Christmas Eve, 2010

Dale's sister always puts on quite a spread for us each Christmas Eve!  I try to bring a few things to add, mostly baked goods.  This year Aunt Bonnie had the children play a hide-n-seek game to find their present.  We had plenty of good laughs, good food and good company!

Dale

 Bonnie had Santa hats for all of us to wear, making the evening more festive!

 Ashton

 Again, Brady always the goofy one!

 Even Nan Nan got into the Christmas spirit!

Thanks for having us Aunt Bonnie!  We look forward to it each year!

Kenzie inducted into The Thunderbolt Society

On the last day of school before Christmas break Kenzie was inducted into The Thunderbolt Society at her school.  This honor is given to a select few each month from the fourth and fifth grades based on academic performance and good character traits.  Kaden and I were able to attend the ceremony.

 There were a few extra in the group this month because some were missed the month before.

 Kenzie received a certificate and a pencil.  She will also be invited to a special in-school carnival at the end of the school year for all Thunderbolt Society members.

Kenzie and her Alloway Creek Intermediate School principal, Mrs. Doumont.

Congratulations, Kenzie!  We're proud of you!

Brady turns 16

On December 13th Brady turned sixteen!  We were all set to eat at a new pizza joint that night for his birthday meal.  I had eaten there with a girlfriend the week before and the pizza was delicious!  We get there and the place is closed!  Brady had to settle for his second choice, Infinitos.  I had been instructed not to take any pictures, so I didn't.  I still don't have a picture of Brady after turning 16!  I'd say the pizza at Infinitos was pretty good, or at least Brady thought so, he ate THIRTY slices!  They were not little slivers of pizza either!  Because he didn't get to try out the new pizza place, Dale and I are taking  him there sometime this week.  Brady has still not picked out a birthday gift, although I gave him two of his requests, his own pound of ham and a jar of pickles!

 Here's Brady just prior to his birthday, being his usual goofy self.

Brady charmed two young women at church into making him a birthday cake!  Brady photographed the one Ally and Katie made.  His early morning Seminary teacher also made  him a cake!  I waited until those two cakes were gone before making him one from me.

After Brady turned 16 he was interviewed and found worthy to be ordained a Priest at church.  Today for the first time he blessed the Sacrament before it was passed to the congregation.  He had been practicing the Sacrament prayer for weeks!  He was nervous, but it didn't show.  All went well.

Brady is anxious to begin driving.  He'll have my father's truck to use when that time comes.  We would like for him to be further along in receiving his Eagle Scout before driving.  He's getting there!  I have to admit, I'm ready to have another driver in the house.  It is not unusual for me to make six trips back and forth to the schools in one day between Kaden's pre-school, play practice and three kids in basketball!  Perhaps Kassie will learn along with Brady, although she still has no interest in driving at this point.

Happy Birthday, Brady!

Kassie in "Almost Maine"

Kassie always thought it would be fun to try out for the school play or musical, but never had the nerve to try out for either one.  Finally, as a senior in high school she mustered up the nerve to try out for the school play.  She never once thought she would actually make the cut!  Much to her surprise she was cast in the role of Ginette!  These pictures were all taken after the play was over.  I had forgotten my camera and had to use my iPod, so the pictures aren't the greatest, but certainly better than nothing.

 Almost Maine is composed of eight vignettes, each taking place at the same time...  9 pm on a Friday night in the middle of winter.  So, each character is only seen once, except for Kassie and her love interest in the play, because they were in the prologue and epilogue.  All other characters appeared only once.  It was a different sort of play.

 Here is Kassie with her love interest in the play.

The cast of Almost Maine.

Kassie enjoyed herself so much she decided to try out for the school musical too!  She was thrilled to be cast in the role of Miss Lynch in the musical Grease!  Can't wait to see it!

Trying to update

Back in early November Tim burned the huge pile of rubbish we had collected as we cleaned up around our parent's home.  I didn't get a before picture because by the time I got there he was nearly finished.

 In early November we also began dividing up our parent's belongings.  In this picture Mike debates whether he wants this saw that once belonged to our grandfather.

 We spend two different days deciding what would be ours to keep.  We each picked a number from one to four, number one being first to pick an item, number two picked second and so on.  On the second day we reversed the order.  If you picked number one the first time, now you were number four in the order.  Were there any arguments over who got what?  Truthfully, I would have to say yes.  One such argument was between my oldest brother Mike and my youngest brother Tim.  It went a little something like this:

Tim:  "I'll take Grandpappy's toolbox, unless you wanted it." 

Mike:  "No, you can have it!"

Tim:  "I'm not taking it if you want it!  Really, take it!"

Mike:  "No!  I don't want it if you want it!  You take it!"

Tim:  "Well, what tools do you want from inside?  Pick what you want."

Mike:  "You pick the tools you want first."

Tim:  "No, you pick what you want.  I can take what's left."

I think you get the idea! 

I was thrilled to get my father's wheelbarrow and these four tools leaning up again the garage.  I was just thinking yesterday about the last wheelbarrow ride my father gave me.  He was 70 years old and I was in my early 40's!  Dad wanted to give Kaden a wheelbarrow ride.  Kaden was a toddler and didn't want to go alone so it was suggested that I join him, which I did!  Good memory!

Also in November Kenzie, Kaden and I attended a service at The Lutheran Home in which Pappy was remembered.  That was the second of such services  I attended.

When I think of my father, my heart aches.  If I continue in my thoughts, it's not long before I'm in tears.  As I write this post, it is Christmas Day 2010, the first Christmas without my father.  Still very hard to believe he's gone.  Fortunately, I have a strong testimony in the Plan of Salvation.  I know I'll be together with my parents again one day.  What a joyous reunion that will be!

Ashton plays basketball

This fall a friend of Ashton's convinced her to try out for basketball.  Although Ashton had never played the sport before and knew little of the rules, she was willing to give it a try.   There is only one other girl taller than Ashton, and only by an inch.  Ashton towers over most of her teammates!  At this week's game Ashton scored the first points of the game.  It happened so fast I didn't have my camera ready!  (I'm still mad at myself for that!)  I did manage however, to get her making one of two foul shots.  I have tried several times to upload the video, but to no avail!  I'll try again another time. 

Basketball Video

I realize I'm a month behind with blogging and have a lot of catching up to do!  I just have not felt like blogging, haven't felt like doing anything!  The more we empty my parent's house the more depressed I become!  I did attend Avery and Bryson first basketball game of the season this afternoon.  Here's Avery (number 23) making a basket.  Bryson didn't make a basket, but had the best steal of the game, unfortunately, I didn't capture it with my camera.  Maybe next time.

Kaden starts pre-school

This past Monday Kaden started pre-school at the high school where Kassie and Brady attend.  It is taught by a group of high school seniors.  Kaden LOVES it!

 Kaden's first day of pre-school.

 Kaden attends Monday through Thursday, 7:50 am until 9:20 am.  Yesterday they celebrated Halloween.

 Notice the "soot" on Kaden's face... like he just came from fighting a fire!

 Today Kaden and I made and decorated cupcakes!  We thought it would be a nice surprise for the kids when they came home from school, and it was!  They loved them!  (Aaronica, anything look familiar?)

Happy Halloween!!

More on last weekend

Last Saturday was the first of several indoor Bluegrass shows that the Carroll County Ramblers will be hosting.  While Dale plays, I man the food stand.  We usually sell beef vegetable soup, hot dogs, barbecue and desserts.  My children take turns selling soda and water.  Take a look at the  new shirts the band is now wearing! 

When Dale and I were first married and went shopping for clothes for Dale, I would hold up a shirt and ask, "How about this one?"  I was often told, "No.  That shirt is too blue, or that shirt is too green."  Dale's clothes had to be simple and dull in color.  Well, as you can see, that is no longer the case!  LOL!

 Hospice held a special service for families of loved ones that had passed away in the past year.  Since Dad had been on hospice care, we were invited to attend.  Ashton, Kenzie and Kaden came with me.  My brother Mike was also in attendance.  It was held at the Brethren Home.  The service was very nice.  Pictures of those who passed were showing on a big screen with accompanying music as we waited for the service to start.  I held it together through that, but when some woman started singing a song about "... you made me the person I am..." well, that's when the tears started to flow.

We got such a kick out of this sign at the Brethren Home, we just had to take a picture of it!

Speed Awareness Riser... a.k.a. Speed Bump!

Backed up sewer

Last Saturday morning I had plans of running errands and working at my Dad's house.  Those plans changed when I flushed the toilet upstairs and Dale yelled from the downstairs bathroom, "Don't flush the toilet any more!  Don't shower!  Don't run any water down the drains!  We have a big problem here!!"  Looking back over the week I should have seen the signs.  The downstairs toilet was unusually dirty.  I just assumed the kids somehow made the mess.  Then Bryson told me that while he was on the downstairs toilet, someone flushed the upstairs toilet and his toilet "bubbled up underneath him"!  It wasn't until Saturday morning that the sewer truly backed up into the house.  We hoped and prayed it was going to be an easy fix, but you just never know.  Dale called to see if someone could come over and drain our septic tank, hoping that's all that needed done.  The last time we had it drained was 2007.  When Dale told the lady we were a family of nine, she said, "Oh!  You  need to have yours pumped every two years!"

 Brady dug it up and Dale removed the lid.

 Fortunately the septic service already had a truck out in Littlestown, so they came fairly soon after we called.

 During the process Dale had to dig another hole. This one much deeper than the first.  He was sore afterward!

Well, that was the problem, an overflowing septic tank!  Thank goodness that's all there was to it!  When the toilets were flushing normally and everything was draining as it should, Kaden helped to fill in the holes.

Bye bye bushes

I lived in the same house all my life until I left home at age 18 to serve in Brethren Volunteer Service.  After just over a year of service in Dixon, Illinois, I lived at home for a year while I worked to save money before attending Elizabethtown College for four years.  After graduation I lived at home for two more years until Dale and I married.  So, for 26 years (off and on) this was my home.  The bushes in the front of the house were always there.  As a child I played around them and hid behind them.  When the realtor came to look at the house she strongly suggested we get rid of the bushes.  Although we had to agree, it was hard to see them go.

Yesterday Tim used Dad's chain saw to cut away the bushes, and Dave moved the branches out of the way and stacked them on the back of Tim's truck.

While Tim and Dave worked outside, Kenzie watched and took rides on the back of Tim's truck as Tim hauled the branches to the burn pile on what was once Pappy's garden.

I busied myself inside cleaning out the bottom of the filing cabinet where I found more family history information.  My brothers agreed that all the family history information should be kept together in one place and that I could be the person to hold onto it!  I also cleaned out a corner of Mom's closet where I found, not only more family history information, but every card, letter or drawing the grandchildren ever gave them!  I'm hoping this week to go back to the house and finish boxing up the kitchen.  The more work we do, the more we pack up, the more we remove from the house, the emptier it becomes and the more difficult it is to walk through the front door.  I don't look forward to the day it's empty and belongs to someone else.

Spirit Week

This is the week before the big Homecoming game!  Each day this week the kids are to dress to show their team spirit.  The kids had off school Monday.  Tuesday was "Jersey Day", Wednesday was "Wacky Wednesday", today was "Nerd Day" for Ashton's school and "70's Day" at Kassie's.

This was as wacky as Bryson was willing to go.  He would have sprayed red dye into his hair, but didn't want red streaks going down his face when he perspired in gym class.  Ashton helped him spike his hair in a hurry that morning.  The funny thing was, later that night before going to bed Bryson realized he and Ashton spiked his hair with Brady's deodorant instead of hair wax!  LOL!

 Can you guess what's wacky about Avery's outfit?  We couldn't figure it out either so he had to tell us, "I'm wearing the same jeans that I wore yesterday!"

 Clearly, Ashton and Kassie were both completely whacked out!

 This is the outfit Ashton came up with for "Nerd Day".  Kassie announced she needed 70's clothes, and in the same breath asked if she could borrow some of my clothes!  Thanks Kassie!  I'm not sure how 70's she is, but it would have to do.  She found this dress in the back of the closet.  I bought it when Avery and Bryson were newborns so I could nurse them while at church!  I didn't know I still had it!

A couple of weeks ago I went into the Winter Gardens' Retail store to buy potato salad.  While there I entered my name in the free lunch drawing.  Earlier this week they called to say I had won!  Today I collected my prize!  I had plenty of soup, so I was able to share with Nan Nan.  Kaden and I have been helping Nan with lunch a couple times a week.  She enjoys the company and Kaden loves playing with her cats!

Ashton turns 14

Yesterday my third born turned fourteen!  Ashton chose Kentucky Fried Chicken for her special meal and cherry cheese pie for dessert.

 Kaden gave her his toy snake!  She also received silly bands, candy, gum, a beef jerky stick, a water gun and some Halloween make up from her siblings.

 Ashton also received Goldfish crackers in her favorite flavor... vanilla!

I also wrapped up her favorite candy bars... Fast Break and PB Twix!  We have yet to go shopping for her "big" gift.

Happy Birthday Ashton Girl!