Need I Say More

New Year's Eve plans cancelled.....

BEST BUDS

THESE TWO EQUAL TROUBLE WITH A CAPITAL T! I WAS LOOKING AT OUR PICTURES FROM PHOENIX AND THIS ONE MADE ME LAUGH. OH....THE STORIES I COULD TELL! THOSE BOYS ARE TOO DARN TOOTS!

It's Your Birthday...

We have another birthday to celebrate today.....Happy Birthday Eden. Enjoy your special day and we'll be thinking of you :)

JMac It's Your Birthday!

Happy Birthday Justin! How does it feel to be the big 31? It just keeps getting better! Enjoy- Hope you had a wonderful day & Keep Livin' the Dream.......Love ya-

The Summit

We made it! We all climbed Camelback mountain (2700 ft) without any injuries, cuts, or bruises. Ryan and Jack were so excited that they made it to the top. Coming down was a lot harder than going up but it was well worth it.

Our Phoenix trip was a lot of fun. A lot of eating, drinking, relaxing and bonding with family and friends. We spent a lot of time with Team Bell and as usual, they made it pretty hard to leave. I think that is the definition of a true friend. It is always tough to say goodbye:( The kids had a great time together and when we asked them what their favorite part of the trip was.......of course it was playing at Luke & Mikayla's!

We're Home

No mas Arizona para nos otros. Back to life... Back to reality ....Back to the now and then....

Surprise!

I think Charisa was really surprised when she walked into Niche Friday night.
So much for having a romantic dinner with Justin-she celebrated her 30th with dinner and bowling with the family! It was a great night and thanks for letting us join in on the fun.

Happy Birthday

Today my sister turns the big 30! Have a great day and wonderful birthday. We love you!

Halloween Fun

The kids had a great Halloween! Ryan was a cheerleader and Jack was a power ranger. Can't get much easier than that! The weather was FANTASTIC which makes trick-o-treating and the parade great fun. Now that the Halloween craziness is over it is now time to prepare for the real holiday insanity!

Yes, I'm one of those....

Never say Never:

I never thought I would have another dog-

I never thought I would have a dog that weighs 6 lbs-

I never thought I would dress my dog in clothes-

But yes I am one of those people that buys clothes for my dog.

Junie B. has been so cold lately with the weather changing. So she needed a sweater to keep her warm and while I was shopping a winter coat for her caught my eye. She will need one just in case it's raining or snowing when she's outside. Right? Well, either way if she needs it or not she has one. It was too cute to pass up and I want her to be warm this winter!

Here's her new winter wardrobe......so far! Her coat is on the right....

Happy Birthday To You

We are celebrating another birthday today...My brother turns 28  and it's time to celebrate.  Happy Birthday Jr. and hope you have a great one! 

IT'S WAY TOO EARLY.....

We haven't even celebrated Halloween yet and 101.1 is playing Christmas carols. It's just not time yet....I don't want everyone to get burned out from the sounds of the season. Because when it is time-which is the day after Thanksgiving-We're going to listen them EVERYDAY-ALL DAY. So please....don't go overboard now. If you have to listen to them do so at a slow and moderate pace. Hold your horses...64 days until Christmas.

Second Visit

Survivor was a little more exciting tonight. Ryan's second top loose tooth was hanging by a thread and MeMe stepped up to the plate and pulled it out! Looks like the tooth fairy will be coming tonight!

FINALLY

Looks like the tooth fairy will be making a visit tonight! Ryan has finally lost her top tooth. It has been so loose for so long and today was the big day! Relief....now we just have to work on the other one!

Sit down for this one

You're not going to believe this but Ryan bought her lunch today at school. It sure made my morning a lot easier. They had beef nachos....I don't know how much of them she ate but who cares. She said she might buy again! Yipeeeee!

Happy Friday to everyone :)

#3

Look how far they've come. We can remember when Mike and Kelly were careless and fancy free. We all want to know...is it easier with three? Introducing the newest member of their family...Madeline.
Happy 3rd Birthday Mikayla!

Club Champion

Just wanted to let everyone know that Aunt Dee is the Gateway Club Champion! She brought home the title yesterday afternoon! Way to go-everyone give her a shout out...might make it a loud one. She deserves it!

Take me out to the ballgame...

A few weeks ago, we met up with some college friends from Quincy at the Cardinals game. I always enjoy catching up with Deb and Cris....it seems like our catching up usually involves the Cardinals whether it is in Jupiter, Fl during spring training or in St. Louis at a game! They might be the biggest Cardinal fans I know!

We also ran into my brother-in-law J-Mac and his Madison, Wi buddy Roy. They also joined us in the suite for some free adult beverages and ballpark food.

Maybe we can make it an annual event as long as David Green shows up!

AWARD

Ryan brought home the Golden Gator Award last week and we couldn't be more proud of her! The principal gives the awards to kids who have the "I can do it " attitude and tries their best. Way to go Ryan....keep up the good work.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK

Five years ago, at 4:09 p.m., I gave birth to a baby boy who weighed in at 9 lb. 12 oz. I can still remember that day like it was yesterday. I hope the next five years don't go as fast as the last but hope they are just as enjoyable. Happy Birthday Jack a roo......I LOVE YOU!

CONTACT

Everything or everyhing as Jack likes to call it-came together for him tonight on the soccer Even though Mark forgot to bring his soccer ball and shin guards-he still managed to score his first goal of the season in tonight's game....they brought home another win. Get this....the other teams have yet to score on our squad and we don't even have a goalie! Go Team Red!

R E D Red

Jack has just learned this song in Pre-K. He loves to sing it....and he especially loves to sing it when he's done something wrong because he knows it will put a smile on my face. You might need to turn the volume up on your computer.

VICTORY

Jack had his first soccer game last Saturday. They brought home a win 6-0! They have come a long way since the spring season. Jack just loves to run up and down the field-he could care less if he makes contact with the ball. His games are on Saturday's at 9:00 if anyone would like to see him in action!

TGIF

So much to blog about but have had a SUPER busy week....will update this weekend!

Happy Belated Dad

OOOOPS....Just realized that I forgot to post Dad's Birthday Blog. Sorry about that Dad...Their 37th anniversary and his birthday landed on Labor Day this year. So we celebrated at our house that evening with one last summer bar-b-q. Dad requested pork steaks and they were Yumm-O!

Project Appomattox

Our remodeling projects are all coming together....all at the same time. MDB is here installing the t.v. ( I have been without a family room t.v. and dvr for 9 days-I can't remember life before dvrs!!) Can't WAIT to watch my shows tonight :) :)

Mark is almost finished with painting the dining room.

My vanity top and sink are in and are being delivered today.

So hopefully by this weekend this house will be back in order!

Jack is back in school-3 days a week now! I think I'm going to be putting mom's sewing machine to good use this fall. I had my first sewing lesson yesterday and made a pair of flannel pants for Jack! I will try to post a picture of them soon-these house projects are getting in the way of my blogging!!!

A Birthday Shout Out To.......

The Gran who turns 83 today! Hope you have a wonderful birthday.

They Survived

Just a quick note to let everyone know that the boys did make it back safely from their camping trip. No accidents to report....just Vance projectile vomiting in our car-not just once but twice. I think Uncle Justin will be driving on the next road trip.

8/13/08

Hope you all like my new look. Thought the pink would brighten things up a little and it was time for a makeover. Don't be scared to leave a comment and let me know what you think.....

I didn't get my new floor put in although I waited around all day for it. Can't get angry...I'm sure they are squeezing me in so I'm not going to complain.

Tony is supposed to be here at 7:30 tomorrow to do the floor.....

Didn't make it to the grocery again.....

Had pasta for dinner for the second night in a row .....

Made garlic bread out of some mini bagels I had in the pantry! Kids loved them! Ha!

HAVE to go tomorrow since I am out of plastic bags to pick up Junie B's business from the yard.....

Ryan meets her new teacher tomorrow evening-hope it's a good fit.

School Haircuts

I started the day with no plans - which are my favorite ones- and ended up with getting a lot accomplished. Ryan said she would like to get her hair cut so it just happened to be kids day at Fantastic Sams so that's where we went. You can't beat the $8.99 haircut which includes a shampoo and dry. Since I had Jack there thought he needed a little trim as well. Killed two birds with one stone.

Did a lot of house stuff, took Jack to a play date, went to the pool and even fed the kids dinner there.

The one thing I didn't do which is probably the most important is go to the grocery store!!!! Oh well, have enough to get us by for in the morning and will go tomorrow afternoon.

So the kids are set for school. Ryan starts next week and Jack the week after. Thank goodness....I will miss our carefree, lazy summer days but you know it's time to go back when the kids start fighting over who gets to pick up Junie B.'s business in the backyard.

Too Legit to Quit

I received my "mad money" in the mail on Wednesday just like Jodi said I would! The contest is legit and I will continue to go to Valvoline for my oil changes! Maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket this weekend.....this could be the start of something big! Ha!

Junie B

Here's another shot of her while she is laying in my lap while I'm on my computer.....

Ms. Sheila

Junie B. had her first real hair cut today with Sheila. I think her hair is shorter than when we first brought her home! She even put a little pink bow in but I am a little worried that it might give her a headache. Girls, you know what that feels like to have a rubber band in too tight...ouch. Oh well, we'll see how it goes. Ryan loves it so we'll keep it in for awhile!

So Junie is feeling frisky with her new do-it sure will keep her cooler in this hot weather.I was told that I need to brush her EVERYDAY. So will put that on my to do list with everything else going on and hope to get to it. I really liked Sheila-Rindy referred me to her and I think we will be regulars.

Valvoline Rocks!

I am $500 richer because of Valvoline instant oil change and I'm loving it! I went to have my oil changed about a month ago and my technician told me that if I called in and took a survey I would be entered to win $500 in gas money. Sounded good to me-you can't win if you don't play and with the price of gas and the size of my tank I thought why the hell not.

Good thing I was home yesterday when Jodi called from Valvoline to inform me of my winnings :) She made my week and she also said that I don't have to spend it on gas :) :) :) I can spend it on anything I want. I guess the right thing to do would be to put it in my gas tank for the next five weeks but it would be more fun to splurge on the boots I have been obsessing about for the past month.

My new kitchen table is being delivered today....Yippeeeee!

New Kitchen Table

This table was in the running today-it's now out. We went with the Salem Creek table because Charisa liked it better.

TGIF

I can't believe how fast this week has flown by. We had a pretty busy one-had some friends in town and Ryan had her first official sleep over! I was a little nervous about it but they had such a good time. They put on an excellent Hannah Montana concert for us that night-they really have a lot of star potential! I was planning on posting a picture of them dressed to the nines but I was too busy dancing myself to take any good shots.

The shots I did get were erased because I was trying to update my iphone and ended up erasing EVERYTHING. One step forward two steps back. So if you don't hear from me it's because you haven't called because I can't call you. So please call so I can have your phone number!!

My MO this weekend is to get my phone back in full swing. I need to get my iTunes and my e-mail back on my phone. Wish me luck-I'm gonna need it. Have a good weekend.

Last Game

Ryan's last softball game of the season was tonight. Game time temp was 101-needless to say the girls were hot and cranky. The game lasted 3 innings too long but the trip to Annie's afterwards was worth the blood, sweat and tears. I think overall the girls had a good time and maybe they learned a little something about softball! I don't know if Mark will be back to coach next year....may have to give someone else a turn. Last but not least, we would like to give a big thanks out to Lantz Homes Inc. for sponsoring the team!

New Reading Material

Can't wait to get started on my new book today. I have been so excited to read about Madonna's dirty laundry. If I don't post in the next couple of days you know why.

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday Mark! Have a great birthday-We Love you :)

I'm back

We survived the 4th this year without any horrific firework accident and can you believe that I didn't take ONE picture the entire weekend? I'm so mad at myself....have to remember for next year. We spent the day at the pool-kids had a great time with all of the games and activities they had for them. The 15 cotton candy's that the kids inhaled also made for a great day! . Mark even won the belly flop contest...has a couple of war wounds and a three day headache to show for it. The two free beers he won was so worth it...

Ryan has Kids Kamp all week...she looks forward to this camp all year long. She will be spending the week golfing, playing tennis, swimming and all sorts of fun stuff. So Jack and I are doing a little bonding this week. Today we went to get his school supplies for pre-school! I always loved going school supply shopping...can't wait to take Ryan next week when Jack is at camp.

Have to sign off-Junie B. is standing at the door...maybe this potty thing is starting to click with her.

Fun Facts

10 Surprising Facts About the Fourth of July

Everyone loves Independence Day, the quintessential American holiday, full of parades, picnics, and ... surprising facts? You bet! Be the life of the party--share a few of these tasty nuggets of knowledge with your fellow picnickers this year.

1. Independence Day commemorates the formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. However, it was not declared a legal holiday until 1941.

2. Fireworks were made in China as early as the 11th century. The Chinese used their pyrotechnic mixtures for war rockets and explosives.

3. Uncle Sam was first popularized during the War of 1812, when the term appeared on supply containers. Believe it or not, the U. S. Congress didn't adopt him as a national symbol until 1961.

4. There are many precise rules for taking care of the American flag. And speaking of flag traditions, we're sorry to report that contrary to legend, historical research has failed to confirm that Betsy Ross sewed the first flag.

5. Not all members of the Continental Congress supported a formal Declaration of Independence, but those who did were passionate about it. One representative rode 80 miles by horseback to reach Philadelphia and break a tie in support of independence.

6. The first two versions of the Liberty Bell were defective and had to be melted down and recast. The third version rang every Fourth of July from 1778 to 1835, when, according to tradition, it cracked as it was being tolled for the death of Chief Justice John Marshall.

7. The American national anthem, the "Star-Spangled Banner," is set to the tune of an English drinking song ("To Anacreon in Heaven").

8. The iron framework of the Statue of Liberty was devised by French engineer Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, who also built the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

9. The patriotic poem "America the Beautiful" was published on July 4, 1895 by Wellesley College professor Katharine Lee Bates.

10. Father of the country and architect of independence George Washington held his first public office at the tender age of 17. He continued in public service until his death in 1799.

Hope everyone has a fun and SAFE 4th of July!

T.G.I.F.

Good morning! I'm sitting here with Ms. Junie B. on my lap as I am typing. This has become our morning routine. I let her outside, feed her, get my coffee and then she barks at me until I put her in my lap as I sit at the bar surfing the internet. She is doing well-getting bigger and she desperately needs a bang trim. Can't see those big brown eyes of hers. They say to wait until she is 16 weeks to take her to the groomers but after she gets her kennel shot next week she just might be going. I've tried putting Ryan's barrettes in her hair but they just fall out....I'm hoping that the groomers have something that will stay in.

I can't believe July 4th is going to be here next week. The kids have been having a great time....We have been doing a lot of swimming and just playing outside. As soon as we pull in the garage they immediately jump out of the car and get on their bikes and off they go! They come in for a quick dinner and they can't get back outside fast enough. Needless to say, they have been sleeping very well!

T.G.I.F.! I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend-it's been a hectic week and we need some R&R around here. I'm watching Vance this morning while his mom and dad close on their new house-how exciting for them. :) I'm hoping that the weather will clear up...the last thing we need is more rain. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Faster Than A Speeding Bullet

Here we are in Metropolis, IL...home of the one and only Superman! We made a short trip to Nashville, TN last week and one of our many stops along the way home was to see the gigantic Superman statue. I think I've seen it all now-

Happy Father's Day

Hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day. We've had a pretty relaxing weekend so far. Kicked off the day with a fantastic brunch with Mark's side of the family and then headed off to the Cardinal's game for an afternoon of ..... let's just call it HEAT! We're talking mid -south double header type of heat. Thank goodness bottles of water were only $5.00-

And for the nightcap....drumroll please....dinner with my side of the family.

The Graduate

Here she is ....our 2008 Graduate.....Ms. Eden! We all had a great time celebrating our graduate last night. It's still hard to believe that she is going off to college this fall. She will be attending Loyola in Chicago....oh Eden you're going to have so much fun. A new world is about to open up for you and I couldn't be happier. The whole family was able to make the PARTAY -except for the Hamilton's who we missed-and some of Eden's friends stopped by as well. Congrats again Eden - We're so proud of you.

Summer Begins!

Well, Ryan's last day of school was Monday and we were both ready for a summer break. I desperately needed a break in the routine. I can't believe she is going to be in first grade. Looking back, this year has really flown by. She has learned so much and it's such a joy listening to her read her own books!!!

So we had big plans to relax at the pool the past two days but Jack's sickness and the rain has put those on hold. It's actually been nice to just be home and to not have to be ANYWHERE! Ms. Junie B. has also enjoyed us being home with her.

This is Ryan on her last day of Kindergarten.....

Happy Anniversary!

Here's to 6 years of marriage Justin & Charisa!!!!

Here are a couple more pictures of Junie B. She had her first doctor's appointment yesterday and she said that she looked great. She weighed in a little over 2 lbs!!!

She is adjusting well to her new home and family. The kids just love her and still can't believe they have a REAL puppy of their own!!!!

Introducing...

Ms. Junie B. Jones Little~our newest addition to the family~