Happy New Year!

Maybe I don't want a Happy New Year, he said. Maybe I want an intense New Year with a lot of growth experiences

& I had to admit I'd never thought of that

Basement Update

It is so nice to not be doing anything - well, not that we aren't doing anything, but we are doing whatever we want (well, except Babers who has this communication problem and regardless of what we are doing he always seems to want to be doing something else - which causes him to spend time in the stroller because if unleashed he will take off - so we have tried to do things that he wants to do too, like the chase me all around the universe game and figure out what I am saying before I have a complete meltdown and start screaming and attracting attention - great game). One of the things we are doing each day is the arranging the new stuff task. Each day our new stuff needs to find a forever home - only we need the basement to be able to help things find permanency. Like the big game table we got the family (huge hit - air hockey is constantly being played - however, not such a huge hit with me since it is sitting in the foyer). We arrange the new things, rearrange the new things, go out and buy more new things with our gift cards, find a place for those new things, re-rearrange the other new things to accommodate the newest new things - and the torture goes on and on. This rearranging has made me long for my new craft room (not because I need to put my stuff somewhere, but because it has a door and I will be able to go into it, stamp things for all of you and find a moment of sanity where no one will bother me - ah...okay, I am not deluding myself - they will find me and there isn't a lock on the door, hmmm......remind myself to talk to Tony about putting a lock on the door). Anyway, in thinking of the basement I remembered that a few people asked how it is going and I thought I would post some updated pics. We would be done, but people keep passing away, funerals need to be attended, this awful cold swished through and we lost workers for a bit, there were two holidays, plus there was the snow (but we are not complainging about any snow - ever), our contractors son had a concussion playing hockey so he was gone a bit for dr. visits(remind myself none of the kids can play hockey if they ask later) the list goes on - all of it is legitimate, it is just that weird everything happens at once thing. Right now they are doing the finish work - doors, trim, lights, drop ceiling in the bedroom, stairs, carpet, etc. We are hoping it will be done by the end of this week, but there is the New Year holiday and I think that might make it last into the next week. Not all bad - while I wouldn't mind walking around in my pj's and looking sloppy again (okay, again - who am I deluding - they have been around enough that they have seen the "real me" on occassion when they got here super early), but it is also nice to have grown ups living in my basement all day just in case I need to talk to someone - even if they do make jokes and take BigGuys side most of the time. Plus, I have learned to make super good coffee (so they tell me - really, I make it so that they don't leave to go get some - time saver you know).

Three Day of Christmas in STL

In the past we traveled around STL the day before Christmas and the on Christmas Day. It was a challenge of patience due to sleep deprivation and children missing naps and being wound up. We were always successful though. This year we traveled to STL and then around STL for three days to celebrate the holiday with all the family. Schedules were changed for us and we truly appreciated it because as you can see from these pictures (and I don't have the Christmas day pics plus I cut out many since there were oringally 115) we did not short outselves on stops or time spent with those we love. This slide is filled with pictures from those three days only. Later I will do one with our families first Christmas here in our new home.

Family Look-a-likes

Okay, this is an update on the post I did earlier. As we were putting together Christmas Cards I found this kindergarten picture of BigGuy. So here are all our pictures - who looks like who? It is hard isn't it? The kids look like both of us and we kinda look a like too. Genetics, pretty cool.

GirlScout Caroling

There is finally time to start loading our Holiday event pictures onto the website. There are a lot of pictures, so we will be choosey about what to torture you all with. Here are a few shots of something that I am happy SuperStar and Spidey participated in. We did some bell ringing for the Salvation Army, we donated to gifts for kids who were not as fortunate as ours are and we went with the GirlScouts to carol, hand out gifts they made and run some bingo (these folks were serious about their bingo). The kids had a good time and I think the guests did too.

What Happened??

Okay, I remember baking gooey butter cakes for our contractor and our friends the C's - then we were all packed up and ready to go for the next day to STL to celebrate the holidays and then.................well, today is the day after Christmas! What happened??? The whole thing was a Giant WHOOOSH! Actually, I do remember it all - yet still it went by faster then a speeding bullet and left us all so tired that Babers is taking his second nap of the day (something he gave up a few months back). I am pretty sure we saw every living person in St. Louis, MO. From Saturday morning when we dropped Jakey off at the doggie spa we didn't stop. We went to my dads to drop off our stuff and pick up gifts we had stashed there - we then went to BigGuys sisters to celebrate with his dads side of the family - then we went to my moms to help her buy a computer - then we went to my dads for the night. Sunday we went to St. Margaret of Scotland for church, saw friends, went to our friends the G.'s for brunch and were joined by our other grands, Nona & Popo - stopped by there house after to open some presents and give some present - our friends the B's popped in for a sec. - then were went back to the G's to get my camers (oops) and back to BigGuy's sisters for a celebration with his moms side of the family. Our Aunt & Uncle were in from the Czech Rep. with CuznC - so that was an extra treat. Stayed there until 10pm and then headed back to my dads to pass out in the bed. Up the next day for a celebration with my dad and family and then on the road by 2:30 to head back home to IL. We wanted to spend the holiday in our home so as not to confuse Santa anymore then he might be due to our move. We know he is smart, but we were concerned - although the bigger concern was how would we fit all that stuff into our car!!! As it was we came up with our gifts in a simple medium size box that fit between the front and middle seat. We went home hauling AuntB's family travel top on our van and the whole thing packed, the van packed and basically feeling like Santa's sled at about bursting capacity. Our friends the C's had a great surprise waiting for us - they left food, chocolates, cookies and wine for us so we didn't have to worry about an evening meal - along with picking up Jakers from the spa (and paying because we spaced it). They are Christmas Angels. Amazingly we unloaded the car and had it all put away before the kids went to bed - promptly at 7:30 because they wanted Santa there soon - except they kept coming down to tell us to go to bed, we were impeading Santa's arrival - only we couldn't do our sneaky stuff with them checking on us every few minutes. So it took quite some time. The next morning everyone was up at 6am - but waited until 6:30am. Santa was good to us all - my mom popped in by 10:30am (another Christmas Angel - she was in the car driving more then she was at our house). It was an all day pj day although they were brand new pj's so it was like getting dressed. Still - comfy and fun. Then we did some more presents and we had a casual feast of ham, agratin potatoes, sweet potato casserole, salad and cranberries. Yum. Then Granma headed home and we hit the couch to watch The Simpson's Movie (BigGuy got it for Christmas).

In all it was a Very Merry Christmas. How was yours?

It's a Wonderful Life - Funny like

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Babers Birthday Pictures!!

The problem was fortunately not with the camera (although now I have two super mega chip things to hold pictures), but with the computer and we figured out how to trick it with the cords and stuff. Not as easy, but it worked!!

Things that I know..........

I know that chocolate chip cookies are generally the first ones eaten. I know that everyone loves believing in Santa Claus. I know that my husband would much rather sleep really late (like 12ish) then get up when we do (6ish). I know that snow makes everything beautiful. And I know that moms do not want to receive dish detergent for Christmas. I also know that this is what my middle child has purchased me. No, I didn't peek - here is what transpired.......

After school the kids wanted to head to the Dollar Tree to do their holiday shopping. We have each of them buy something for one another and then something for BigGuy and myself. I was solo - so the kids were told to sneak their gifts for me into the cart and that I would promise not to look. Babers would have to shop with BigGuy later because he just doesn't understand sneak or subtle. That said I told them we would not hang out in the store for longer then 30 minutes (I am not a shopper and I certainly don't fancy hanging out in any one store for very long) - then they were released. SuperStar was pretty independent. She picked something nice for her brothers, her dad and then snuck something into the cart for me. I do not know what it is (although BigGuy doesn't believe this). Babers was entertained with the gift I - er, he - picked out for his dad. Together we trailed Spidey. Who first picked out Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for his dad - then a water bottle - then a paperclip thing - all of these were strongly suggested against by me - and finally he choose something that seemed close enough that I let it pass. He was off to find something for SuperStar, something for Babers and then finally he started shopping for himself. I reminded him there was one more person. He put down the toy he was studying, walked around the corner and came back with a powdered dishwasher detergent. Another mom was smiling (the store was filled with parents helping their kids shop for one another) and started laughing when Spidey said, "This is what you need mom. You love to keep things clean." I told him that I was really disappointed I saw the gift, but since it was no longer a surprise he should try again. I asked SuperStar to help him with the sneaking part - hoping she would help him with the choosing too. I heard her around the corner say, "She doesn't want the liquid kind too." and him saying, "But this one is pink colored, she will like to clean with pink stuff." And so I am going to be gifted with pink colored Dawn. It is the thought that counts - right? Wonder if it is scented.

When you think of Snow.......

Do you think of Trampolines?

So at tumbling class my kiddo's were asked by their teacher what their favorite thing to do in the snow was. One kid said his was to throw snowballs at people, another kid said sledding, another kid said she liked to build a snow person, SuperStar said she liked all those things and she liked to jump on the trampoline. To which everyone kinda stopped and looked at her. She is serious though. Spidey was right behind her telling the teacher how much he didn't like snowball fights, but that making snowangels on the trampoline was fun. The kids came straight home after that first snow and said that as soon as they were done with homework they were going to jump on the trampoline. And they did.

The teacher also had done some cold weather jumping, but she said hers ended when the trampoline ripped in two because of it being too cold for the mat and the fabric ripped. She wasn't jumping high though, just standing, and she was perfectly fine.
However, that is what I feared - that the cold weather is not good for the trampoline and it might be ruined.

Now no one jumps on the trampoline in the cold. Kids were disappointed, but now they are seem perfectly happy playing in the ditch in front of the house. Much better. Oh, and in these pictures - yeah, Spidey is totally without shoes. Goofer.

In the Meantime

While we are waiting to figure out how to get to Babers bday pics I thought I would post these - the kiddo's are taking tumbling classes on the weekends. Keeps them moving while there is tons of snow outside. There is skating on Tuesday nights too. No pictures of that yet.
The kids are having a lot of fun with this class. Spidey is super flexible - he did a standing backbend the first day. Although now he will only do them with a spotter (extra attention given that way) and neither of them seems able to do much without having their arms flop all over. While it is funny to watch, they could really get more out of it if they kept their arms locked - and their heads would hurt less too.

Technical Difficulties

We are experiencing technical difficulties with Babers birthday pictures. I can't get the computer to read the card. It says it is, but it isn't. BigGuy says it is the card so I am going to buy a new one and see if it works. If it does then we have to find the cord that came with the camera to retrieve the pics directly from the camera - however, the cord is in the basement in a box in storage and the basement storage is not accessible at this time. The basement is all dry-walled and in the process of being painted and ceramic tile is going down and all the rest of that - so hopefully we will get Babers pics up soon. I totally did an awesome job with both his cakes - so I really want to retrieve these pictures.

Happy Birthday Babers!!!

Babers is climbing to the ripe old age of 2!!!!!! Yesterday we had a lot of fun with a birthday party for him. Lost our friends & family from STL due to snow (we got 5 inches!!), but still gathered 5 families who are local and celebrated. The kids ran around, we played Pin the Nose on Elmo, ate LOTS of cake (because we had enough for the planned 40 ppl), pizza, jello and salad. Then we watched it snow - and snow - and snow. Very cool. Today we are celebrating more and might venture to Chuck E Cheese for some playtime. Ironically Babers bday cake today is a SnowFamily Cake. Pictures to follow.
Love - All of Us! Happy Happy Happy Birthday Babers - Happy Happy Happy Birthday - Babers!!!

Snow Snow Snow Snow

We Have to do Something with the Snow

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Our Icicles have Icicles

Last year in STL we had a huge ice storm that was absolutely gorgeous!! Yet we didn't enjoy it one iota because it took our power and we were homeless for 4 days. Not that we didn't enjoy staying at our friends house - all five of us in their two bedroom home with their family of four (actually it was fun), but it would have been much more enjoyable from our own heated home where we could snuggle in our pj's. This year we have that. For the past two weeks we have been getting small amounts of snow (never more then maybe an inch tops - this we wish we had more of) and lots of icy rain. The slippery stuff isn't so much fun to worry about because we live on the windy roads, but it sure is pretty. There is certainly a feeling for the holiday season that comes along with it. The only down side so far is that we don't get a bus ride to school sometimes. We haven't had an ice storm like last year - this has been more a slow accumulation of ice, but it is absolutely gorgeous!!!

And The Stockings Were Hung

Well......our stockings are hung and the tree is up (not decorated though), but our story is more about the mouse....you know, "Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring"....well except for the mouse that we found in Spidey & SuperStar's room this afternoon. BigGuy was in there helping them clean up and he was pulling things out from under the bed and noticed something dart. He came and told me the "Carol" thing I just wrote (he is clever that one) and then we went back into the room with the intents to catch us a mousie. Now, the last mouse we had in our house was BC (Before Children). Our cat Barkley caught it and brought it to bed with us one night - this time Barkley showed ZERO interest. We put all the kids stuff in a pile in the center of the room, BigGuy got ready for the mouse and we jostled his area - only he darted, hit BigGuys leg, jumped up and over and scurried under the dresser - so we moved the pile to the hallway (because the mouse appeared smart and if he got into the pile we would have had to figure out which way to....well anyway.....we got everything ready to move the dresser and I moved the furniture against the wall where he might dart - only he was already there - then he moved to the other dresser - then when we almost had him there he jumped really high, scared the buggers out of me I mean he jumped up waist high), I started screeching, the kids went to higher ground on the top of the bunkbed saying things like, "You are scaring me Mommy" (like I was the Olympic jumping mouse terrorizing us all) and then it got around BigGuy again - across the hall and under our bed (where Barkley was lazing and didn't even bat a whisker). We cleared the underneath of our bed (surprisingly clean I might add) and figured it was gone because there was nothing left except the tube of Christmas paper to which I said, "Well, unless he is in that tube of paper he is in our bathroom." BigGuy tipped the tube up (which I would not have done because the thing might have scooted right down into his eye - eeeekkkk!!!) and there it was. BigGuy put the plastic container into the bathroom sink, the tube end into that, tapped the tube, the mousie came out and we closed the container.
The kids bopped around excited about it - we briefly discussed keeping it as a pet - then put him in the laundry room to await his fate. None of us could have killed him - especially since Danny just recently passed - so BigGuy donned his clothes and took the mouse for a ride - far away and dumped him in a corn field. It is super cold, icy and snowy here, but mice are made for burrowing and finding warm tiny spots. He was an exciting moment in our Sunday - and he totally got the kids room cleaned.

What we do with Pumpkins

Around here Halloween pumpkins don't die after the holiday. Some we don't even carve - we let them hang around for decoration until the day that we voila them into something. So far we have created Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Cake, Pumpkin Orange Butter, Pumpkin puree for later and a few weekends ago we made a pumpkin into Curry Pumpkin Soup.................

St. Nick's Eve

Last night we hung the stockings in hopes that St. Nick would find us in our new home. St. Nick is not Santa. Each year I have this conversation with the kids because they ask. SuperStar gets that they are different people and she is now assisting Spidey to better understand. Babers doesn't really care who it is - he was just glad to have chocolate coins - little bugger figured it out and how to unwrap them within 2 minutes of receiving them! St. Nick was born in 271 AD. He is the patron Saint of Sailors. During his living years he was known to save children and help the downtrodden. It is believed that he and his helper, Black Pete, would bestow gifts upon children who left their shoes out at night. Gold coins, tangerines and such. Today the tradition continues. In our home St. Nick brings things you can use - not toys. Last night he brought a pen to the olders, a Brownie Sash for SuperStar and nice shirts for both the boys. Plus the gold coins and a tangerine. No one wants to eat an orange here, but they all ate the tangerines. Hmmm.... Well, this year they asked a good question. If St. Nick is dead then who brings the gifts? My answer was that the gifts are left by someone who is channeling the spirit of St. Nick and the meaning of his good deeds. Apparently none of them understood what I meant, but no one asked me to elaborate. Instead I received a split second of dumb found silence followed by a knowing nod from SuperStar (she does this for show sometimes) when she then explained to Spidey that I meant a Spirit comes in and does it, you know like Casper, and then a blatant subject jumping occurred from Spidey to discuss the cereal they were eating. It's all good.

Then - tonight, after the kids went to bed, it began to snow again. Our second one. Yea for here!!

Cookies & Elephants

There are plenty of our blogs that center around the kids, fun we have with them and their friends. Here is what I did with my friends today. At M2M we had our White Elephant exchange and there was a Cookie Exchange. You brought 4 dz to participate in the exchange and then if you wanted you could compete. I competed (of course). There were 4 divisions - Chocolate, Non-Choc., No Bake and Decorated. I did not enter decorated (ha!) - I went in Non-Choc. with Gooey Butter Cookies. Do you know people up here do not know what a Gooey Butter Cake is???? They say it is a STL thing, but please........we are only 3 hours away - Gooey Butter should be like chocolate, once you have it you take it with you and share it with others - like a religion. So, I won my division - yea!! Mostly I think it was the display. I had some inside information on how to wow the judges by the former organizer of the event. I made a 3 dimentional tree, put the cookies on a Santa plate and such. Anyway, here is the fun, these are some of my friends and now you have a peek at what I do.

Elfin' Fun

Here is a fun site that everyone in the world seems to know about. We have sent our Elfin'-selves to a few of you, but just in case you want to see it again (over and over and over like our kids) here is your chance. And if you haven't seen it at all - well, BigGuy makes a cute elf.............
just click on Kids for thiers and Us for ours ~
Kids
Us

The Griswald's live across the street

Our kids were so excited when over night our neighbors yard turned into a light display almost worthy of donations. This photo is not our neighbors yard, but they have lights on every window and these are not the everyday lights - they are the motion picture type things. A reindeer jumping, Santa's sleigh shooting across another window, a present in another window - you get the idea. They have a waving Santa, a reindeer, a fake white tree with lights, a snowman, a few other trees with various colors, some plastic figures, a Merry Christmas banner done in lights, a few candy canes - you get the idea. Surprisingly there are not lights on the house - the kind that outline the house or are the snowfall looking icicle things. However, we are told that this is a work in progress and every few days we see Mr. N outside adding something new. Our neighbors to the left have icicle lights, a few light up things and in the back yard a 9ft. cross lite up with lights and a light scarf. Down the street another family is in competition with the neighbors across the street and then there are scattered others. Today I sent BigGuy to the store to pick up lights for our house - and a few light up things for the yard. The kids totally want to compete. BigGuy and I just want to represent and not look like the Grinch house. Maybe we will pick up some more things after the holiday when they are on clearance, but this year we just want pretty and nice. Next year we can start on potential self induced electrocution like the Griswald's did. We will pace ourselves. We have to admit - it is nice to have a display like that across the street. You can just peek out the window and be reminded of the fun.

Santa needs to call back his deer so that they don't become a hood ornament on our van. Yes, I know that Santa has Magical Reindeer, not the deer that are living in our area (SuperStar is an avid reader and this must be stated). The other night when I was leaving STL my thoughts went to how dark is was out (it was after 7pm) and that most of the initial driving would be safe, but that once we passed Springfield it would be all country roads and that we had already seen deer running right into a car on a trip. My figuring was that during the final stretch home I would need to be careful - then as soon as I crossed the river into IL, right outside of Collinsville a deer ran across the road!! Didn't see another one the rest of the trip, but I was totally ready just in case (meaning I was totally paranoid the whole trip - was that reflective light really the eye of a deer?). We made it home though - safe. Then the other day the bus driver said there were deer in the road down the street and to be careful. So I have been. Until last night. No, I didn't hit a deer, but I almost did. I was sleepy, meeting a friend to go shopping, driving the windy road to town (we have no street lights on the 5 miles stretch), noticed the blue snowflake lights on a house and then all of a sudden I noticed the reflective lights on the side of the road - only this time they were deer eyes - she ran into the street startled by me - I slowed down (because of my deer fear I have been driving slower - much to the dismay of others on the road behind me) - then she started back off the road, back on the road, and then off the road completely and into the brush. The gigantic truck behind me stopped (probably some guy marking the spot in his mind so he could off the poor deer/dear later) and sat there (then again maybe it was someone more startled then I was - although they were never in harms way). Then today I saw another deer on my way home during the daylight. Where are they coming from? I am sure my local friends know all the reasons they are migrating toward people (heck, probably so they aren't in the hunting areas and killed for sport) - they probably aren't shocked to see them, may not even think it is totally cool like we do, but still.............these deer have got to smarten up. Is there not a deer training center somewhere. I have a vested interest in this deer problem. Our family is directly linked to them emotionally (G'Sell = gazelle = antelope = deer). As a child every year we went to the zoo and our dad would make us stand next to the Gazelle sign and have our photo taken. So really we need some suggestions and we should start a support center................

Our Thanksgiving

This was our first Thanksgiving in our new home - away from our family - making the meal ourselves. There were definate downsides to being here without extended family - we missed everyone, not as much food diversity (although the leftovers are things we really like) and it was kinda quiet. There were also upsides - we didn't feel like giant pumpkins at the end of the day, we never put our shoes on (Spidey hardly even wore clothes) and Babers didn't have to skip a nap - so less Holiday Hangover the next day. Regardless - we missed being with everyone.

Turkey Time!!

It is Turkey Time!! These are cookies I did for the Kindergarten at the kids school. 80 of them for their big Feast today. Our holiday will be tomorrow and we are ready. We have our free range Amish Turkey in the fridge ready for BigGuys cooking plans - something about wrapping it in bacon and then pouring maple syrup over it or something. I have diced 27 cups of bread, 4 cups of celery, 6 cups of mushrooms and 2 cups of onion for the stuffing (ready to go). There is a pumpkin pie and a pecan pie waiting on the counter and sweet potato casserole sitting in the fridge to be baked (I had all this done by 10am today!). Tonight the kids are going to make Challah bread and then shape it into turkeys and bake them for tomorrow. Then tomorrow we will have a much lighter breakfast, do the final baking, watch some TV, do some crafts for the next holiday and sit around and enjoy one another. Sit around and enjoy one another. What a novel ideal. For the past 13 years BigGuy and I have been rushing from parents house to parents house (except the year we went to GA for the holiday and that wasn't our home - so it was still being somewhere else) - eating at least 3 times and a few of the first years 4 times through the day. This year we will actually be hungry for the turkey dinner!! We will need crafts and activities to entertain the kids because they won't have the cousins to entertain them (that part makes me tear up - Spidey was in tears when he found out he would be seeing CuznM or CuznG. We will see them all soon though - and next year we will have a finished basement so maybe we can host some of the family (not all of you) here for it (no promises that wasn't run by BigGuy first). Regardless - we are looking forward to a down day. Most likely we will be bored by 11am, but we will suffer through - be Thankful for each other, for all of you, for our home, for the gifts we receive everyday and for the fact that we are pretty much done shopping for the gifts you will recieve later. We will take lots of pictures too. Love to all reading this and Happy Holiday!!

If BigGuy had a Hammer

Well, BigGuy does have a hammer - he just wishes he could go down and use it. Only he is afraid that he will get in the way. On a daily basis we have about 3 men hammering away - on Friday BigGuy wanted to join in - I think - he said he did - he could have asked to join, but he never did - so maybe he wants to just in spirit. Soon enough he will get to do some of the work that we bargained out for pricing. There is so much noise in our house lately that I don't even know how much noise the children are making. When some shattering noise occurs I don't run down the steps. I also don't walk around in my pj's and I am generally showered by 7am. The work in the basement started last Tuesday. The jackhammering lasted a day (that was a treat) and then the hammering has continued (much liked in comparison to jackhammering). One plumbing glitch occurred - or rather it was ongoing and it was found because of the work on the house (yea!) - there were no extra costs because of it and now we know that our sump pump works and that our home is no longer sitting in water. Babers is getting used to the hammering - although he still prefers to sit on the furniture as high up as he can get (kitchen table is preferred by him) because it keeps his feet off the vibrating floors (from hammering). As we cleaned to get ready for them to come in we realized that in only 5 months we have accumulated big pieces of stuff and relaxed out of the boxes with our own stuff. So back into the boxes - most of the big new stuff was left by the old owners (things we fancied keeping) - we lost a garage bay, but we will get it back before snow and stuff comes (yea for snow!!!). I will wait another week to take more pics. Tony is going to be doing electrical the rest of the week and the dry wallers won't come in until the week after Thanksgiving. Then we will update you all on the progress. The bathroom is going to be huge - anyone want to come and stay?

Danny

Yesterday was a very sad day for us. Danny, our hammie, passed. This isn't going to be a funny post - I know that some may feel a hamster is a disposable pet, and honestly we struggled with the cost of things that we needed to do to find out what was wrong with him. He was our pet though and we realized also part of our family and was worth the cost. I was taken by surprised how much he had touched us. When it was obvious the medication wasn't helping him in any way we scheduled to have him anesthetized and the doctor was better able to diagnose him. As we all suspected once the growth became larger, it was cancer. He had cancer in his right testicle and then it metastasized to his face causing a tumor that was more obvious there. Although he was still eating (less, but I was putting fresh fruits and veggies in to entice him) and moving around easily - he wasn't running in his wheel any more and he was sleeping much more. The growths were causing him pain and the doctor said his quality of life would change quickly and he was in a great deal of pain. He suggested that it would be better to let him out of the pain then let him live out his days. So that is what we chose to do.

Once the kids were home from school I sat down with them and talked to them about the illness and the choice that BigGuy and I had made. We talked about cancer and what the medication would do for him in releasing him from his pain and ending his life. They cried, I cried. We had an appointment for the procedure later in the evening so they took some time to make cards for him (we are a card making family) and talked about how they wished he could have grown to be a grandpa. Once BigGuy was home we headed to the hospital and spent some time holding him. The kids choose not to be in the room, but we could hear them in the waiting area talking about him to other people. At one point they were telling a man there about what was happening. He asked them if they would be getting another hamster and there was a pause and you could hear Spidey say, "No, he was the only Danny there was" - so it is nice to know that they valued him as a family member and he wasn't a disposable pet. SuperStar asked me to promise that when we go to heaven we will buy him from the pet store for our family. Of course I made that promise. I heard her telling Ben that he would be going to the children's part of heaven to make someone without a pet happy. We did a lot with him - hamster races, he watched tv with us sometimes (more before Jake - who totally loved Danny), he watched me craft and he would chew on spare pieces of paper, he escaped his cage and hung out in the corner of the basement, he was so huge that he would burst his hammie tubes, he was just a sweetie.
Two summers ago we spent months eating enough Ben & Jerry's (it was a struggle) so that we could make him a habitrail using the pint containers. Turned out pretty cute. When he was in his hammie ball walking around the house he would follow me around. It was funny - then he would just stop at my feet and hang out.
So we will definitely miss Danny. He was more my sweetie then anyone elses, but Danny was also very much the kids baby too. No one is asking to replace him - so that sends a message to us that they see him as a family member that can't be replaced and that is a warm thing to us.
Danny the Hammie ~
Delivered by the Easter Bunny 4/2006

Bucket Head

Every morning BigGuy gets up and takes a shower - alone - in the bathroom by himself (maybe a child wanders in, but generally no one lingers). Every morning I take a shower - after BigGuy is off to work and the older kids have gotten on the bus - and Babers is unattended. He likes to loiter around the bathroom while I am showering. While our masterbath is open to the bedroom (meaning we have no door to close) the smaller room with a toilet has a door. In the past Babers will wander into that room, close the door and then knock on it as a game - only the light is off and it probably doesn't seem very funny to him after he has shut himself into a dark room - yet I am in the shower and can't reach him without getting out - so I do, cold, water dripping on the ground, let the baby out of the dark room. Finally I have gotten bright enough to remember to close this door before showering. So, this week he has been more eventful during my showers because he has no dark room to torture himself with.
Monday - this was the day that while showering I heard things falling. Glass items. I peeked out and there is Babers with his hand extended up over the top of my dresser running his hand along and blindly knocking things to the ground. He would then investigate them, coins, earrings, pictures, and go back to knocking more down. I shouted to stop - he smiled and continued. I finished quickly.
Tuesday - this was the morning he decided to open and close the cabinets in the vanity. We have a double with two sets of drawers. Clank, bang, clank, bang - very relaxing - clank and then silence. I peeked out and saw that he was pulling everything out and placing it around on the floor. I asked him to stop - he smiled and continued. I finished my shower early again.
Wednesday - this was Karma at work. Babers came into the bathroom with Jakes squeeky toy. It was fabulously relaxing, much better then the clank and bang the day before - SQUEEEEEEEEK - SQUEEEEEK - over and over. In bounds Jake looking for his beloved toy (this really is his favorite - constantly squeeks the darn thing and I have no idea how Babers even got ahold of it). Babers held it out (because we all know not to mess with Jake and this toy), Jake grabbed it and ran away - Babers after him and I am expecting to hear a scuffle and to have to get out of the shower. Nothing. Silence. A few minutes later I heard thump thump thump - silence - thump thump thumpidy thump - I peek out. Babers is near the window wall of our bedroom, it is trash day and all the trash has been taken out so he has his empty trash can from his room placed over his head - this is a tallish plastic can and it goes over his arm reach and to his knees - so he can't get it off his body. He is blindly thumping into things trying to get to me for me to help - not crying though so I am just watching. Karma baby. He is thumping along the wall, into furniture - I call out his name - he cirlcles around trying to figure out where my voice is coming from - thump thump thump and finally PLOP. He topples over and crawls back out of the trash can.

It all made the mischief from the other days more bearable. Too bad I don't keep a camera in the shower because him under that yellow trash can thumping was too funny!!

For SuperStar

We're here to end it,
I said & she said, No,
we're here to begin it
& then she turned &
opened her arms
& everywhere I could see,
there were people,
like bright birds, calling
with a thousand voices
& suddenly I understood.

Here is where it begins.
With all of us, together
giving our daughters
a world worth loving
for a lifetime to come.
~ StoryPeople

The last week or so StoryPeople has sent out stories that seemed to be in reference to the things that touch our lives. One my friend, SS, and I even emailed one another to say "hey that was so dead on" and laughed about. Anyway, this one made me think of SuperStar. This week we started our Girl Scout adventure. There were so many things that happened this week - regular everyday stuff, our first party here at the house and then all the Halloween hoopla and parties, plus getting ready for our schools carnival this weekend. So when Thursday pulled up at the house I had pretty much forgotten that there was an hour and a half long meeting to be held where I was to captivate the attention of eight young girls (I am apparently not to refer to them as little and honestly a few of them were just about as tall as me). I was in the midst of making 100 cards to donate to the country store at the carnival when I realized I needed a snack, craft and get to know you game for the troop. A week earlier I told my co-leader "no problem" about covering it all because she was busy through the week with special work projects. Silly me. So off to figure out what to do - cheese popcorn, apple cider, a charades game (hoping the girls weren't shy) where they act out their "favorite" things, and some shrinky dink type material and permanent markers to make name tags with were all pulled out to cover the meeting. Fortunately they were thrilled with it all. We made a list of "favorites" to work with for the year, did the name tags and each girl was amazed when I heat gunned their design and shrank the tag down to size (and they each put theirs on right away to show off), snacks were a nice change of pace from candy and we ended the evening with some charades - that they were begging to continue and begging to not have to leave. It was nice, it was encouraging and on the way home SuperStar told me she was proud that her mom was the leader and so much fun. That makes the whole thing worth it. Then this StoryPeople came through and it reminded me of just how worth it. The only thing I could do to improve upon the story is to change it to "daughters and sons", because I am sure I will be doing some goofy Boy Scout thing eventually.

Three Little Pumpkins

Happy Halloween!!!

This was a funny StoryPeople that was sent today - no image attached, just the funny.

Halloween
I heard that the big kids soaped the windows on Halloween & all we had was a box of Tide & I couldn't reach the windows anyway, so I poured a big pile of it on the neighbor's doorstep & I never figured out how my mom knew it was me until we had kids.
~ StoryPeople

Pumpkin Guts Everywhere

We had lots of Fun yesterday!! Our first official "didn't make people from St. Louis come" party here at our house. We hosted a Pumpkin Carving Party - everyone invited gave props to the pumpkins, they were carved, their guts were gone through and the seeds were saved, pumpkin flavored items were eaten(well, we made pumpkin bread as a party favor and pumpkin beer was available), overall we Celebrated the pumpkin and its distinguished use in the Halloween traditions. There were some very clever pumpkins (the pumpkin throwing up), some meticulously carved pumpkins (the Frankenstein), some creatively executed with extra props pumpkins (another Frankenstein) and many other tremendously executed displays. Best of all we had the chance to get to know some of the people that we have been hoping to see more of a little better (and we got our house decorated for fall - bonus!). Apparently no one here has cornered the market on the Sunday before Halloween party - so we can make this a tradition!!

Interesting party difference - in St. Louis beer is a staple and while there is often some left, generally a great deal of it is finished by the end of the event. Here some beer was finished (mostly by the other families who moved here from St. Louis - go figure) and guests claimed they liked beer, but the soda was the item that was gone at the end of the event. Soda is less expensive and that works for me, but BigGuy says that a summer party might bring out the cold beer lovers. Time and other parties will tell.

The Count Down Begins

The Halloween Count Down has begun. Today we took our special visitor, AuntB, to the local newspapers Pumpkin Patch. There was a fabulous face painter (Zoo Lady), free pumpkin spinning rides, a hay maze, pony rides, pumpkin painting, scarecrow making, some crafters (where we got a huge bone for Jakey) and hay rack rides (what is the "rack" about?). It was fun. The kids said super fun with AuntB there (probably due to loving her so much -they were so super excited she was there - and that she was paying for things I normally would have said no to). Plus - it signaled the beginning of the Halloween for them. We have done stuff to prep, but having AuntB here and getting more pumpkins - doing the fun stuff - and having their faces painted got it all flowing. Tomorrow we will have our first official "party" with friends here at our house and the kids see this as huge (it is kinda - we threw parties in St. Louis all the time, but this is with new people and anything could happen). We miss all you easy people we know how to please.
Happy Haunting!!!!

Soooooo close

We are so close to a Thousand on our official blog counter that I thought I should note it. 997. Very cool. Thanks for coming and reading about our fun and goofiness.

Speaking of Funny. Yesterday we are getting ready to leave. We were headed to a pumpkin patch (which turned out to be imaginary - oh or maybe it was just invisible to match the haunted season), do a few errands and then dropping the two olders at friends for sleepovers. As we are leaving I inspected the children that would be spending time at friends. Not that I expect them to look perfect and unlike children their age and activity - but we are still in the courting phases of making friends (I refer to BigGuy and I, not the kids because other kids really don't care what kids look like). Babers looked fab because I was the one who prepared him. If he were doing it himself he would also be going through a scrutiny before leaving the house. Spidey passed - although if I remember right I did make him take off his no sleeve shirt and threaten to dress him myself if he didn't pick out something weather appropriate. I mean suggest. Anyway, SuperStar comes into the room - clothes looked good, she had a lot of sleepover stuff, but she assured me it was all necessary (1 suitcase, a sleeping bag, animals, pillow, a tent and a fold out chair - don't ask). Then I suggested she run upstairs and brush her hair. It was an "off school" day so I hadn't pushed it earlier. She informed me that she already had. I looked at her skeptically and suggested she go ahead and do it again or grab her headband and swoosh it back. She emphatically said she did brush her hair and that this is her style, "Wild". She explained to me that her hair choice is the same as the way she tries to live her life - she used words like "free", "wild", "crazy" and "stylish". She said her friends love her that way. My prediction is that the teen years are really going to rock and our blog should be super funny then. Please everyone put us on your prayer lists.

So we left with Babers, Spidey and the WildHair Chick.

BigGuy's Birthday

BigGuy had a birthday on Monday!! Yea for him. Now, we aren't able to do a big picture montage of him and the things he did because he is not as "into" the documentation of the birthday process as the rest of us are. I made him a big Cardinal's cake (he was specific not to have the actual bird, just the emblem - didn't want it to be too cute) and then when I asked him to take the camera and shoot some pictures of himself and his friends eating cake he just kinda looked at me blank like and laughed. Needless to say he did not take the camera. I tried the guilt thing of saying it would mean a lot to his mom - no go. Babers and I picked him up for lunch. Very nice time - minus the part where we tried to keep Babers above the table. Then, after work we went to eat dinner and bowling. I did bring the camera for this, but we forgot to bring it in and then it was hard to keep Babers on our lane - or rather off our lane - and the kids were crying because they weren't knocking any pins over - photo's were just forgotten, but BigGuy and I were still able to manage a few spares and strikes (3 strikes for BigGuy and 2 for me - I think the same number of spares). Once home we had another cake made in BigGuys grandmothers casserole dish - something different and something family - the kids decorated this one.

As I was trying to take photos I realized just how tall BigGuy is. There was no way to take a photo without also getting the chandelier into it. Being tall is way cool.


Happy Birthday Sweetie!!