My little Adasen

has such a big heart and a true talent for art...... I tried to scan and save something that she made but my darned scanner isn't working. I can only copy. I tell ya'!

Adasen made a little card for Checkers (her hammy that passed). You'll have to get a mental picture of it since I can't scan it and share it with you. :0)

The front of the card has Adasen (and her face is a heart). She is saying, "I love you Checkers" and there are about thirty hearts floating around her along with x and o's. There is a little tombstone on the ground that reads, "Here lies Checkers" and on the side there is a little note that says, "You were a hamster like no other. I love you."

The inside of the card to the left has a hamster wheel (hamsters spend about six hours per night on their wheel) and it says, "Big hamster wheel in the sky." Her first hamster Kool Aid is walking towards the big wheel and Checkers is floating up from the ground towards the wheel in a big heart balloon. Adasen is on the ground crying. (As I am as I type this.)

On the right side of the card there is a little milkbone with angel wings (Checkers loved his milkbones. They helped to keep his little teeth short)

The card reads.... Checkers I will miss you very much. I hope you enjoy Kool Aid your brother. I'm so glad you did not suffer. You just fell asleep on a gentle cloud. I was glad to have been your Mom. You were not just a pet. You were my friend. I will love you forever even if I get another hamster. Love, Mom

There is a big heart with angel wings below her message and then below that reads.... PS, Did you hear me cry? xoxoxoxoxo

OH MY GOSH! What more can I say? This card says it all....... what a loving, giving, Motherly child I have in little Adasen. I am blessed!

Rest in peace sweet little Checkers and know that you were loved. Truly loved.

RIP little Checkers.....

Our hearts are heavy this evening as we grieve the loss of Adasen's little hamster, Checkers. This is Adasen's second hamster and I must say that she was a devoted and caring hammy Mommy to each of her little men.

Adasen had her first hamster, Kool Aid for just about three months. We were told that Kool Aid was an infant when we got him but we later learned that he was much older and very sickly. He had tumors and a bad kidney and when he passed, it was devastating to her.

This time around, we were more prepared. We had been talking about Checkers coming up on two years old and that hamsters normally only live between 2-3 years max and the norm being closer to two. We saw Checkers aging the past few months and really slowing down over the past few weeks. Adasen celebrated Checkers' birthday on November 10th and continued to spend time with him, talk to him, and just love on him each and every day. We continued to talk about how happy Checkers was and what a great life he had, etc...

When Adasen came screaming down the hall, I knew that Checkers was gone. It was still just as devastating as when Kool Aid died because we had more time to get to know and love Checkers.

My heart broke into a million pieces when I heard Adasen's cries. It is a horrible feeling to see your little one suffering such a loss. It literally took my breath away.

Thankfully, Checkers passed away peacefully in his sleep. He was in his little igloo that he loved so much and it was comforting to Adasen to know that Checkers did not suffer the way that Kool Aid did.

Adasen cried herself to sleep and it was so hard to listen to. I know that she needed to grieve so I cuddled with her for a few minutes more and then I left.

What a sad night. God rest your sweet soul little Check Check. I pray that the Lord gives my little girl peace tonight.

More pictures from our first competition this season

Madison Competition

The girls had their first competition of the season on Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin. They took first place but more importantly they had fun! They are dancing in the Starlette Hip Hop this season. It's their first ever experience with hop hop style dance. I'm very happy with the music that was chosen this year and I like the routine as well. I'm so proud of my girls! It was a fun weekend! Here are some pictures of the girls.

Parker's trip....

Parker hasn't talked much about his Mission trip since coming back. On the way home we received a call that Parker was car sick. This was strange to hear because Parker doesn't get car sick. I was obviously anxious for him to get back because I thought he might have eaten something that didn't agree with him. I didn't want him vomiting in anyone's car especially since it was almost a three hour drive home.

When Parker first got home he told us that he did a lot of dishes and that he had a great time. He fell asleep on the sofa around 4 and I woke him up for supper. My son never naps during the day. After supper he took a shower and went to bed. He never woke up until his alarm went off the next morning for school. The kid was exhausted!

Parker has offered up a few things here and there about his trip and he seems to have had a wonderful time and enjoyed the work that he did, but he's just not too chatty about it. I thought he would have tons of stories to tell me. Well, there was one about how the girls toilet papered the boys' cabin and how the boys had to get revenge and return the favor..... lol

Parker took a four hour first aid/cpr class through the Red Cross last night to earn his Readyman Badge for Scouts. When he got home he informed me that based on everything he learned in class, he was certain that he had heat exhaustion on his last day at the Ranch where he went for his Misson trip. Apparantly it was like a sauna in the dish area (they serve several hundred kids plus staff I believe at a time) and that he was there for several hours that morning prior to returning home.

I had no idea and felt terrible that I didn't consider anything like this when Parker first came back. I thought he was just tired from working so much. I guess I won't be getting the Mother of the Year Award anytime soon.....

My son's mission trip.....

My son Parker is eleven years old. He is very mature for his age and I am so proud to be his Mother.

Parker has always wanted to go on a Mission's trip. He found out that in his third year of Breakout (Religion Class) he would have the opportunity to take a mission trip.

Parker was beyond excited when the paperwork came out for the mission trip. I signed him up that day, paid his fees, and ran the paperwork up to church as there is limited space for the trip. Parker was accepted!

He leaves this Friday evening and returns Sunday afternoon. He will be staying at the Silver Birch Ranch in Wisconsin. This place has camping, weekend retreats, etc... and Parker will be doing various things to help out. The mission trip is called the Dish Crew so I have a feeling Parker will be doing a lot of dishes.

He will also have opportunities to dig into the Word, spread the Gospel, pray.... and he's so excited and so ready for this new adventure!

I could not be more proud of my son for wanting to do this.

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he will be traveling away from home with people we don't know.

I'm on the mend.....

Finally! It has been a week from you know what! Today was the first day I was able to get dressed and do my hair. The rest of the week was spent in my lounge wear. Yesterday I was in bed all day except when I got up to eat a few bites of lunch that Greg picked up for me. I haven't been this sick in years!

I had family visiting today and I had to get up and going because it was Parker's last football game for the season. They won... 26-13 I believe. It was a great game!

The girls spent the day at Chaps with Grandma. They had a blast!!!

Now I'm just enjoying the breeze that is coming through the window. I'm so happy to finally feel a little bit better. I should be back to normal in a few more days. Woo hoo!

Blech....

that's the only word that comes to mind. I'm either having side effects from my new medicine or I've contracted a cold. I have a sore throat, bright yellow junk coming from my sinuses (but no sinus pressure per say), and I'm so tired! Not a fun feeling.....

It will be a long night because the girls have dance. I just want to be in my jammies!!

Adult Onset Acne

I'm suffering with it. I can't say living with it because I truly feel like I'm suffering! I never had problems with acne as a child. I may have had an occasional chin zit during my period but that was it. My acne started after I had Parker. It was mild back then but still bothersome considering the fact that I never had to deal with it prior to giving birth. I tried Clinique makeup and cleansing system for several years. It never seemed to help much. I tried Pro Activ. Benzoyl Peroxide doesn't do it for me. I finally saw my Doctor and was told I could go on the pill. Greg had a vasectomy in 2000 so I could go off of the pill. I don't do well on the pill. I declined the pill. My Doctor put me on an oral antibiotic and told me to wash my face with Dial soap. Appparantly the Triclosan in the soap was good for clearning up acne. My acne worsened and I finally saw a Dermatologist who put me on another oral antibiotic along with two topicals... Differin gel and Evoclin (topical antibiotic). I stayed on the antibiotic from October until July of the next year and finally decided that I didn't want antibiotics in my system any longer (I did notice that they helped but did NOT clear them up by any means.) My acne has been the worst it has ever been for the past two months. I am almost 100% sure that my acne is hormonal because it only flairs up around my period and when I ovulate but it takes so darned long to clear up. My Dermatologist wanted to put me on Spironolactone and after several months of hesitation, I decided to give it a try. I'm on day two and all I can think about are the terrible side effects. There is a possibility for.......dry mouth, lots of peeing, a bad taste in my mouth that my spouse could taste, sore breasts, sore muscles, sore throat, tiredness.....I could have chest pain at some point. I might also have visible veins, yellowing of the skin, low blood pressure, increased potassium levels (to the point of it being dangerous), irregular periods....oh, and this drug has caused tumors in lab rats. SCARY! I just don't know what is worse at this point. My face is horrible...... just horrible.
Now, with all do fairness, I know that most drugs out there can POTENTIALLY have some nasty side effects, but still......I'm not taking most drugs. I'm taking this one. And I'm scared.
I can't believe that I'm blogging about acne but I'm just so tired of feeling icky......and I'm hoping that this medicine helps me but I'm not holding my breath.

Go Badgers!

Parker did so well today! His team (Badgers) won their game. The score was 40-0. I was so proud of the boys! Parker made one tackle on his own and assisted with two more tackles. He was blocking two kids at a time! Go Badgers!

Update on Sealants

As most of you know, we met with our Dentist. He agreed to see all three children and to discuss removing and/or replacing the sealants (they have new and improved sealants now) at no cost to us.

We meet with the Dentist on the 20th of October.

I'm furious.....hurt....confused.....

I feel misled and very let down. By the Dentist.....not the Dentist himself but the office.. I guess.
We have been going to the same Dentist since 1994. When we first moved to Appleton we didn't even have jobs. Greg's tooth cracked and he needed a crown put on. We called so many people and no one would see us unless we paid in cash.....up front. Then we called Dr. Hornseth. He agreed to see Greg AND to have us make payments on the bill. We were elated, appreciative, and oh so thankful! We had many opportunities over the years to move to a different provider but we chose to stick with this office because of that first encounter. It meant that much to us.

We were advised four years ago to have Sealants put on Parker's teeth. They were supposed to protect the teeth so that cavities could not form. I wanted to research the sealants before making a decision so I held off on getting them put on.

After that, I read from a friend that sealants could possibly leach into the tooth and cause cancer later in life.... NO THANKS!

I declined sealants but was approached at our next cleaning that we should really consider the sealants because it was in Parker's best interest, etc... They also assured me that the sealant they used did not have Bisphenol A in it and that it would NOT cause cancer.

I really didn't want to have sealants put on. I mean, I never had sealants on my teeth and the few cavities I did get were covered with metal fillings that contain mercury.....which by the way are now considered BAD for you. They have removed mine and replaced them with the compository fillings.

But anyway..... I eventually gave in and got Parker's teeth (molars) sealed. I thought we were fine.

Until recently. Parker had an appointment scheduled for a routine cleaning. Greg took him. Greg was told that Parker's sealants were coming off and that they would have to replace them. I was a little put off by that but didn't quetion it. Until I called to get information on his appointment. I was told that the sealant could not be replaced so they had to give my son a FILLING!!!!!!!! My son who never had a cavity now had to get TWO fillings because the blasted sealants were coming off of his teeth. Oh my gosh! I was in tears!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I immediately wanted answers...... I got, "Well, a lot of research and technology has happened in four years. They don't even make sealants with the same material that they did four years ago when Parker had his done." "Parker was unlucky enough to get caught in the time frame where they were still in the beginning phases of their research." Sooooooooooo my son was a guinea pig? What the heck?

I am truly trying to type this in a calm fashion.....but my blood is boiling. Boiling!

I dig a little deeper and discover that not only was the sealant coming off of Parker's teeth but that MICROSCOPIC BACTERIA COULD HAVE BEEN TRAPPED UNDERNEATH THE SEALANT CAUSING DECAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Could it get any worse???? My child who many never ever have had problems with those teeth now has problems. Well, I was assured that the problem was corrected when the sealant was removed and the filling put in place. BUT what happens when four years from now the "research and technology" has advanced even further and I get even worse news about these procedures?!

I asked about Adasen and Ida who have both received sealants on their teeth. I was told that their sealants may be just fine. It all depends on their saliva and how it reacts with the sealant. Oh, and I said, "And what if there were MICROSCOPIC BACTERIA ON THEIR TEETH WHEN THE SEALANT WAS PUT ON?????" Wellllllllllllll was my response. Wellllllllll I'm freaking pissed!

As a parent I do my very best to PROTECT my children. Not hurt them. I feel so misled. So hurt.

Oh, but I was credited $80 for my portion of Parker's original sealant cost. Well, now doesn't that just make it all better? NOT!

We made it through our first week.....

at school and at work. The kids love their teachers thank goodness. I am loving my daycare schedule so far.

It was a wonderful first week!

Today the girls start their technical dance lessons with Marsden. Tomorrow they start their regular season at Fox Valley Stars. They are in the Starlette Hip Hop group this year so it will be interesting to see them do this type of dance. Ida seems more fluid with her movements than Adasen does. Adasen did really well with the pom style dance so I'm hoping she goes back to that next season. LOL I never want to discourage my girls in anything they want to try so I thought I'd let them do the Hip Hop this time around.

Parker starts band this coming week. He is playing the Baritone. It's very big and very loud. The dogs hate it. Parker also plays the electric guitar. He has been taking private lessons for just over a year now and he is really good at it. I love to hear him play the guitar. He even wrote his own song (music notes and all) and he and his teacher recorded it. I think Parker has a musical gift and I hope that he continues to explore this talent!

I think that's about it for now. We are leaving for church in a few minutes.

Happy Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!

More pics.....from our White Pine week

Beautiful sunset. Girls collecting rocks from the water. Girls roasting marshmallows by the fire.

I'll try to add a few more pictures.....

Adasen and Ida with their butterfly "Flutter." Flutter stayed with the girls for several days. When we were gone Flutter was gone. When we were outside, Flutter showed up and hung out. Flutter even drank home made nectar from my hand. It was so cool to watch!

So I tried to add pictures.......

but it only allowed me to add one and it put it at the bottom of the blog..... so obviously I have to work on this some more. I have hundreds (literally) of pictures to share. I would of course condense but I'd at least like to add ten or twenty. LOL Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!! Please...

Well, I just added two more pictures to this blog entry. One is of my girlies Adasen and Ida and the other is of Parker with his authentic Sombrero and Mexican blanket. He bargained for these while he was vacationing in Mexico this summer with his Papaw.

Anyway, back to my original question....... I still need help with the pictures. LOL I'm a dork.

It's Friday.....

only three days left of freedom after today and then it's back to work and school. Then it's religion classes, football, dance, guitar, lots of homework..... and all of the fun things that come with this time of year. I hate to wish any days away but I was already looking in my planner to see when our next time off will be.... we have two days off in October! I'm so bad.....

I'm back......

It has been a busy week and a half! Greg and I celebrated 14 years of marriage on the 20th. We took the kids up to Michigan on the 19th so Greg's parents could watch them for us. We just wanted a few days to ourselves (well, we still had to care for the dogs, the fish, and the hamster. The snake was ok. LOL) to hang out and be a couple.

We took in a few movies. Stepbrothers has terribly crude humor but my goodness we laughed so hard. The entire movie had us in stitches.

We ate an amazing restaurant in Green Bay called Hinterland. The menu was beyond anything I had ever seen in my life. Well, except on Chef Gordon Ramsey's show, Hell's Kitchen. The food itself was unbelievable! Greg and I never tasted so many wonderful flavors and each complimented the next. It was an amazing dining experience that we will treasure for a very long time.

Greg and I did a lot of little things but we laughed and we talked....and we held hands. It was so refreshing to have that time together. We are already looking ahead to next August!!

This week has been filled with last minute school errands, an interview for my daycare, and lots of organizing! I'm tired...... and school starts in a few short days?? Goodness, where did my summer go? It was over in the blink of an eye.

The kids are all played out and they are ready to get back to the school routine. It's a welcomed change at least for the first week or two. LOL

Yummy!

I just had spicy roll sushi and fish dumplings for supper. The wasabi paste really gives it the zinngggg that I love so much!

Tomorrow is our big day! We are taking the kiddos up to MI (1 1/2 hours away) to spend time with their Grandparents so that Greg and I can have some much needed couple time!! Our 14th wedding anniversary is on Wed.

We have reservations at a nice restaurant in Green Bay (Hinterland). We also plan to take in a few movies, to catch a comedy show at The Comedy Cafe, to do some walking on the Ave, and to get smoothies (soooo healthy)!

I'm just excited to have some alone time with my MAN!! LOL

If the house is a rocken', don't come a knocken'! LMSO!

Oh my goodness....

I forgot that I have been blogging. No kidding. I have been checking everyone else's blogs and keeping up to date on their life's happenings but I've neglected to blog about my own. LOL I tell ya', I do have natural blond highlights. :0)

We had friends visiting today from Bonduel (about 45 minutes away). We normally only see them twice a year but when we do get together, it's wonderful! My friend Lynn is a Christian and she always makes me hunger to be closer to God when she's around. She is so positive and she always makes me smile. I love her.

Her daughter and son did not want to leave when it was time to go and that made me feel good.

It took me eight hours to thoroughly clean yesterday (vacuumed vents, ceiling fan, baseboards, etc....) and it was so nice to just enjoy the day and not worry about the way the house looked.

I feel refreshed!!!

I finished it......

I read the last book in the Twilight Series, Breaking Dawn in less than one full day. I can't believe I went from being a non reader to reading six books in less than one summer! I absolutely loved Stephenie Meyer's books!! Loved them!

I'll always be a Bella and Edward fan! And Jacob, and Nessie...... and Charlie..... and Alice, Esme, Carlisle, etc......

My eyes are so tired from reading. The book was over 700 pages long.

I'm off to rest. :0)

We're back.....

and the girls had a blast! I had fun too, although there were some low points that I choose not to go into detail about. I just want to focus on the good things!

We got a tour of the copper mine in White Pine, Michigan. The kids loved it. I saw tons of tiny bats and took lots of pictures. Adorable!

We hiked in the Porcupine Mountains to see the Falls. Amazing.....the sound of the rushing waters and the views were breathtaking to say the least.

We ate at Konteka restaurant. There is a glass window that separates you from wild bears eating food tossed out by the restaurant workers. It was so fun to watch the bears in action. (These are not hand raised bears. They wander in from the forest at their leisure.) We were told that a coyote and a few other critters wander in but we only saw three black bears.

We spent a day at the beach collecting beautiful rocks and walking along the shore to view a ship wreck.

We saw the sunset at this special spot where people come and sit on benches and washed up logs..... they make fires, cook, roast marshmallows, serenade their spouses, etc... and take tons and tons of pictures of the beautiful scenery. We went twice and I could have gone every night.

There was a beautiful butterfly that befriended the three girls while we were at the cabin. This butterfly (Flutter) was always with the girls. He would rest on their shirts, their hands, etc.... Flutter even drank sugar water from my hand. It was so awesome to have a butterfly drink home made nectar from my hand! Flutter would sleep in his bush at night and then find the girls in the morning or when we were at home in the evening hours. Yes, I have lots of pictures!

We also visited Janice's friend's cabin that sits on 80 acres of beautiful property. Gary takes pride in his place and it shows! Gary has a huge (and I mean huge) pond that he stoked with turtles and fish. The kids caught turtles and then had a race with them to see which one could get back to the water the fastest. Talk about fun! Adasen is my little country girl. She caught nine turtles on her own. Ida caught one with my help. She was content to try and it was fun to watch her go after the frogs.

We had a wonderful time in White Pine, Michigan. We experienced so many firsts that I know I'll never forget. It was a beautiful area and a constant reminder of God's wonders.....

I have to figure out how to post pictures. As soon as I do, I promise to show them off!

The trip is back on.....knock on wood!

Janice called around 12:20 this afternoon to inquire if I had made other plans for the weekend. She went on to say that her sister was sort of pulling her strings and that she told her to go on her trip. What the heck? I started crying like a big baby and told Janice exactly how much her remarks had hurt me and that I didn't deserve to be treated like that. I also told her that she needed to get all of the details about going or not going on our trip before she called me..... so she ended up calling a few hours later to tell me that her sister did her work trip via the phone and it was all worked out for us to leave. I asked if she felt comfortable doing that given the fact that her Dad is still in the hospital, etc... offered to take separate vehicles up.... but she assured me that everything was fine and that she needed to get away. She also apologized very sincerely about what she said to me. She said that none of it was true, that she was stressed over her sister's antics and took it out on the wrong person, etc..... and I told her that I accepted and appreciated her apology, that we could still go on the trip, and that it was forgotten and not to mention it again (she's the type that apologizes again and again and again..... and I'm the type that if I accept it's done and want to move on.) Life is too short. I just want to be treated the way that I treat her....
So our trip is on. We leave tomorrow morning and will be returning Tuesday evening.
I'll be sure to give you all the scoop and share pictures (Jamie, I know you are doing a happy dance over that! LOL) once I get back.
Thanks for listening to my vent in the earlier post. I was so upset and I just needed to get it out. Shopping at Macy's helped, too. LOL In my defense, I did need a few things. LOL

Our girls' trip was canceled.....

We planned a girls' only trip with my friend Janice and her daughter months ago. Everything was set. We were going to drop Parker off in Michigan on the way up to my friend's second home in White Pine, MI. We were supposed to stay for six days..... the girls were so beyond excited to spend time away and to hang out with their friend Alex. We had day trips planned to the copper mine as well as to see a beautiful water fall. That was put to a halt this morning around 8:30 AM when my phone rang.
My friend called to tell me that her Dad is in the hospital in Milwaukee (2 1.2 hours away) with Pneumonia. The sister that is supposed to take care of everything had a last minute trip scheduled at work and she needs Janice to go and take care of their Mother and figure out what is going on with their Dad.
Janice called me from work to tell me the news.
I completely understand. Family comes first. I would want to be there for my ailing parents, too. The thing that upset me is that Janice made a few comments to me that were not kind. She said, "We could go up a day later but you wouldn't do that. That's not how you work." What????????? Yes, I'm a planner but goodness...... that really upset me. I told her that we could definitely leave on Friday. She quickly recanted and said that she just didn't know how long she would need to be there, etc..... and then I told her that I was very upset by her remark to me. She has made remarks like that in the past when she has canceled at the last minute. I don't know if it's her way of trying to make herself feel better or what. I told her that I am a very supportive and caring friend and that her remarks hurt me. I told her that I do have to plan for things because I have a husband, three children, and two dogs to care for where as she only has a daughter to be concerned with. I also explained that Parker would be in another state with his Grandparents visiting while we were away so of course I had to plan for that. Greg's Mother has been very ill lately (severe infections) and we weren't even sure if she could take Parker at all up until last week. I can't be expected to just add days on to his stay...... and they are keeping the kids the very next week while Greg and I celebrate our wedding anniversary so I can't be gone that week regardless. The week after that we have registration day and picture day for school. I mean, there are other things to be considered. Although I was very hurt and angered to be honest by Janice's remark to me, I told her that I completely understood and that I was here if she needed me. I told her to write or call and keep me posted. I will of course pray for her Dad. I will pray for her family, too.
I just don't feel that her remarks where remarks that one friend would say to another friend. Sheesh.......I'm in tears. :0(
And now I have two very disappointed girls here. That makes me super sad because they have waited all summer to do a girls' thing. I'm going to try my best to plan some smaller things over the next six days.

Shots

We had an appointment for vaccinations earlier.
Ida needed a Varicella booster and Parker needed three vaccinations. Adasen had her booster back in March. She did so well that we rewarded her with a special treat... a Webkinz.
We told Ida and Parker that if they did well for their vaccinations, they would get a special treat, too. Parker is normally the worst....kicking, screaming, hitting. He all but promised that he would not fight this time. He is in fact, eleven years old.
Ida was fairly calm for her shot. She cried a little and squirmed but she settled and it was over in an instant.
Parker found out that he only needed one shot. He was very happy to hear that news and so were we.
Greg took him in and they didn't return. I knew something was up but stayed put. Then Greg walked out to me and said, "He's fighting. I need you in here." Oh my goodness! What a nightmare. He was kicking and screaming that he didn't want a shot and that he wasn't getting a shot. There was absolutely no reasoning with him at that point. We held him down. It was not easy. He didn't even flinch when he got the poke. He said it didn't hurt. What the heck? All of that.....and it didn't even hurt.
Oh the joys!

Conversation with Greg.....

History.... I'm taking a girls only trip up North to my friend Janice's second home. It's right on the border of Lake Superior in White Pine, MI. We'll be leaving on Thursday and coming back next Tuesday evening.

So I'm in the van with Greg and we are talking about the trip. Greg says, "How long will you be gone?" To which I tell him..... and he says, "Six days? I didn't know you'd be gone that long. Are you going to make me a stew or something?"

What the heck? I laughed so hard! First of all, Greg doesn't eat stew. He doesn't like any kind of soup either. The man was in the Navy and cooked for himself long before he knew me. He can cook. BUT since marrying me, it seems that he has forgotten how to cook......and I don't mind at all because when I don't feel like cooking we order out, etc.... so it works. And he does cook on occasion if I'm sick or in the middle of something. I just thought it so funny that he's worried about how he will be fed while we are away...... I guess you had to be there.

Oh, and I told him that I'd make him a lasagna and he was happy to hear that. Men.....

Happy Birthday to me....

I'm thirty-seven years old today. Boy, time flies!!! I still can't believe that I'm closer to forty than I am thirty. Greg doesn't understand my sentiments. He laughs. It's not that funny.....

Today was uneventful. I lounged.....all morning. And most of the afternoon.

The boys were gone to a dirt bike park in Fondulac and I was happy to just veg at home with the girls. They were putting on costumes and doing their hair and nails. They made up a few plays that I recorded. They were cute as always.

I finally jumped in the shower and now we are off to have ice cream at Coldstone thanks to a gift card from one of my daycare parents and a free coupon for the birthday girl thanks to Coldstone. LOL

Tomorrow we'll go to church and then take the kids to see a movie.

To be honest, I'm ready to climb back into my jammies....... I'm just about vacationed out.

We're on Vacation.....

Greg is on a thirteen day vacation and I must say that it has been beyond wonderful to have him here with us.

Parker went on a two week trip with his Papaw. They ventured out to Texas and to Mexico this summer. I was so relieved that they made it back before the terrible weather set in where they were vacationing (Corpus Christi, Brownsville area)

While they were gone my niece stayed with us. She is almost eighteen and I'm very close to her. She is Ida's biological sister so Ida was thrilled to have her here with us for two weeks. The girls had so much fun with Amber. They had dance contests, watched movies together, swam in the pool, went to the beach, ate ice cream, had girl talks, etc..... Adasen cried the most when Amber left. This was the first year I cried because I am unsure if I will see Amber next year. She will be graduating from high school and starting a new chapter of her life. We do hope that she will come back though.

My Dad and Amber left on Monday and then we headed out for our trip to the Great Wolf Lodge water resort in the Dells on Tuesday. The weather was beautiful and I was thankful for that. It was nice to get out of Appleton for a few days.

We came back a day early but we still feel like we are vacationing because Greg doesn't go back to work until Wednesday.

I am so blessed to have this summer off. While we are only taking one vacation, we are doing a lot of small things together and to be honest, it's just nice to NOT have to live by an alarm clock each day and to be able to go when we want to go and to do what we want to do.