Happy January 2!!

Because our New Year's Eve/New Year's Day was super lame the girls planned a party for January 2. I had to work 2AM on New Years Day and Ron Closed New Year's Eve so it didn't leave much time for much fun. I told the girls if they would like to celebrate then perhaps they could plan the party. They poured over recipes, selected them, made a grocery list and provided us with invitations. On Saturday morning Ron took Reagan to the grocery store and purchased her items. They spent the day cooking and cleaning up their messes and we had the BEST dinner ever.




Our first course was a white cheese pizza dip. This was so good it was insane. We dipped bread and broccoli. Yum!! Reagan got her first try at putting things in and out of the oven. It made me nervous but since she was following instructions I figured she needed to learn sometime. She did great!

The next course was this amazing Chicken roll. It was Asian inspired and consisted of chicken, carrots, broccoli and celery sauteed in Asian hot chili sauce and oyster sauce. Then it was scooped into crescent rolls and baked. Super yummy and I will be making this again!

They followed it up with a banana split like ice cream sundae. Oh and I forgot to mention that there was a banana smoothie in there some place but no one really liked it. All in all super fun. Once they got it cleaned up they had a movie picked out and we watched it as a family. It was neat watching both girls learn new skills in the kitchen. It was also encouraging to see them gain confidence as they read and followed directions as each dish turned out to perfection. We will be doing this again soon. I hear rumor of a Valentine's Day party!!

Things in the Night

So a snowman nearly took my life today. This one to be exact:

Reagan built him yesterday. However I woke up last night and didn't know where I was, thought I missed worked and after laughing at me Ron sent me back to bed. When it was finally time to get up for work I grabbed my shower, got ready and came downstairs to let the dog out. I happened to glance out the back window and saw the white figure staring at me. Thus the near life taking. This comes off me hearing someone that is not visible saying, "Mommy" super soft and it's never my children. Well that only happened twice but if you put it all together...scary stuff. After realizing it was the snowman I laughed at myself and called the dog back in the house. Should have been paying attention to what he did out there because I thought he was finished. Imagine my surprise when I went to get the oatmeal out and my sock was warm and wet. Should have just gone back to bed then. Here is a picture of the sculptress and her creation:

Happy New Year

You can't think "New Year" without thinking "resolutions." The definition of "resolution" should be: Ideas I will find silly and impossible in less than a month, or perhaps a week.
However every year I find myself "goal setting." This year is no different. Some things on my list are universal wishes like 1. lose weight 2. Get organized but this year I have added a few that I hope to keep:

3. Read every book of my Bible by the end of the year
4. Blog something everyday even if it's only a picture
5. Go back through my photography class binder and really learn the information
6. Try something new at least once a month
7. Take time to do the things I enjoy
8. Really live and be present in each moment

I will need to write these down and put them some place where I can see them so I can update you as often as needed. Clearly number 4 will be obvious. I also wanted to say that if you like what you read please leave a comment. I apparently need the validation that you all are actually reading this and it's more than therapy for me. A comment is like getting an unexpected letter in the mailbox. I should add that to the list. Yes #9 send random cards and letters for no apparent reason!!

We have been so busy lately replacing items in our life, adding items to our life and really just trying to survive on 3 hours of sleep. I have a new appreciation for Ron and those who work retail in general. If you can work retail and still be in the Christmas mood you must be a saint. By the third week of Christmas my internal advent calendar was counting down until this madness was over!! I do hope that next year I get the opportunity to savor the season and each wonderful thing about it. Our family will have one less person working retail I am sure. Hopefully it's me because we will be in big trouble if it's not!!

In case you are wondering items we've replaced:1. The Van...the transmission blew and frankly it wasn't worth the money to fix it so I got a new car. Being crazy as I am I cried my eyes out cleaning it out and watching it get towed down the street. Then I took a drive in my new Toyota Camry SE. I began to appreciate the little things like a horn that could actually let someone know that I was present and not to T-bone my car, or the fact that when it's bitter cold I don't have to wait for the car to decide if it wanted to unlock or not. The mere fact that it has a moon roof is enough for me to feel like I have reclaimed a bit of the youth I lost driving the Teal Mini-van all of these years. Ah yes, tears were shed, but I got over it. All I have to do now is recognize the darn thing so I don't have to keep unlocking the doors and looking for the lights to flash!

Items we've added:
1. A Dog. I know. However, we gave the kids a crazy list of requirements for a dog to darken our door step and they researched for over a year until they found it. A dog that does not shed, is hypoallergenic, needs little to no exercise, can handle enormous amounts of affection, is small and does not smell. We also said no pooping but you have to give a little sometimes. I have to say that although I don't LOVE the dog yet I am in deep like. He's very cool, quiet and all in all a good dog. I was out voted in the name arena and his name starts with "R" ugh. Rusty to be exact.

Items we've replaced:
2. The cord to the vacuum, a pair of sneakers, a toy truck, several pencils, crayons and markers and roll after roll of paper towel. See "Items we've added #1.


Items we've added:
2. A Wii. So fun. Ron is quite the rock star. Rebecca is our professional tennis player with a serve you cannot return. Just like real life Reagan can out bowl any one and as for me I can knock you out in boxing in about a minute. Don't pretend that is a surprise. I have pent up issues. Ron has less bruises. LOL kidding. sort of.

Lastly because of resolution #5...I had to scroll up too. I have some pictures to share with you. The girls were outside playing so Ryan was my model. Rusty made the cut too. Happy New Year everyone. I would love to hear some of your goals!

Kate's Baby Shower

Reagan and I took a girls trip up to Michigan for my sister's baby shower. We had a great time with Grammy the first day. When we arrived my mom had dinner waiting. We visited with her and my dad, Jon and Rachael. The next morning Grammy had made appointments for manicures and pedicures. After that we went to lunch and then to the mall. Reagan and I got our ears pierced and then bought new shoes. That evening we were out to Kate and Mike's house. We had dinner and had a chance to catch up and be entertained by Luke. He is such a cutie!! The next day was the shower. The restaurant(Fandangles on Pierson Rd in Flint,MI) was decorated beautifully.
The food was amazing and if you can ever go there to eat you totally should!!! All of Kate's friends and family came to celebrate with her and they are just the greatest group of people. After we ate Kate got to open her presents and received some of the most adorable clothes ever. I made Kate a baby calendar for the Baby's room. I know things get busy with two little ones so I was hoping it would help her keep track of those miles stones until she can put them in a baby book. It has room for pictures of the baby each month. I put a slide show in for those of you who asked me to see it. After the shower we went back to Kate's and because her boss at the restaurant completely blessed us by not charging us for the shower( I am still in shock over that) I bought dinner out for everyone. After we ate Christa(our cousin)Kate, Mike and I decorated Luke's big boy room. It turned out so cute. I have never seen such a little kid so in to John Deere tractors. It was so much fun!! Sunday came too quickly and it was time for us to come home again. When I arrived, Ron and the kids had the house all cleaned up beautifully and he had cleaned the carpets. It was so lovely to come home too. I sure am excited to see my new niece!

Halloween

This year was a great Halloween, or "Ask strangers for candy on an obscure Night" night. We always trick or treat on the Thursday before Halloween. I have no idea why. I guess its a PA thing. Anyway as much as I tried to get costumes done early it just didn't work out, so a few days before I was running around trying to make costumes. Thankfully it all worked out. As is tradition now my friend Chrissy and her two children came over after school. The kids played while we made dinner and then we proceeded to get them all ready to trick or treat. Just about the time that is all finished the guys show up and we meet the neighbors on the street and the kids begin their night. The weather was perfect in fact I could have gone longer but the kids pooped out! Anyway I know you all just want to see the pictures so I will get to it. I didn't ask my friend if her kids pictures could be posted so I blocked them out.

Reagan was a girl football player for the Eagles of course, Rebecca was a ninja, Ryan was Mushu from the movie Mulan. The other children dressed as a shadow, snow fairy and shrek.



It was a really fun night. Everyone did really well and they got lots of candy!!

Rocket

This amazingly gross creature was one of our family pets. This is Rocket the hermit crab. He came out of his shell one day and I thought it was to move into a bigger shell. I have never seen a hermit crab outside the shell and after 4 years figured out how to use the macro part of my big lens. It was so simple I feel like an idiot and I alone know how I made it work. I intend to keep that way!! I digress. ANYWAY, after Rocket sat outside his shell the whole day and didn't move I realized that he had come out to die. I took comfort in the fact that I could tell my two drama filled daughters that he didn't die alone, but there was no way on this Earth I was scooping him out. It was a perfect job for Ron. Rocket tipped over, I told the girls he died and there was much weeping. While Reagan cried she wrote this:

ROCKET:
*Hermit Crab
*I got him on July 20th, 2008
*He died on October 9th, 2009

I hope to see rocket in heaven along with a bunch of my other pets. Rocket was a great hermit crab and I am sad that he is gone. He was a boy who loved to play with speedy.(Rebecca's hermit crab)I am glad Miss Janna gave him to me. I will see him in heaven and he will be as healthy as can be. I am so glad God put Rocket and Speedy into my hands. I can't wait to see you in Heaven, Rocket...Love Reagan

Isn't that sweet? So to help the girls focus on something else my friend Chrissy invited us over for dinner so the kids could play and we could get out of the house of death and despair. We were gone for 2 1/2 hours. Upon our arrival we went to pay last respects before bed and THE CRAB WAS UPRIGHT AGAIN!!!! I immediately started having flash backs to my childhood when my bachelor Uncle let my sister and watch Pet Cemetery as very young children. We also got to eat about a trough full of ice cream...Reagan was somewhat frustrated that she had wasted all of that emotion and those kind words on a pet that was not dead. Not the reaction i expected. I suppose if I ever die and happen to be raised from the dead I won't take it too hard when they are annoyed!!
So the girls go to bed with a happy heart, I go to bed and close my door fully expecting to hear a crab claw scraping at my door. I wish I was joking. Anyway, we get up the next morning and the crab is dead again...for sure this time as he is starting to smell. I don't know if Speedy propped him up the night before or what happened but he is definitely dead now. Well he was dead or murdered because the slight smell was enough for me to put him in a plastic bag for burial. Either way, we morn the loss of Rocket who was indeed the very best hermit crab a kid could have.
Oh and I had great fun telling Reagan to take him down to show my dad on one of his visits. I told her Papa John would LOVE to see Rocket. I sat at the stairs like a child and laughed to tears as I heard my Dad say...OK REAGAN, SERIOUSLY TAKE THAT UPSTAIRS I DON'T NEED TO BE BY YOUR CRAB!!!! ROFLOL it still makes me laugh. Yeah...Rocket he was a blast...lol...

Preview

I know it has been almost a month simply because I am looking at the date, but it really feels like just a few days since the last time I posted. Here are a few items you can look forward too:

1. Our trip to Michigan
2. Kate's baby shower and the gift I made. (I know some of you have been wanting to see pictures)
3. Swine Flu and the joy of caring for someone who likes to be cared for
4. Trick or Treat night...yes it's still on the Thursday before Halloween

so needless to say I will be playing catch up over the next few days!! I have it on my list to pull my camera back out so that should help me too. Hope you all are well and this bad blogger will redeem herself soon!!

Here are two pictures of Ryan waiting for Reagan to show us her moves in swim class:

This is Ry about to show me how strong he is.
Here is my cool breeze watching the kids swim!