From our family to yours.......

......we wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

xoxo
Stef, Rusty, Hannah, Max, & Brodie

The Happenings

Hello people!! :)

I dont blog like I should. And Im ok with that. People who want to know what Im up to just read my Facebook. I dont like to double up and put the same stuff in a billion places. Im weird like that. I usually save up and then do one blog covering a bunch of diff things that have happened over the last month or so. So, thats what ya get from me, take it or leave it. :)

The biggest news from the past month was our search yet again for a place for our horses to live. What I plan to do is buy some land one of these days and if it has a barn already on it with fenced pasture that would be IDEAL. Until that ideal location actually presents itself and becomes a reality, just know that they are staying at a wonderful place with a wonderful family who loves enjoys having them at their place. It was a stressful situation to have to go through again. We have been moving them about every 8 months. I credit my theory of guardian angels disguised as friends for providing our boys a very quiet and calm place for them to call home. They seem to be really happy. Mac is like a different horse. He usually focuses so much on the mares that live with him. Now he has no mares to distract him and steal all of his attention. Poor guy has to get attention from (gasp!) humans now!! haha He has been a sweetie and its helping him to be less skittish. Sisco is still Sisco, my giant dog in a horses body who follows me around and loves attention attention attention. Heres a look at them in their new place, running and enjoying themselves, and then another in front of the big red pretty barn:

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Lets see, what else. Hannah and I have been riding 2-3 times a week. She actually got on Mac one day. She fell off of him, but she got on him in the first place and thats what counts!!

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My new old job is going well. Im back into the groove and its almost like I never left 7 years ago. Im very thankful that my Sue Sue is still there!! She keeps me sane most days. JRS brings a smile to my face on the days she is there!! I have a blast with Bailey Hailey!! Its good to actually like your job. :)

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Max had Family Fun Night at his school last week. We now have a new member of the family as a result. He got a ping pong ball into a fish bowl on his first shot and won a fish who we named Pong. Heres Pong in his lil home:

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Lets see, what else is new. I got a new cell phone. Yes, again. I loved my LG but it was only a tri-band and in this area, I have to have a quad band. So I got a new phone. I love love love it!!! Wow!! HTC rocks!! :)

Hannah has her first Choir Concert coming up this month so I will post a blog about that. Max has a Music Program on the 1st of December and he has a speaking part. Eek!! I will post about that as well. New Moon comes out next week and we already have Date Night planned with TCF so that will generate some news as it always does. hehe Then its Thanksgiving, YUM!!

Til next time.... (The Steelers are on, I gotta go!!) :)

xoxo

S

New Job!! :)

This blog is dedicated to Jill cuz shes been asking for it for days now!!

Ok, so heres the scoop......as you know I was subbing in the elementary schools. Loved it. I was good at it. It wasnt steady enough. Period. Theres more to the story but I dont care to bore you or myself with it. Its in the past and Im blogging about the PRESENT!!!

A few months ago I had the opportunity to return to an old job at our local newspaper working in advertising. At that time I had different plans for myself. Those plans involved going back to school to get my Masters, and working at the school fit right into those plans. We wont go into all the details and the whys, but it was just what I thought I was supposed to be doing at the time. Well, needless to say, real life and real bills and real responsibilities trumped over the school idea. Im finally in a place where I have things on track and manageable. I didnt feel the need to tack on more and throw things all out of whack. So, I didnt....

Then I was lucky enough to have the same opportunity come calling again!! I found myself so very excited about it making a reappearance!! I immediately skipped uptown and left a note on my old boss' desk. She got back with me and we met and the rest is history!!

IM BACK!!! Im an Advertising Representative again!!! This is what I was doing before Maxers was born. At that time, I stayed mostly inside the office. This time I will be mostly outside the office. I have a set list of accounts and I can always expand that list with new clients if the occasion arises. Basically what I do is this. I go see my clients on a weekly basis. I let them know about any specials we have going on, any special sections we have coming up, and find out what they are needing as far as advertising. Then I head back to the office and schedule the ads, draw them up with my ideas for the ad, and send the ads back to the graphic design girls and they computerize it and get it ready to appear in the paper and on the website.

I was there four days last week, meeting my people and getting my feet wet, trying to recall all these old memories of how things are done in the advertising world. Finally, on Friday, I got my KEY to the office. hehe I knew I would be going in on Saturday and getting my desk cleaned and organized according to how I need it to be to function. Yall know Im weird and picky and anal, and my desk just was.....not. Well, after FOUR HOURS, of me, Hannah, and Max working on my desk, it is done and clean and sanitized and organized and ready to go on Monday!!!

Here are some pics of the finished product!!! The second pic shows my new phone. I just couldnt keep that old one, it freaked me out. Germs. Yick. I dont do germs. We went through a whole container of Clorox wipes while cleaning this desk. lmao





How do you like it??? Yes, I had all the things that I wanted to take in and put at my desk sitting on my dining table for four days. I couldnt wait til it was mine all mine!! Doesnt the new clean black phone look so much better than the germy yellowed yicky phone?? lol My kids all drew or colored me a picture. They are on my bulletin board. Max colored a bee, Hannah colored a horse, and Brodie drew me a Starbucks mocha. I will use the bottom of the bulletin board for actual work things. I dont usually put alot of things up there, just schedules and monthly calendars. My pics and knick knacks are color coordinated (lmao) in green and blue. My work things that Ill take with me daily are PINK. That painting is one that I did that goes with a set of 3 that I have at my house but I took it away from the set to have at work.

So anyway, thats that. Any questions?? (Did I cover it enough for ya JB??)

Til next time...

xoxo

S

Growin up!!!

Maxers is a 1st grader now!! :) I am so proud of him!! For preschool, he cried the first day. For kindergarten, he cried the first day. I was waiting for the same on the first day of 1st grade. I was happily surprised when he SMILED the first day!!!! I thought he would be nervous, but he wasnt. He honestly seemed eager and happy and excited to go to.............SCHOOL!!! GASP!!!! It was such a nice change. He has his buddy Jake in class with him again this year. He and Jake have been together since preschool, so its become a tradition now for them. They are both getting so big and grown up!! <3

Oh and Max wants everyone to know that he is preparing for his next Max Dot Com!! :) I will post it once his next creation is complete!!!!




My other two kids wont be left out!! They too seemed happy on their first day of school!!! I was starting to feel like I was being Punked!!! lol They are both middle schoolers this year!!! Hannah was nervous at first but now she loves it. Brodie is a go with the flow kinda kid and has never minded going to school. Might I also add that only having to drive to two schools this year is totally AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

I miss my kiddos during the day when I sit home......alone...........bored, but its nice to have the quiet while I do all the mommy things that need done. Wait a minute................I dont have quiet!!!! Even though the kids arent home, I still have these wild and loud doggies here to drive me crazy all day!!! I guess its just a different kind of "quiet" that the kids bring back with them once they are home with me. ;)

In other news, my vague kind of news that means nothing to anyone but myself. I think I may have figured out a solution........thanks in large part to stumbling accidentally upon something while looking at something else and to Charles who took the time to help me sort it all out!!! You rock, Charles!! :)

Tomorrow I get to go to my first ever horse show!! Im totally pumped!!! If you cant tell by my constant usage of the word TOTALLY!!!!!!!! :)

Thats all!!


xoxo
S

The latest and greatest.....

MICKEY!!!!!!!!!! This is the latest edition to our family. Hubby surprised us with him this morning. Aint he cute!! Hes four and a half months old, hes a Shichon, and his name is obviously Mickey.



Mickey is hubbys dog!! You wouldnt think it by seeing it, but he is!! Hes getting along very well with Peanut and Fozzie, which is such a great thing!! :)




We went school supply and school clothes shopping yesterday!! Why does this picture apply?? Cuz my awesome wonderful super fabulous hubby bought these for me for school!! :) A new Jessica handbag and a new pair of Jessica flats!! AWESOME!!! Hey, Im going back to school too.......in a diff sort of way!!!

We have a busy busy busy week this week coming up!! Monday will be the only free day. Tuesday Hannah has something going on in the morning and Maxers does at night, Wednesday I have something going on in the morning, and then Thursday is the first day of school!!!! Were just days away from being back to the grind!! lol

Thats about all thats new around here!!!

xoxo
S

Truth

I miss what I almost had.

Thats all.

xoxo
S

When is enough just pathetic??

I had this thought rumbling around in my head last night as I was trying to fall asleep. It was quite annoying but it had the voice of Carrie from Sex & the City acompanying it, so that made it tolerable. Here is my thought/question/ponderance:

We have all probably been told that if we want something to go after it and dont stop until we get it.......right??

If you havent been told this, then stop reading right now cuz you just wont get this at all.

Ive been told that, Ive had it pounded it my head to not be a quitter, to not give up and for the most part Ive lived by these "rules".

HOWEVER....

At what point, or is there a point, that your not quitting, your not giving up, your going after something and not stopping until you get what you want.........at what point do you just start to appear pathetic?? At what point is enough more than enough?? At what point are you appearing desperate?? At what point should you get the damn hint and stop already??

Now there are some things, that if its something that only you are involved with, or only you know about that you do, then that may be different......although maybe not, and you are just in denial. Those arent the things I am talking about in this particular blog, so we will worry about those another day. I am talking about the kinds of things that involve other people, that other people are perfectly aware of, that other people have a say in over you, that other people have control of over you. Where is that fine line that determines when they stop seeing you as persistent and dedicated and driven towards a certain cause.....and they start seeing you as desperate and pathetic and just wish you would get the hint already???

I battled this with myself last night and I came to a conclusion for myself regarding this particualr matter I am referring to. If you know me well though, you know that I love other peoples input and thoughts on things. I love to see things from an angle that I might not reach on my own. So tell me......when is enough just pathetic??

xoxo

S

Camp Mickey Dee's

The 4th of July is a time when many load up and take their families camping. We, or shall I say I, are not really campers. To me, camping involves an RV and internet access and TV access and plug ins and real bathrooms and showers........sounds more fun, doesnt it?? Im just not a fan of bugs and fdirt and creepy sounds in the darkness!! My hubby and kids, however, are a different story!! This year was the first year in many that we had all of our kids with us for the holiday. Hubby and I decided to put up his tent in our backyard. I moved the firepit down there and cleaned off all the outdoor chairs. The kids discovered the tent and they were in it ALL day playing. As dinner time approached, we decided on a cook out. Obvious decision, right!?!? And then as it got dark we enjoyed Smores over the fire. We sat and just relaxed and enjoyed the day together.
The next day we all got up and headed to Akron for the parade. My aunt had gotten up at 7am and walked down in her jammies to set our blankets up. lol The kids were all armed with their bags for candy and it was a fun time!! it wasnt as long of a parade as in years past, but the kids got about a pound of candy each and they enjoyed the parade. After that we walked up to the school to see the amazing display of flags. Its a very cool thing to see!! We then buzzed on over to my Grammas house to say hello, and then kept on walking to the park. By then the rain was starting to set in so we decided to head back to our truck.
We had a birthday party to attend after the parade, so that was our next stop. On the way, we saw the two horses that were painted as American flags from the parade being released back into their pasture. All of their horsemates took off running in the opposite direction!! It was hilarious!! The party was great fun!! It was for my BFFs twins so we got to spend time with her and her BF while all of our kids played. All I can recall is lots of fun and laughter and a bit of Sangria and cupcakes. :)
It was raining during the time the fireworks were to be displayed so we stayed home. I found some fireworks on TV and then our neighbors had some big ones that we could see as well.
It dawned on me yesterday that in one month, the kids will be back to school and we will not be able to enjoy our fun and carefree existence anymore. Im going to make sure that each day is spent having as much fun and family time as possible!!
Til next time...

xoxo
S

Worthy of a blog...

xoxo
S

Random SRYS Babble for ROB

So Ive been told to blog. Again. This seems to happen alot. Apparently Im not regular enough for some folks. But at least I do what Im told..........right? lol

Since this is random babble, it most likely wont make sense. If it does, then you have some serious problems. Its ok tho, most likely Ill still love you anyway.

So today while I was getting ready, I noticed yet again how my hair looks so completely AWESOME.......................upside down. I call this my Farrah look, and Ive taken pics of it before. (Miss you Farrah!!) Anyway..............WHY is this?? I mean come on, its just not FAIR!! I used to think that all my friends with short hair cut their hair short because of small children..........now Im certain its because they couldnt take the fact that their hair looked better upside down ANYMORE!! So if you ever see me with short hair...........first look outside and make sure there are no flying pigs........then if there arent, rest assured that I couldnt take my upside down hairs awesomeness anymore.

Knock knock jokes. Ive grown to hate them. My kids can sit for HOURS telling knock knock jokes, making up knock knock jokes, and just driving me insane with knock knock jokes. Im gonna give the name a dual purpose if the joking continues. ;)

What else?

Summer. Well now that its finally arrived, its going well. The kids swim on almost a daily basis. Weve found out that Hannah is our child doomed to be plagued with Swimmers Ear. Max is trying to learn to swim. Brodie..........hes just Brode.

Friends. Weve had some fun with friends on a few occasions. I really love having great friends who we both (hubby and me) have alot in common with. We tend to think we are a bit on the odd side and most people cant relate to us. Im glad I have been proven wrong on this matter!!

Recede. I dont like things that recede. The end.

Big Brother. Its almost time!! Anyone else a fan?? Let me know if you are!!

School. I keep my peepers posted on the job openings. Im torn though, gimme your input on what I should do. 1.) Stay a ST or 2.) try to get an IA spot if one opens in my fave school or 3.) Aimees plan for me? :)

Shopping. Ive done it. hehe I got some good stuff. hehe I cant even tell you cuz its THAT good. hehe Needless to say Im done shopping now for quite a while.

Thats all I got. (Sorry dude, its been pretty chill in steffi world lately.)

Everyone give yourself a big hug from me and know that I love ya and Im blessed beyond belief to have yall in my life!! Each day is a gift, thats why they call it the present!! Friends are the family we choose!! Enjoy the little things in life, cuz one day youll realize they are the big things!! Live, laugh, love!! :)

Til next time...

xoxo

S

Maxs 7th birthday bash!!!!

The boys had pizza (made by Rusty) and drinks in Maxs room!!!



Then they all, and I mean ALL, went out to jump on the trampoline!!!



Jump jump jump!!!!! Check out the hair!! lol



Then we headed back inside for PRESENTS!!!!



I brought out the cake, Max hadnt seen it yet!! His face is priceless!!!
First time I ever used fondant. At least they could tell what it was, lol!!!



The candle is blown out and the wish made!!



Time to play with presents!!!! LEGOS and Star Wars, oh my!!!



Play, play, play!!!



Max is building, Jack is reading the instructions!!



The friends have all gone home and Max is alone with his loot!!

A good time was had by all, I think!! The pizza was good, the cake was good, the company was great!! Our family and friends were here and Maxs best buddies. The trampoline was a big hit. I still cant believe my lil man is 7. It seems like just yesterday he was popping his bippie out of his mouth to say something to us and then quickly popping it right back in. They grow so fast!!!

Thats all for now!!

xoxo
S

The day I joined my life with my soul mate....

Its my anniversary!!!

This rose is our love rose!! :) My hubby and I have spent 8 years as husband and wife and every year has just gotten better and better!!! We were together a year before we got married, and then a year after we got married, we had our Maxeroni!! It sounds boom boom boom, and well, it was!! When ya know, ya just know!! You may hear people say that and scoff at them, but its true. From the moment I met him, I knew he was my soul mate. How did we meet you ask?? Well its a silly story really. We met.........online!!! *gasp* This was back in 2000 and my divorce from my first marriage had finalized. I was staying home with Brodie and Hannah, who were 2 and 3 at the time. They were napping and I was bored so I got online. I went to a website that had a slideshow of singles. I giggled and got some chips and a Dew and put in my wish list for a guy and watched the slideshow. Blah blah blah munch munch munch. I wasnt taking it seriously at all, because lets face it, some of those guys just flat out scared me to pieces!!! Then HE popped up on my tiny little Compaq screen. His tagline was "Your Search Stops Here!!". I seriously laughed out loud, rolled my eyes and went, "Great, hes cocky!!". I read his story about what he was looking for and liked what he said. Then I figured he would be down in Evansville or something totally not close to me. He was in Nappanee!!!! Well, gosh, this couldnt be real. I was sure someone had snatched him up already, but what the heck, I decided to respond to him anyway not expecting a reply. He replied!!! Let me tell you, it was quite the "manly" reply too!! I got to know all about his vehicles and toys and how much mileage was on each of them and every single detail about them. Right away he was making me smile and laugh!! I wrote him back, and he wrote back, and on and on. This went on for MONTHS before we ever met face to face. By the time we met in person, I was already head over heels for this guy. He hadnt let me give in to my need for instant gratification. I wanted to meet him RIGHT NOW, and he told me no, that he "wanted me to find a fault in him first". Awww!!! I dont really think I ever did, but he gave in one day and came to see me. It was easy going and felt so natural to be with him. The kids met him, and dont tell him I told you this but.........this was when they were big into Blues Clues. They kept calling him something that I couldnt figure out what they were calling him. Rusty figured out that they were calling him Steve, the guy from Blues Clues. LOL!!!! Shortly after that I moved out of my house into a new place. Rusty and his friend came to help. I figured he had to like me if he was willing to undertake that ordeal after just meeting me!! :) Shortly after that, and many trips and visits back and forth to Nappanee/Rochester, he moved in with me. Shortly after that, he proposed. Then you know all the rest!! So thats our story!! I put together a video with 8 pictures from our wedding day to celebrate our 8 years of wedded bliss!! Enjoy!!

I cant wait to spend many many many many many many more years with this guy!! :)

xoxo

S

Max Dot Com

Maxeroni strikes again!!! :)

Yes the Maxeroni's creative juices have flowed again. Im not sure what the first 5 pics are about, you can use your own imagination for that!! You can see he is repurposing the brilliant beads he earned at school though!! lol I do know that the last pic is of his latest creation.....a gondola lift (cable car) complete with zip line. We even have a video for that one!!

He took it outside for a longer zip line!!! Sorry about the sideways video. I havent figured out how to rotate it yet, lol, if thats even possible to do with a movie. Blonde moment.

Enjoy!!! :)
xoxo

Max Dot Com

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I was told by Max last night after he asked if he could use my camera to "make sure I put these pictures on his website"!!! So, like a good mommy, thats what Im doing!!

He got a new Lego kit that had to do with knights and a "monster". Its from the Castle collection and its called Troll Assault Wagon. As you can see, his pictures tell a story. I put them in the order that he took them so that you can enjoy the story he is telling!!

Enjoy Maxs website!!! :)

xoxo

Mommy

Mothers Day

Yesterday my wonderful hubby surprised me with a trip to Koko for SHOPPING and dinner at my favorite restaurant, Hacienda!! Its truly the biggest turn-on for your guy to take you shopping and ENJOY it!!! I got some super cute outfits. Lately I have been in a certain kind of shopping mood where I only get something if I LOVE IT. Yesterday I was the same way. Each store we went in, I walked out with two items that were my favorites in that store. :) Then we went to Hacienda where we had the BEST waitress we have EVER had there or at any restaurant!!! She brought us refills the second we had our last slurp, she brought extra napkins without having to be asked, she brought us a giant thing of ranch instead of the usual skimpy lil bowl, she simply ROCKED!!!! Then we headed home and watched Sleepless in Seattle. I have a ton of awesome movies on VHS, so my kids have never seen them. I am beginning the task of acquiring all these movies on DVD. It just so happens that they are usually found in the $5 bin at Walmart too, which rocks!!

Anyway, today I went out first thing and cut weeds. Eww!! So not my favorite thing to do, but it looks much better now without those things being an eyesore!! Then my kids gave me the cards they made for me. We are now waiting on my mom to show up so that we can spend the day with her. Beautiful sunny days really are the best, arent they!! :)

I hope all my favorite mommys out there in Bloggerland enjoy their special day with their families!!! Remember to kiss those hubbys and kiddos.....without them we wouldnt be MOMMYS!!! :)

xoxo
S

Cuz Aimee made me do it!!! :)

(This blog post is dedicated to Aimee!!! She has been jonesin for a post from me, and although I didnt have anything to blog about, I thought and thought last night about something I could blog about. So here we go!!! The title is.....)

CHANGE

First of all, the pic I chose for this blog CRACKS ME UP!!! I wanted something to do with change, and my BFF Jill always puts things about butterflies when talking about change.....well I found this pic and it had the idea of change with a sense of humor, which is how I roll, so it was perfect!!

Ok, on we go. If you read my Facebook the past week, you know that I was struggling with a bit of change, or uncertainty, or just feeling LOST. You have to know me really really well to know why some things affect me the way they do, and Im NOT going to go into the deep deep abyss that is me, thats for YOU to figure out!! lol Good luck!! Anyway, I will give you a hint, one of the biggest things that drives me is helping people. I love to do it, and I almost HAVE to do it. Its who I am. Well, I have been doing something this whole year that has fulfilled that drive, and it was such a blessing. I never expected it to have the impact it does on me. Lately, that thing I have been doing has felt tampered with. It ticked me off. Then that led me to thinkin that, CRAP, maybe that wasnt what I was supposed to be doing. My degree is in Psych, and in my head, this was the reason for the tampering. So then I got on the "What am I supposed to be doing with my life?" train.........I was happy to get off that train after a day of wallowing and receiving support from friends who often feel in the same boat.

Heres what the end result was: First of all, I only wallowed for a day and then I got back on track. Second, I found out that what I was doing wasnt being tampered with in the way that I thought it was. Third, I decided that even if something was going on, I was NOT going to give it any power (because I cant control it, duh), and I was NOT going to let my self be upset by it for one day longer. It is what it is and Im just gonna be happy with that. Fourth, I decided that as long as Im doing something that makes me truly happy, and that also helps me to help others, then I am content. Fifth, I need to let my sense of pride about certain things go, because it is not a tool in making me the best me I can be.

CHANGE

Heres some more change thats been going on or will be going on soon. We had an Orientation night at the Middle School last week. My oldest son is already at the MS, and in a few months, my daughter will join him there. The change Im talking about is not her going to a different school, but more the girly, becoming a...........a.......................a..................woman.............and ALL THE DRAMA that entails. God, give me strength for THAT whole process!! lol Oh man, this is that kinda change that just seriously stresses me out. I know how I was as a teen, and I know my mother is just sitting off laughing cuz now its my turn. My daughter and I are starting to have a different kind of relationship though. And when she doesnt shoot daggers at me with her eyes, and when she actually discovers that ole Mom knows what shes talking about and only does things for her kids best interests.........she and I have a unique bond. But in the years to come...........ok I cant even think about this anymore, moving on.....

CHANGE

This may sound corny to some of you, but its just how I am. The one change thats going to be coming up that Im just not looking forward to is my Maxers moving on from Kindergarten with a teacher that I simply adore with a class I have gotten to know so well because I have been there week after week, to 1st grade, where it will all start over. New classmates, new room, friends he has made will be in different classes. It just makes me sad. He has someone who really understands him and lets him be him and has helped him to grow so much. Its hard to move on from that. Im not saying 1st grade wont be great too, Im just saying Im not ready for Kindergarten to be over.

Blah, now Im a teary eyed Momma. Im gonna go look at the funny pic I chose, laugh at it, and then continue on with what I was doing before I sat down to type........which was...........laundry.

Hope everyone enjoys this BEEautiful Sunday!!

xoxo
S

Wise words

This truly says alot, without having to say much at all!! :)

xoxo
S

Mish mosh of stuff

Hey all!!

I havent blogged in a while, so this will be a big ole mish mosh of catch up stuff!! The last time I blogged was after our day trip for Spring Break. Since then we have gotten back into the school and work routines. The weather is still pretty lousy. Weve had some sunny days but as for warmth, not so much!

I remember driving home after school one day last week and checking on the horses as we drove past. Well, we didnt see our horses where they should have been!! I stopped to see what was going on. Turns out our boys and the mares had broken the chain on the gate and swapped fields!! I guess they wanted to see if the grass really is greener on the other side!! They got the mares into the barn and then I got our boys back to their side of the fence. Rotten horses!! :)

I have worked a couple days since we have been back. One day that I worked we got to go to the high school to celebrate our high school boys making it to the State Championship in baskbetball. The final score was 79-81, but as they said during the celebration, we didnt lose, we just ran out of time!!! Congrats to our boys!! :)

We lost our Belgian Shepherd, Titan, last week. That is a very hard thing to go through, and after going through it two years in a row now, I hope to not have to go through it again for many many years!! We miss you every day Titan!! You too Taylor, and you too Choco!!! The house is so quiet now and we can feel deeply the loss of your presence.

We celebrated Easter this past weekend. We stayed home, so it was just our family. We talked about the true meaning of Easter with the kids, gave them gifts, and then had Easter dinner. It was a very nice relaxing day!!

One of the gifts we got the kids was.......................baby chicks. Dont tell my mother!!! The kids have always asked to have them. I had one when I was little but it died, and then my dog dug it up after I buried it. Now very good memories with baby chicks!! lol Needless to say, hubby brought it up while we were at the farm store. He convinced me that it was a good learning experience for the kids and we could have free eggs!! The kids were, indeed, so excited!! They are very cute, and very smart, and very inquisitive, and a joy to watch. For now. But what about when they get big?? I am now having my doubts about this decision!! I grew up with a mom who is deathly afraid of chickens, and quite honestly, they sorta freak me out!! Im not so sure this was a good idea!!! Regardless, here are some pics of the girls. They are Barred Rocks. If you have played myFarm on Facebook, that name should ring a bell!! lol

Their names are Spike, Poco, Bueno, Jr., and Pooh. Go ahead and tell me how nuts we are now!!!

Thats all I can think of to write about!! Take care!!

xoxo

S

Dolphin Show

My fave part of our trip to the Indy Zoo yesterday was the dolphin show and I captured a few minutes on video for ya!! Yes, I am WOOOO'ing a lil too much in the video!! lol

Enjoy!!

xoxo

S

Day Trip :)

SPRING BREAK!!!!

We have spent our Spring Break at home, in mostly undesireable weather. We have plenty of things for the kids to do at our house, so they havent really gotten bored. I did have to establish a movie time each day so that they had some sort of structure in the afternoon which was typically the time when they started to annoy one another. We made popcorn and watched Disney movies that they havent seen since they were small, so it was like watching them for the first time.

We decided that we wanted to take one day and go somewhere and do something FUN as a family!! I began researching things online. We went down quite the path before we finally landed on what we did for our day trip.

At first we wanted to go into Chicago and do something there. (I am not so much a fan of Chicago but this is still where our planning process began!! lol) I looked into Field, Shedd, Science and Industry, Brookfield, all the normal things to do there. Then I discovered Lincoln Park Zoo. I had heard of it but never thought about it much because of the big bad Brookfield Zoo always overshadowing it. We had been to Brookfield Zoo before (and wasnt really impressed, by the way, way too much walking for my taste), so Lincoln Park Zoo would be something new!! I looked into it more and found out it was......................hold on to your seats for this one...................FREE!!!!! Are you freakin kiddin me??? A free zoo?!?!?! GASP!!!! That was a major bonus!!! I looked into it more and found that it was within Lincoln Park, which held many great statues for us to walk around and look at. There was also a Conservatory in the park. All FREE!!! Nearby, but not free, was a Nature Museum. So.........a whole days worth of fun for FREE!!!! I was sold and so were the kids!!! I had let them choose between this Lincoln Park adventure, Field, or Science and Industry. They all chose Lincoln Park. We were set!!!

Until the weather decided to screw our plans over!!! Snow in Chicago, 9 inches Im told, the day before we were to go!! Ummm.....

Ok onto a backup plan!!!!

Since it was looking like Chicago was going to be too cold for outsideness, I began planning for alternative ideas to propose to the kids. I gave them Shedd, Indy Childrens Museum, or Indy Zoo. They all unanimously agreed on the Indy Zoo. Plus side, it was going to be 60 and sunny that day down in Indy!!! Ten degrees warmer than our hometown. YAY!!!

Heres where I just want to insert how proud I am of my kids and their ability to make decisions based on the research I presented to them. I asked them all their choice seperately so there was not any persuasion by others onto their choice. Although our options changed quite a bit because of the unexpected weather, they were still able to agree on something (unbeknownst to them at the time) and they were all happy to be going somewhere. I also let them take an old digital camera of mine so that they could take their own pictures and put them on their computer when we got home.

Ok, so onto the pics from our day trip!!! Taken by me ala Fuji.

First things first, we got there and the lady at the window asked us if we wanted FREE Dolphin Show tickets!! Um, yeah!! lol The last time we were there, the Dolphin Show was a seperate charge and the Butterfly area was another seperate charge. That has changed and its all included in one price, just for your knowledge!! The zoo was pretty busy. Others had taken advantage of the very sunny and sorta warm day!!! We got there with about an hour before our show was to begin. We got to go check out the baby walrus, who was so adorable!! The next pic is of the kids favorite thing to do yesterday, we went TWICE, to pet the sharks!! My favorite thing was the dolphin show!!! I swear, if I didnt have to wear a wetsuit and touch nasty fish, Id so be a dolphin trainer!! :) The next big hit of the day was the Scottish Cow, he was just too dang cute!! Then we have the typical family pics and the ZEBRA pic in honor of our Z's!!! :)

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Ok so now for the unexpected chaos we encoutered because.....well, thats just how things happen with us lol. First, we stopped at the cafe on zoo grounds to get a snack and the guy behind the cash register swindled hubby out of 3 bucks. He didnt realize it until we were away from the register. Then, when we were in the Butterfly area, we got yelled at for trying to let a butterfly land on our hand. Uh, last time we were here, this was allowed. Then, on the way home, after eating a yummy meal at Hacienda (which doesnt have frisbees as plates for the kids meals anymore, by the way), we stopped at Starbucks and I ordered what I always order and the guy says they "are out of coffee based drinks". Um, I lost it!! I freaked out!! Was he freakin kiddin me? Was this an April Fools joke? Dont mess with a lady and her caffeine, buddy!!! Luckily there was a new Starbucks down the road, in the opposite direction we were heading, but hubby went back and we ordered, and thankfully, "Steph" had what I wanted!!!! YAY!! :)
That about wraps it up!!
All in all a fun day!! The kids were beat when we got home!! We went and fed the horses and then relaxed and watched our shows. By the way, rumor has it that both Lucas and Peyton are leaving One Tree Hill, which has just been renewed for a 7th season. That really ticks me off!! The show is centered around Lucas and Peyton is his wife, and they really think it can survive without those two, are you freakin kiddin me??
Ok, thats off topic, my bad!!
Til next blog...
xoxo
S