Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Clean up!!!

Happy Gotcha Day to Miss O!

Today marks an OFFICAL four years of Miss O being legally ours!!!!

Her first official birthday party!

I gave in to the pressure!! Miss O wanted to have a birthday party with friends from school. In the past, with her brothers, most parties end up being so crazy, stressful and exhausting, that just the idea makes me cringe!

So, we ended up inviting about 6 other girls that she gets along with, and whose parents I know, over to the house after school for pizza and cupcakes. The girls all had fun being a little crazy and playing, and the birthday girl was THRILLED! She told me it was the best birthday party EVER! Haha - since she has really only had one! She is so excited to be six!!

Somebody is SIX today!

Happy Birthday to my Favorite Princess of all time!!!!

Ahhhh the holidays....

I am so not ready for the Holidays! While I used to just LOVE them... I have grown slowly to start to really dread the season! The Holidays, ok, quite frankly, ANY holiday gives one certain child extreme anxiety issues. He will act up and be a brat when anyone else has a birthday.... be cranky at Valentines Day because he either lost ONE little card, or did not get the "right" kind of candy... Easter - where do I begin... Halloween, a nightmare! Thanksgiving is pretty much a mellow one - no gifts, no sugar and pretty low key (except for this year!)... but the grand-daddy of them all... CHRISTMAS is his arch nemisis!

We have a few simple rules in our house.... one, Holidays are about being together and spending time as a family (easy enough) and #2... on those more "materialistic" holidays, like Easter and Xmas... the particular basket/toy bringer must be believed in to come!

Due to his extreme anxieties, it tends to be a little iffy each year at Christmas... we start prepping him in November... little things are mentioned - like you can't get everything for xmas, Santa brings you things that HE thinks you will like and use, and of course, be thankful what for you have and what you get!

Knowing that each year this issue comes up, adds to some of the dread... while we have a few failsafes in place, sometimes he throws out a curve ball that we are not ready for! Grrrrrr..... so.. since we are getting closer to the big day - we are trying hard to keep our wits in place... but, man is it tough!

Winter Concert

So hard to believe my little Princess is getting so big! Here she is all dressed up for her very first school concert! She was so exicted to wear such a fancy dress! The Kindergarten program is usually the hardest to sit through... since either half the kids don't sing the right song, and the other half scream!! hehe - but she did really well and loved it!


Little J had his final elementary school concert! Whoo hooo! He got to play one of the horrible donging things that I despise!


And here he is all dressed up... still small enough to take a picture with his Mom!

My little reader

This darn Leap Pad is about 10 years old now, but boy, has it been well used! Little J was the last kiddo that "loved it!", now Miss O has really gotten into using it! Thank goodness for the headphones though.... one can only take so much of some of the music!!

Baby it's cold outside!!

While cleaning the kitchen this morning - this was my view! The Guineas have decided to perch in a new spot! It was funny because I am almost 100% positive that they were watching me and waiting for me to come out and feed them! Considering the temps have been in the single digits, they still sleep outside in the elements! Silly birds!

Getting up our tree!

Each year, we set up our good-ole, faithful, made in Korea Christmas Tree! Only a few years have we ever gone with the live tree! Also, since we had our little mischevious kitten, Fester, we knew we had better not go all out with an expensive live tree!
So, we spent last night getting out the ornaments and decorating the tree! The kids really enjoy putting on "their" special ornaments each year - a great reminder of how much they have grown since years past! Let the Holiday Season Begin!

How was our weekend - part two

After getting the septic system partially fixed, we did not get our Turkey Day going until late afternoon.... We put the bird in... which was super tasty (though someone in the picture below shows their deep displeasure with the whole bird thing!).



Miss O was an awesome helper in the kitchen! She was in charge of cleaning the sweet potatoes and setting the table... she liked the potatoes the best because she actually helped me pick them out at the store! Little J made the green bean casserole, and the pumpkin pie.... and I supervised someone writing sentences!

How did our weekend go? - part one

I know the picture is hard to read... but basically, in a nutshell, it states that our septic system is NOT a toy, and someone has caused the family lots of grief!

Thursday morning, BRIGHT AND COLD AND EARLY, all three toilets in the house backed up... we had just put the pumpkin pie in the oven to cook.... Turkey Day was on the agenda! Until... the final flush!
So, being as cold as it was (5 degrees) the hubby geared up and went outside to take a look. Thankfully, I was not there to see the initial disaster! Our septic system access tube was removed and laying in a frozen pile in the back corner of our yard. Our system was CLOGGED and FROZEN. Grrrrrr.... thinking that our destroy everything Black Lab - Phebe was the problem, the hubby went to work trying to thaw and pump up some of the mess so we could get it fixed.
Welll.... he was having Big Al help him out... Big Al was apparently MISTIFIED about the problem and acting like it was a real concern.
Shortly after the pumping started, and the hubbys blood pressure and patience level was to the top, he informed me of the problem. I asked both Miss O and Little J if they had played with it, both denied... and then Little J informed me that he had seen Big Al twisting the lid open and dropping ROCKS and other things into the line.... just wonderful! That little tidbit would have been nice to know a few days ago!
So... we went without toilets, and water and washing our hands for a few hours... the hubby managed to get most the clog out... but still not a complete fix....
Big Al, on the other hand... landed himself in a pile of deeepppppp Sh*t! That is putting it mildly! He was sentenced with some sentences... 150 of them... and he is most likely on restriction until....... well... whenever I decide - probably close to Christmas! Ugh! Not a good day... A.T. A.L.L.

Weekend Fun

Since a large majority of the weekend has been spent working on and trying to clean up the septic system... we missed out on all the "Holiday" kickoff activities that our town puts on... since the kids were not really aware of them - it made things alot easier! (one benefit of two kids with short term memory issues!)
Below is PJ, our beloved family dog, who in his advanced years, has taken to doing anything he can to stay in the house... including laying right in front of the fireplace... Little J joined him to warm up before bed!


Our "pet" cow, Bambi was concerned with what the kids were doing in his field... Eventually, all the cows showed up to watch Little J and Miss O, hit the slopes!



A great day for sledding!! Since Big Al was still in the doghouse, no sledding this weekend for him! It was really cold, so these two snowbunnies only stayed out for about 30 minutes... The whole time, I was worried that one of the cows were going to try and chase them down the hill! While most all the cows are gentle and loving... they DO get wound up when Miss O is screeching and giggling!

My favorite Birthday Gift of all time!

Four years ago today, we met a little girl that stole our hearts and changed our lives! We spent my birthday on the over night train from Kyiv to Zaporizhzya, Ukraine. We were tremendously nervous and stressed about meeting this little girl! Meeting her was one of the most joyous days of my life! She has changed us all for the better and continues to fill our heart each and every day!

My Birthday

Being a kind of crazy weekend... I did not bother to make myself a birthday cake! Instead, Little J and Miss O made up some chocolate banana bread! Later in the day, we celebrated with hot choco and banana bread! Worked for me... as I am not big on celebrating my own birthday anymore!
I did get a nice new baking stone for my bread and a tin of my favorite Harney and Sons tea... so it was all good!

Thanksgiving Memories - Ukraine

Thanksgiving Day - 2006, The hubby, Big Al and I spent in Ukraine. What was also memorable, was that it was also the date of our Appointment at the State Department of Adoptions (SDA) in Ukraine!
Though much of our appointment is a blur... we left with a piece of paper giving us permission to travel to a southern region of Ukraine to visit a little girl. Each DAY we are thankful for her! Over the years, her nickname of "Punkin-pie" has held a special place in our hearts - as she was our Thanksgiving Day Gift!

Way back Wednesday

Four years ago today... we were trying to enjoy killing more time in Kyiv Ukraine by doing a little site-seeing! Since we had Big Al with us, we had to keep on the go to keep him occupied!

Four years ago....

For years ago... we were sitting in Kyiv, Ukraine.... it was foggy, cold and just plain DREARY!
We were trying to patiently wait for our SDA appointment on Thanksgiving Thursday! Ahhhhh... the memories!

Wordless Wednesday

I am so thankful that I have a kiddo who loves books as much as I do! Little J just loves to read! It looks like little Fester loves to be read to as well!

Winter.... Already?????

Hard to believe that old man Winter is here!

Wordless Wednesday

What? Not every barnyard has a nice framed mirror in it?? After years of listening to them pound our sliding glass door, we finally got a freebie mirror in the barnyard to stare at themselves... yep - those guineas love it!

My sweet helper

I didn't ask the Princess to get her pretty self all messed up! She Looooooves to play in the dirt! Today, after I was done pulling out some dead plants, she proceeded to plant a "new garden"! Not exactly sure what kind of "seeds" she found (probably some heinous noxious weed - or worse, CATNIP!) but she was super proud of herself!

End of the year gardening

Well... 2010 was not a great year for gardening! I have been working on pulling out all the USELESS tomatoes (over 10 plants - got 5 ripe tomatoes), the old zucchini plant that seemed to be on steriods, and the catnip - that won't stop taking over!

Above is what I have left - a few fall crops of lettuce and swiss chard! Thankfully, I am not having to survive off this stuff!! haha!

Halloween!!

This Halloween we had a skeleton (Big Al), The Hulk (Little J) and Ariel (Miss O). They all looked super in their costumes! Since Halloween fell on a Saturday, we were able to do trick-or-treating in town on Saturday, and then on to BOO Central at the CWU campus for fun activities on Sunday! Fortunately, they got a lot less candy then last year!!

Wordless Wednesday

Our sweet kitten, Fester, has been enjoying the one thing that has grown like crazy in our garden this year! CATNIP!

A rare family photo

It is not often that I am able to get a somewhat decent family photo of all of us! But this one is pretty good!

It's nice to be home!

After being gone for a week... it sure is nice to finally be back HOME! The kids went back to school today and I got to enjoy a few hours of kidless time! phew! While we had alot of time together over the week - it was enjoyable... but still... LOVIN the silence!!

Final Ohio post

Today we attended the big "shindig" in honor of my Dad. It seemed everyone had a nice time and enjoyed talking about my Dad. I guess I will leave it at that. My feelings about the whole thing are still not exactly "good"... but we will move on!




Unfortunately - I only got to see a few of my favorite relatives for less than 2 hours. Not thinking to take pictures... I managed to get Little J to snap one of me and my favorite uncle! Yep - it's rare that there is a picture of ME out here! haha!

Little J had the camera and was "supposed" to take pictures of everyone... ha! He is 10... so 99% of the pictures are feet, arms, and really bad expressions! Oh well!

As far as rating this trip on a scale of 1- 10... one being NEVER again, and 10 being - SUPERIOR... I gave it a 3. The kids and the hubby had a pretty good time, got to see a few new things... but there were a couple of events that occured during the trip that left a really sour taste in my mouth... one in particular that still has my kids a bit un-nerved as well as the hubby and I. Oh well... I guess that is why we have the dynamics we do!

Ohio post #2 - Malabar Farm

I have to say that the most enjoyable part of our trip was our three visits to Malabar Farms. This Farm was once owned by Humphrey Bogart, and is absolutely wonderful! We were only 8 miles away, and spent alot of time there hiking in the woods and letting the kids blow off steam (much needed!). It was so beautiful and we were pretty much the only ones there! We did some awesome hikes in the woods, and the kids got to see alot of chipmunks, squirrels and deer. It was really a great place for us to unwind and relax... definetly left a great impression for all of us!

Ohio trip post #1

We arrived in Columbus late on Wednesday night... the flight went pretty well... just looonnnngg! The kids had a tough time staying occupied and started to get on each others (and my) nerves!

Our only problem on the way there was that we lost Big Al's game boy :(.... sad, but life goes on! Oh, and my curling iron got smashed! haha! Thank heavens for the Walmart next to our hotel! The kids spent alot of time in the hotel pool today... whoo hoo for hotels with pools!

Heading back to Ohio

We are heading back to North Central Ohio to host a "shindig" in honor of my dad! Since he was not found of any of the words like , funeral, celebration of life or wake.. I am calling it a "shindig"! haha!

I will try to post some pics while we are gone! Should be interesting, the last time I visited relatives was over 15 years ago!

School pictures

Friday was school picture day... it was fun for Miss O, this being her first official school picture! We won't get them back for another few weeks.. but they both looked super cute!

It amazes me how much Little J is changing... he is no longer so "little"! I might need a new nickname for him soon!

Will these things ever work?

Little J took this picture for me the other day at Big Al's soccer game.... obviously, he is the one in white!

We have been chuggin away at the HGH shots now for almost two months. We have actually seen no weight gained - but weight LOST!! UGH! We have to hold tight until next month to see if there is actually any HEIGHT gained.. which is the hope! The picture of the kiddo next to Big Al is "normal" sized for a 7th grader!

Keep your fingers crossed!

The joys of middle school

I had to title this post that! Just because I really have not seen any yet! Call it some mild sarcasm!

Big Al is now is 7th grade. While he has three classes a day in the resource room, he is still mainstreamed for the other 4 classes. We are almost a month into the school year and already we have had 2 F's and a D! The hardest part is dealing with a school that currently is changing how they post their grading system. In the past, it has been online and parents (students too) can log in daily to check their grades. The "new" system is not up and running yet! This creates a real challenge for a kiddo that has to have daily tracking to see if he is turning things in and how things are going in general.

Big Al also wants to play soccer on the middle school team this year... so he MUST have passing grades! Ugh!

I so wish I had more patience and skill.... Big Al would truly benefit from a positive home school experience! But, he truly needs social interaction and a daily contact with this type of atmosphere. It is truly a double edge sword!

The fun of fifth grade

I truly wish things were easier in school for both my boys! Little J is now in 5th grade! He is an amazing reader and does well in science and most the time does well socially. Unfortunately, he struggles with self-management and math! Math is REALLY hard for him. While some things come really naturally... math does not! What is the worst for him right now is being able to manage himself with homework and daily tasks. He struggles when there are too many distractions and things to remember.
Hopefully, we can work on that - because if we can't, middle school will be a complete and utter disaster next year! ugh!

We are hoping that he can sign up for basketball this year. He has never formally done basketball, but it is something that he truly enjoys! Hopefully, he can keep his grades up and start to self manage better.

He does have a good (and strict) teacher - who can hopefully help him develop some better school skills!

Big Al's Soccer Team

Today we watched Big Al's 7th grade soccer team play their first home game! I have a hard time saying they played well!! Actually, for a group of kids that have all played alot of soccer together over the years, it was pretty sad!

Little J was in charge of taking pictures... yep - I actually trusted him with my camera, a bit scary that was!

We have another home game on Wednesday... keeping my fingers crossed that they will pull things together for a better game!

Three weeks ago today

Three weeks ago today, my dad passed away. In many ways, it seems like alot longer, in other ways, it seemed like just hours ago.
So many times in the last few weeks, sad thoughts have crossed my mind when I remember. The worst part for me is knowing that he did not die "peacefully" as most people like to call it. I know that my dad always sort of believed that he would just sort of "drop dead"! Like a fast and quick death, like a massive heart attack or stroke. For my dad, it was slow, drawn out and there was pain. He was not one that ever wanted to burden others with his "problems". He never really liked us seeing him sick or in pain.... he preferred to deal with that privately. Seeing him in pain his last few days just tore me apart. It changed my thinking and beliefs about the whole "dying" process.

Since Dad's passing, the hubby and I have had alot of discussions about what "our" wishes might be. It has surprised me alot to learn that we have different feelings on things. So many thoughts about what I would want have changed. I realized that when the kids are older (much much older!) that these types of discussions need to be had with them.... what would they want... how would they like to grieve... how would they want to handle watching or not watching the end of life process when I am to go? I have learned that regardless of what the deceased person really "wanted"... they are not here to argue too much about what is done! The living are the ones who have to deal with the emotions and grief and find ways to handle closure to move ahead.
My dad did not want a funeral or celebration of life... he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes scattered. He got the cremation part, and part of his ashes scattered. but we decided that it was important to all the extended family that a "shin-dig" be had in his honor. I know he never liked solitary attention - but he has to deal with this one! haha
I also wanted his only grandchildren to have this event to really celebrate and show their love for their Grandpa... I think that a positive event like this will help them down the road when they are faced with losing another loved one.

Dad's death has left me with some resolutions to change my own life and how I live it! I have so few pictures of my dad with us kids... I know that I need to start taking more pictures of my kids with the hubby and I - even really silly ones. Pictures are such priceless memories! I also have seen where having some type of planning in place is so important... even just simple written instructions for someone in the case of my own demise.. at least someone would be able to see what I wanted done, even if I was not able to tell them. Talking about death more with the kids and making sure they remember all the great times they had with their Grandpa... I don't want my kids to have fantasy thoughts or ideas about how death works. Though we live on a farm, and they have seen death occur alot, it is not the same as losing someone you truly love! I want to try very hard to keep Grandpa's memory alive for the kids... the boys will always remember him, but Miss O is only 5.. her memories will be limited to alot of what she is told.

Only three weeks.... I sure do miss him!

Wordless Wednesday

This is what happens when you have a little girl who loves her kitten!! Thankfully, Fester is pretty mellow when it comes to be "handled!

No soccer this fall!

For the first time in SEVEN years - our boys are not playing in our local rec soccer league. If you really want to learn more about it, go back to other soccer posts! Little J had a horrible coach and horrible season last fall! After that, I said "no more"...During the summer, when all the sign up information came, Little J was a little upset, and begged a few times, but then he never mentioned it again!

I am really glad! I really did enjoy watching the kids compete - but sometimes a break is a really good thing.

Big Al has already started playing soccer on the 7th grade middle school team and really enjoys it! It is nice that games are weekday afternoons.. so weeknights and weekends are FREE!

In Memory of My Dad

To my Dad...
Our eyes can no longer see your smile. Our ears can no longer hear your laughter. But, our hearts will always hold your love and memories.

Rest in peace, Dad... and I hope that you are enjoying your "Happy Hour" in the sky!

In Memory of William LeRoy "Bill" Wood
January 26, 1940 to September 13, 2010

Monday morning update

I visited my Dad this morning. I was shocked that he was still "alive". His breathing was short and fast... not moving, very labored. Miss O and I are going to head back after I pick her up.

I think that his time has come.....

Sunday Dad update

Yesterday was another tough day to see my Dad... I was a bit surprised to actually see him "alive" when I arrived. I mean, he is breathing "sort of"... but basically in a almost vegetative type state.

Today, my brother arrived. I went over to watch the football game and sit with Dad. The hard part is that Dad's breathing is very sparatic. Sometimes, he stops breathing for a few seconds and you wonder - "Is this it?". I have had such mixed emotions. When he stops, I think, is that it - is the suffering over? Is he going to start again? Because he is in hospice, we can't do anything or have anyone do anything to prolong his life (another post on how I feel about hospice another time).

When the game was over.. my mom, my brother and I all gathered around him, held his hand, rubbed his head and arm and told him it was ok for him to let go. It was a tough time for all three of us. We hope in our hearts he could hear us and just let go. We told him about how wonderful he was, and how much of a fighter, but how tired his body was and his body could take no more.

Leaving tonight was so hard... but I said my goodbyes and said what I could to relieve my own feelings just a bit. Still, very heartbreaking. If he is still with us tomorrow, it will surprise me. I sure love you Dad!

Friday update

I found another picture of my dad with my brother and I when we were little! Brings back great memories!

Today was an incredibly tough tough day. I spent time with my dad this morning - basically just sitting with him while he slept... talking to him when I thought he was awake... just being there. Seeing him suffer is the worst for me. I know in my heart that this is not the way he wanted to leave the world. I know that he is in pain, and there is nothing I can do. I feel so helpless.
His breathing is becoming more labored and less often. He moves very little and sleeps. Today, I could tell that we were so close. I made the decision to let his brother, my uncle talk to him on the phone using speaker phone. I felt that this might be the last time that my dad would hear his voice. Though my dad was fairly out of it, he had a real reaction when my uncle started praying for him and getting on his bible bandwagon! Seeing that my dad had some reaction made me decide to call all his sisters and have them talk to him as well. Though they were really hard calls to sit and listen to, I felt it gave them each a bit of closure and a chance to say their good-byes.

I know his time is so close... I hope that my brother can make it over here soon enough. My heart is very heavy.

Visiting my dad

Today, my Dad took another turn for the worse.. he is extremely week and can barely talk. They are put in a catheder for him a couple of hours ago, and it was apparently really horrible - so they really doped him up good.

It was hard today to talk to him and almost beg him to eat and drink. He is in pain - though on painkillers. Each day he withers away a bit more. His eyes have a hard time focusing and when awake, he will just sort of stare.

I read to him a bit out of the newspaper, but that too was hard. I can feel we are getting closer and it breaks my heart. Today the kids got to each visit for a couple of minutes, and thankfully - he was awake enough to acknowledge each of them!

Tuesday Dad update

Sadly, my Dad has been declining quite a bit. He face is extremely drawn and sunken and his skintone is very gray. He sleeps alot - due to the painkillers and anxiety meds they have him on. He has not ate much at all... just a few bites a day. I will be heading over to sit with him a bit tomorrow so my mom can run a few errands.

Each day I talk to the kids about death and what Grandpa is going through. It is very hard. I feel so bad for Miss O, who understands so little of it. She loves her G-pa so much. The boys are both very sad as well, but they understand more and are coming to terms with things.

Well... they doctors said he would have died by yesterday - and he proved them wrong! He is quite the fighter!

Back to School!!!!

Today was the first day of school!!! Sooooo excited to have 2 boys gone all day and one sweet little girl out of the house for 3 hours each day!

Miss O is an official BIG bus rider AND a kindergartner! The pictures above are of Little J and Miss O waiting for the bus, and one together at school! This will be the only school year that Miss O and Little J will attend the same school! He is in 5th grade! (wow has time flown!)

Monday - whoo hoo and the Fair is OVER!

Finally!!! The Fair has come to an end!! The piggies are all situated and will be hauled off tomorrow (sadly to the butcher), with the exception of Princess. We found Princess a home! She will be going to a grass-fed pig farm with a para-pro from Big Al's school! We are happy that she (even though she has the worst pig-sonality ever!) will get to live her "piggy-ness" and get the chance to raise piglets!

It has been a VERY long long LONG week! School starts in two days!

Sunday Dad Update

We all spent the evening with my parents having dinner. It is not the same with him laying in his hospital bed moaning and groaning 10 feet away. We all got to visit with him a bit, he was a little talk a tive, and the kids got to tell him about the Fair.

I found this picture in my album and scanned it... it is one of the few that I have of my Dad and me when I was a baby.

More Fair Fun Photos!

I sure did not take many pictures this year! I guess my mind has been so many other places. I got enough good shots of the kids though - in case they ever accuse me of not taking ANY! haha!

I will try to get a post about Miss O and her Fair when I get some time! She has had a wonderful time... even though she has had to hang out in the pig barn alot!