage. We no longer need strollers, swings, exersaucers, bottles, wipes, diapers, sippy cups, or changing tables. And we never will again. In some respects, it is a little bit sad. Not that I WANT it again, and to be honest, not that I really remember much of it the first time...they were just so close in age.

But now, we have two soccer players. Two kids that are line leaders and snack providers this week. Two kids that can play in the backyard if I keep an ear on them. One that can ride without training wheels, and one that isn't too far behind. We have two best friends who are exploring the world together.

I still like looking at their baby pictures.

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Tonight we were playing a game to get the kids to eat their dinner. I started it with "If you think you had fun playing soccer today, eat a carrot..."

Chris and I made up a few, and the kids loved it. Then, Mikey said "OH, I'VE got one!!"



He then said "If you think mommy spends money faster than daddy can make it, eat a green bean..."
I couldn't eat from laughing!

Summer lovin', had me a blast....



Look at my big kids. Aged 5 and 4, but big kids now. Sure, it's only a little coaster, but they LOVED it!! They really are at such a fun age.


Things to think about in my life lately:


1. Football season is FUN!! Tailgating three weeks in a row takes a lot out of a girl, let me tell you! I know, I know, most of you have no pity at all. I'm lucky to be able to do it for this season and next...and I love having friends come to visit for game weekends. That's the sole reason for buying a house with the 4th bedroom.


2. School started. I think both classes will be really good this year. My MWF class is already pretty easy, and I have high hopes for my TR class. Even if not, I only see them twice a week! LOL


3. My friend had a son killed in Iraq this month. My heart aches for her as it hasn't in a long time. I really wish I could do something for her. She lives in CO, and lived near us in OH, too. Came to the wedding, had a son the same week I had Mikey (Dane was much older, from a previous marriage), and had another after I had Molly. Such a wonderful mom, such a wonderful family. He was such a good kid. You know, lots of people say "Oh, he's a good kid..." But Dane WAS a good kid. Sparkly eyes, good manners, could carry a decent conversation with adults on his own. Grew up right in front of me. Gone. What a terrible loss.


4. Fall is arriving. Leaves will have to be raked soon. Shit.


5. My book club had a reunion this past weekend in FL. Luckily, I didn't buy a ticket to go, because I was on the couch not feeling well for a lot of the weekend. Although I do miss them. You want to know what stinks? I wasn't feeling well, I didn't eat much for 3 days, and I don't think I lost a single pound!! I wish I had at LEAST lost some of my gut....


6. I have my first PTO meeting tonight as a PARENT. Boy, do I feel old.


7. Both kids have started soccer season. So, now we have soccer on Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and twice on Sunday. When you have to be out of the house by 5:30, having dinner already eaten, the early bird specials at old people restaurants are looking pretty appealing...!


8. Mikey came home with "The Mystery Box" from kindergarten on Friday. He was so excited that he had all weekend to think of something for it. You have to choose an item, write 3 clues, and take it to school to see who can guess it. Whoever guesses correctly gets to take the box home! (Unless you've already had a turn, then you pick a stick with a kids name on it to see who gets it.)
His clues were:
- it is white
- it is light
- you take it camping


Answer: a marshmallow!