Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Boo Mama's blog

Boo Mama, I want to be like YOU Mama,
Go to her site and you too could win an HP touchsmart computer.
I know I want to win one.

NieNie's blog

Go check out NieNie's blog, if you think you can handle winning an HP touchsmart computer... I dare ya !!

Stephanie's blog

Who wants an HP touchsmart computer?? Go to Stephanie's blog and check it out.

Another blogger, another chance.

Hey Ya'll this is Kelly's blog, and she too is offering a chance to win this awesome HP touchsmart computer... Please go check this out. You cant win if you dont click the link !!!

Check out this contest.

Hey everyone,

Sorry I have not blogged in a long time, but I want you all to stop what you are doing and go check out this contest. http://mckgiveaways.blogspot.com/2009/12/hp-touchsmart-giveaway.html
You too could win an HP Touchsmart computer.. GO CHECK THIS OUT.. and while you are there, read up about this amazing family, and their miraculous son Stellen who recently had a complicated heart procedure that CURED him from SVT !!!
GO NOW,
http://mckgiveaways.blogspot.com/2009/12/hp-touchsmart-giveaway.html

Lots of Love,
Shel

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Oct. 19th, a day late

Hey everyone,
Sorry I have not written lately... life has been busy.
Yesterday Chris and I celebrated our 13th wedding Anniversary. It's hard to believe we have been married for so long, yet we feel we have been married forever. I am so madly in love with him, more so than I was 13yrs ago, and every day even more. I feel like we have never gotten over the honeymoon stage. I can just stare at him for hours. I love spending all my time with him and the kids, and the more we are together as a family, the happier we are. He makes me so very happy, and fills my life with so much love. Man, I just love him to pieces. Chris has made being married for 13yrs a piece of cake, and the happiest years of my life.

I met Chris when I was 13yrs old. I was starting out as a freshman, and I had Algebra with him. We never dated in highschool, but we were friends, and there was always something about him. I would have never guessed I would marry him 5yrs later.

We really dont do much to celebrate our Anniversary or Birthday's except for every few years. Last year we went on a cruise with his family to celebrate our anniversary, his twin uncle's bday, his sister's birthday, and his grandparents 60th anniversary. This year, we had 2 sick little girls at home, but we snuck out to a resturate 3 blocks from our house and had the quickest Anniversary dinner ever. I just stared at him and couldnt stop smiling and thinking, 13 YEARS!! I am blessed. We are blessed.

Thanks babe for making all my dreams come true.
Thanks for loving me and giving me your all.
Thanks for being the best husband and father in the entire world.
Thanks for making my heart so very happy.

I love you so much,
Shel

Monday, September 21, 2009

Heaven's newest angel

My Uncle Jaime has been sick in the hospital for a week now. He had Pneumonia, and started to respond to the antibiotics. Then his heart stopped and they got it going again with just a few compressions. My mother flew out to New Jersey yesterday and took my Nannie up to visit him. He is Nannie's brother. 3 hrs after their visit he passed away. I am so greatful that my mother got their in time for Nannie to go see him and say goodbye. Uncle Jaime was the coolest man I have ever met. Im so greatful to have known him, and that my children got to know him as well. Kathryn remembers him as "crazy hair guy". Which is really funny because his brother Mossey, I knew him as "oreo cookie guy". I remember when they came up for my sister's birthday, and he was so impressed that we were playing Euchre. He wanted to sit and watch us play. He was so proud because this was an old Irish game and that being our heritage just impressed him. He also liked to do drinks and shots with us and was so much fun to hang out with. I will always be reminded of him when I play Euchre, and will always have a smile on my face thinking of his crazy hair, and his love for his family. I miss you so much already.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Labor Day Weekend

We went home this weekend and has a fabulous BUSY weekend.
Friday night we went out with friends. We went Kareokeing and had a great time. I cant believe I actually got up and sang. Then on Sat, we went out to dinner with the family to celebrate Kathryn's 13th birthday. She wanted Chinese and it was very yum. She got many nice presents, and even got a laptop and a bag of her fav. chips. I think she was very, very spoiled. Then Sat. night Chris and I , and Jen and Chad all took the kids to the Circus. It was AWESOME. We havent been since Katey and Brandon were little, and we are going to start going every year. I dont know how many times I screamed OH MY GOD, and LOOK AT THAT. It was fantastic. Next year, we need to get everyone to go and get group tickets. Sunday we went to Jen and Chad's to celebrate Emma's birthday. We had a very nice time and had a bonfire after. It was a very fun, busy weekend. Now we are home, and I am just exhausted. I hope everyone had a safe fun weekend as well.

P.S. My friend Natalie's daughter Sam and her boyfriend Zach made it safely home.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Samantha Jacobs and Zach Knox missing 1 week

UPDATE 9/4/09 3pm
SAM AND ZACH
ARE COMING HOME!
Plans are being made to go get them in California.
Thanks for everyone's prayers and support.


**************************
Samantha Jacobs and Zach Knox age 16,
have been missing from Moline Illinois for 1 week now.

Zach plays the guitar and may try busking
or show up at open mic nights to make money.

Sam has her right eyebrow pierced.

1999 maroon Lumina with IL plate number K177427



They left sometime on Aug. 28th and had been believed to be headed to Austin Texas or New York. As of 9/1/09, we had confirmation that the kids were in fact in Seattle Washington, and have since notified their parents that they have left the area. They could be headed anywhere.
They have little to no money. If you see them, please contact
Detective O'Brien 309-797-0401

Please keep the parents in your prayers. This is really taking a toll on them. Please also keep the kids in your prayers. We all want them home safe. Thank you for checking in and for sharing our story. Please continue to spread this to everyone you know. Just imagine if this was your child. You would want everyone doing everything they can to help bring them home safely.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Samantha Jacobs & Zach Knox still missing

Samantha Jacobs and Zach Knox
have been missing since 8/28/09.
They are missing from Moline, Illinois and may
be traveling to Austin, Texas or New York.
They're 16 years old.
Sam has her right eyebrow pierced.
Zach plays the guitar and may try busking
or show up at open mic nights to make money.


They're driving a 1999 maroon Lumina with
IL plate number K177427.
If you see them please contact
the Moline PD at 309-736-5642.

*******************************************************************
UPDATES :

9/1/09

Unfortunatly, we have nothing to update at this time. All we hope is that they are safe for now, and that we want them to come home. If you read this please take a good look at their picture, we are hoping that somebody will recognize them and help us bring them home. Please share this site and our story with everyone you know. The more people who see their picture and have the information about the car, the better the chances we have of getting them home safely.

8/31/09 - 10:22am

After talking to Sam for about an hour via email last night (masked IP addy, unfortunately) the only real new info I gleaned is that Zach doesn't have his phone any longer, either, he just didn't leave it at home. Hopefully he ditched it someplace where someone might find it and use it so we'd get at least an idea of which direction they went. Sam assures me they're fine and have a plan and said they'll "only" be gone for a year and a half at most. She spoke of the plan in general terms - nothing specific except that the future she'd mapped for herself wasn't the future she wanted and she felt trapped and wanted to focus on her writing. She didn't say anything specific about Zach's plan but it's safe to assume it involves his music. That's really all the new info I have but I'll keep people posted as she contacts me.
Original Post
8/28/09 - 9:34 pm
These are the details as we know them:

This morning, Sam was dropped off at Moline High School, where she is a junior, by her dad. By our best estimation, she then met up with her boyfriend, Zach Knox, and drove to Prospect Park where they left Zach's car. They then went to Samantha's dad's house and stole his vehicle...I want to say it's a Lumina but I'm hazy on that and will have to check.Yesterday Samantha cleaned out her savings account and cashed her paycheck - roughly $300. Zach had a little money as well.Zach took his guitars, clothes and laptop but left his various IDs at home, including his drivers license. Samantha, on the other hand, packed virtually nothing (not even her cell phone) but took her wallet and ID.Last week Samantha checked a book out of the library that was titled something like "A Guide to US Hostels". Zach's family found evidence that he'd been researching Austin, Texas on their home computer. They both expressed interest in attending college in New York - for Samantha it was a rabid interest, so there's every possibility that may be their destination.I'm appealing to their friends to please, please think back on anything that might now seem important that might not have seemed so at the time. Any comment, any kind of connections anywhere on the road - anything at all like that. There is very definite concern here for more than a few reasons, one of which is that Samantha's dad (who is a mechanic) said that the car they're driving is not fit for a trip like this. This isn't just a matter of "Oh they'll come home when they're done being kids" - there is a very real risk to their safety and the sooner we can close the net around them, the better. If I've tagged you I would appreciate it if you left yourself tagged until they're returned home safely - you never know if a friend of a friend might see it and remember something that might be of help. I'm asking you as a mother - a very tortured mother who honestly can't understand what I'm supposed to do right now - to help if you can.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Help find Samantha Jacobs and Zach Knox


Sam and Zach have been missing since 8/28/09.

They are missing from Moline, Illinois and may be

traveling to Austin, Texas or New York.

Zach plays the guitar and may try busking or

show up at open mic nights to make money.

Sam has her right eyebrow pierced. They're 16 years old.

They're driving a 1999 maroon Lumina with IL plate number K177427.

If you see them please contact the Moline PD at 309-736-5642.
*******************************************************************
UPDATES :
8/31/09 - 10:22am
After talking to Sam for about an hour via email last night (masked IP addy, unfortunately) the only real new info I gleaned is that Zach doesn't have his phone any longer, either, he just didn't leave it at home. Hopefully he ditched it someplace where someone might find it and use it so we'd get at least an idea of which direction they went. Sam assures me they're fine and have a plan and said they'll "only" be gone for a year and a half at most. She spoke of the plan in general terms - nothing specific except that the future she'd mapped for herself wasn't the future she wanted and she felt trapped and wanted to focus on her writing. She didn't say anything specific about Zach's plan but it's safe to assume it involves his music. That's really all the new info I have but I'll keep people posted as she contacts me.
Original Post
8/28/09 - 9:34 pm
These are the details as we know them:
This morning, Sam was dropped off at Moline High School, where she is a junior, by her dad. By our best estimation, she then met up with her boyfriend, Zach Knox, and drove to Prospect Park where they left Zach's car. They then went to Samantha's dad's house and stole his vehicle...I want to say it's a Lumina but I'm hazy on that and will have to check.Yesterday Samantha cleaned out her savings account and cashed her paycheck - roughly $300. Zach had a little money as well.Zach took his guitars, clothes and laptop but left his various IDs at home, including his drivers license. Samantha, on the other hand, packed virtually nothing (not even her cell phone) but took her wallet and ID.Last week Samantha checked a book out of the library that was titled something like "A Guide to US Hostels". Zach's family found evidence that he'd been researching Austin, Texas on their home computer. They both expressed interest in attending college in New York - for Samantha it was a rabid interest, so there's every possibility that may be their destination.I'm appealing to their friends to please, please think back on anything that might now seem important that might not have seemed so at the time. Any comment, any kind of connections anywhere on the road - anything at all like that. There is very definite concern here for more than a few reasons, one of which is that Samantha's dad (who is a mechanic) said that the car they're driving is not fit for a trip like this. This isn't just a matter of "Oh they'll come home when they're done being kids" - there is a very real risk to their safety and the sooner we can close the net around them, the better. If I've tagged you I would appreciate it if you left yourself tagged until they're returned home safely - you never know if a friend of a friend might see it and remember something that might be of help. I'm asking you as a mother - a very tortured mother who honestly can't understand what I'm supposed to do right now - to help if you can.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Fantastic weekend

What a wonderful weekend we had with Candice and Tara and all the kids, we even got to see our George. Friday we met Chris at the train downtown, and took a cab to the Hard Rock Cafe to meet the gang. We had a yummy dinner and the boys were pretty bonkers. There was this rocker looking guy that was a waitor, and Brandon and Josh kept giving him the rock on, whats up every time he passed them. Then they had a few birthday's and anniversaries and a whole lot of yelling that all the kids had fun getting in on. Then we all walked to the Hancock building. We went up to the top and enjoyed a hazy view, but it was still very fun. The kids really enjoyed running around and looking out. Then we walked to the hotel that they were all staying at and hung out for a while and waited for our train. Fun times.

Sat, we went back downtown to meet up with everyone for some beach fun. George met us there with his girlfriends brother and a little later V showed up. We had a great time watching the kids play in the sand and in the waves. We had a picnic on the beach and had plans to go to the fireworks, but everyone was pretty tired so we all just nixed it. Chris and I walked to the train with the kids and got some sushi on the way. It was a wonderful treat to end a fantastic weekend hanging with family and friends.

Sun, we just pretty much relaxed and went to Costco. Went to bed early.

This week, we dont have much planned. 2 days of tutoring for boy, and cleaning for the rest of the week... We got friends coming up this weekend for a warrior dash.. should be great fun.
Shel

Monday, July 6, 2009

Break my heart

Well we went to 6 flags and to my sister's house over the weekend. Chris got off work early on Thursday so we headed to 6 flags to enjoy a few hours. Then we got a hotel room and spent a full day at 6flags on Friday. We spent most of the day in the water park, and had a wonderful time.

We played a lot in the wave pool because it was warm. The little kid section had FREEZING cold water which I couldn't understand. Anyway, we enjoyed the warm wave pool. This little black girl came up to me when I was teaching Ashlyn how to swim. She smiled and watched us and I smiled back at her. She asked if I was teaching Ash to swim and I said Yes. She asked how, so I told her what to do and she tried it. I was telling both girls what a good job they were doing and the little girl was sooo excited I was teaching her. Then Katey came up and smiled at the girl and the buzzer went off that the waves were going to start again. Katey said come on to the girl and they both went off into the water to jump the waves... When the waves would stop, they would come back and we would practice swimming again. We did this for about an hour and it was time to go. We thanked her for playing with us and left. When we were walking out, Katey said that little girl broke my heart mom. I asked why and she said the little girl told her that white people don't like black people. Katey just looked at her and sighed and said I know, but those people are not nice. But I like everyone. And the little girl smiled and said, I know! This broke my heart, but also made me so proud. Its sad that this little girl at 6 yrs old has been affected by racism, its just terrible. But I was so proud of my Katey, she acknowledged that it does happen, and that she thinks those people are not nice, and made it very clear that she likes everyone. It was the first experience that Kathryn has had with this sort of thing, and I was just so proud of how she handled it.

We went to Cassie's after 6 flags and saw her new house, met her really cool neighbors and had a 4Th of July party and watched fireworks. We had a wonderful weekend.

Shel

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Family time

Brandon looking at the screen.

Blankets all set out, Ash cheesin

Our very own uni-bomber(sp?)
Ashlyn lovin on her Mama before the show.


I had a blast tonight watching a Sharktales under that stars with the kids and their friends. Luckily for us, we moved into a WONDERFUL little town that is very family orientated. The do stuff all summer long to get familys out doing stuff together. On of the things they do (for free) is put on a movie at the town center. You just bring a blanket and snacks and enjoy a movie under the stars. They even put on concerts on the weekends, and do a fantastic 4th of july full day of fun. I love that this town is so into familys and giving kids and parents stuff to do.

Anyway, just had a fantastic night and wanted to share.

Oh and what was really amazing... people in this community actually care about their community. I was blown away when we got all pack up and the place wasnt a little bucket, almost every picked up after themselves and left the place looking great... way to go people, now if we can only pass this on to the rest of the world... care about family's, give your families and children fun things to do (cheap, if not free) and pick up after yourselves.. holy cow, New Lenox is onto something here.

Enjoy the pics,
Im off to bed.
Shel

Twitter

www.twitter.com/myshel04

Shel

summer

Not much going on here except for enjoying summer.
We went on vacation with Chris' family and had a wonderful time.
It's so nice having the resort to ourselves and only having family around. It's so nice to be able to let the kids run and not have to worry about weirdo's. Its a blast to watch them play with all their cousins for a week. The fishing was pretty good this year, and we even had a movie night under the stars. Uncle Wes has a projector and projected a movie on the side of a cabin. We did Tonka pies by the fire, and Chris even broke it out in the morning and did eggs, sausage, and pancakes on the fire. It was def. a great time.

The kids have been enjoying being back home and seeing their friends. Brandon has been invited to a party, invited to a beach, and invited to go to a baseball game.... he says this is so far his best summer vacation. Chris and I are hoping to get 6flags season passes, and cant wait to go to the water park and the rides. Also I cant wait to make it up to my sister's new house very soon, oh and being JULY my baby neice will be turning 3 on July 6th!!

I'll update soon with new pics and stuff.
Lots of Love,
Shel

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

School's out for summer !!!

YIPPIE !!!

I am so excited that school is out, and I have all my kids home for the summer. Summer is my most favorite time of the year. We get to stay up late, and sleep in. We get to go on vacation, and just be together all the time.

My sister Cassie and her kids, and her st. benard Bella have been staying with us since June 1st. They are staying with us until they close on their new house on June 12th. We will be very sad to see them go, and especially Bella. It's been really nice haveing a dog in the house.

We are very excited that vacation starts in 2 days. We are going to Brookside Cottages in Grawn Michigan for a week of fishing and fun with Chris' family. It's so nice to rent the entire resort out and have family all around. It's nice to not have to worry about the weirdo's in cabin whatever, because its all Aunts, Uncles, Cousin's and Grandparents. It just makes vacation so much more relaxing. Vacation will be bittersweet this year, as this will be our first vacation without Grandma Dorothy, but I know she would want us all to have a great time. She never wanted us to worry about her, and she is enjoying heaven with her husband, brothers, and all her family and friends who went before her. She would want us to be very happy for her, and to enjoy ourselves, but it is so much easier to say than to do.

I am so blessed that I was able to help her in her last few days. I know how much she loved each and every one of us, and I know she knew hos much we loved her. I was honored to be able to hold her hand, and comfort her in her last moments. I could see the love and appreciation in her eyes, and its amazing how much those eyes spoke to you, when she just couldnt get the words out. But she would let you know with a shake of her head, a quick smile, and a squeeze of her hand. She was so brave and so strong in her last few days, and she didnt want us to worry about her at all. We would ask how her pain was and she would reply "I'm fine" even though we could see her wince in pain. She was the most amazing, loving, caring, brave women I have ever met. I am so blessed to have been her Grand-daughter in law.

Ok, enough of that....
I gotta go pack for vacation.

LOVE TO YOU ALL !!!!
Shel

Friday, May 29, 2009

Grandma Dorothy

Dorothy Power
February 07, 1914 - May 26, 2009
Dorothy Power, 95, of East Moline, died May 26, 2009 at her home. Funeral services will be 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at Christ United Methodist Church, East Moline. Visitation will be Tuesday from 4-7 p.m. at Esterdahl Mortuary & Crematory, Ltd. 6601-38th Ave., Moline. Burial will be in Greenview Memorial Gardens, East Moline. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Christ United Methodist Church Kitchen Fund. Dorothy was born February 7, 1914 on the Rock Island Arsenal to Percy and Cora (Cox) Skelton. She married Hiram Blaker Power on June 29, 1935. He preceded her in death in 1993. She was a member of Christ United Methodist Church, East Moline where she was involved in their women’s group. She was also a member of the Geneseo C.C. She was an avid golfer and enjoyed sewing, knitting, baking and socializing at the Colona Senior Center. She took great delight in spending time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She is survived by Son Jim (Carol) Power East Moline Grandchildren Jen Pfaff Rock Island Chris (Michelle) Power New Lenox, IL Jay Power Vashon Island, WA Great grandchildren Kathryn, Brandon and Ashlyn Power Blaker and Carter Pfaff Malacky Power Brother Raymond Skelton Sister Grace Wongstrom She was preceded in death by her five brothers and one sister.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Happy Birthday Chris


Today is Chris' 33rd birthday.
Happy Birthday sweet heart,
I love you so very very much.
I hope you have a really wonderful day.


Shel

Sunday, May 17, 2009

blah's

Not much is going on today. We had a nice weekend, but didnt get as much done as we had hoped. Chris has been trying to get our riding law mower fixed and so far not any luck. Nobody has tires for it, and we are going to have to special order them. Not terrible, but def. not what we were hoping for. He was going to just weed eat the front yard, and I borrowed the neighbors push mower instead. The back yard isnt a problem because most of it is flowers and trees.

We went to the neighbors yesterday and helped get things ready for their fundraising garage sale. Kaitlyn is going on a foreign exchange type thing in Australia, and they are raising funds for that. This is Katey's best friend Allison's sister. She is 13 and a really great kid. This will be an amazing experiance for her. We are donating Katey's old bike which is in excellent condition, and Chris is making a ton of baked goods to give away with donations. After setting that all up, we ordered pizza then chilled out by the fire, relaxing. It was a nice time.

We are now down to 12 full days of school and 1 one hour day of school left till summer... I CANT WAIT !!! My sister and her kids will be staying with us for 2 weeks - 1 mth, until they close on their new house. It will be real nice having the kids here to play together, and Cassie and I plan on cleaning out closets and going thru all kind of crap to get everything organized around here. (Organization is not my specialty.)

As far as the working out, I am still at it, and hopefully will start showing some results soon. I am not feeling great today, and really hope I am not coming down with the flu, so I am going to rest for the remainder of the night.

Lots of Love,
Shel

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Good bye

Good bye fat ass, good bye flabby tummy, I am just plain ole sick and tired of you. You have not been good to me. You pretend to be my friend, but I have had enough. I banish you from me. I will not go lightly, but I will go with a vengence. Be gone, I dont like you anymore, nothing you say can change my opinion. Dont tempt me with soda and chocolates, dont tempt me with anything, I dont like you anymore... what dont you understand? We can not be friends anymore.

Now, with that being said, I will post daily about my fight against the flab. I am cutting out all soda, including on weekends, and I vow to excercise a whole hell of a lot more from here on out. With that being said, I am getting my booty off this computer and I am going for a jog with the children.

Chris, Katey, Brandon, and Ashlyn,
I promiss you will have a hot mama soon.
I love you very much.
Shel aka, Mommy.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

summer is coming

Every day we are getting closer and closer to summer vacation for the kids. This is my most fav. time of the year. I LOVE when the kids are home, and I absolutly hate when they go back to school. It also means we start counting down till "the fishing trip". We go to Michigan every year with Chris' entire family and rent out a resort for the entire week. Its so nice to have the entire family around, and its really nice that we have enough people to rent the entire resort to ourselves. Nothing nicer than letting your kids run free and not worry about the weirdo in cabin number 5. This year my sister may be coming with. They have 3 kids and a ski boat, this will be so much fun. I wish my family would do something like this, but we never have. Cassie also may be moving in with us for a few weeks. They just put an offer on a home, but have to be out of their rental by June 1st. Im looking forward to a few weeks with my sis and my neices and nephew. Ok, well I gotta go get something done.

Lots of Love,
Shel

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Kevin Matthew Kruse

November 7, 2005 - May 2, 2008

Has it really been a year?
I sit here today, in this beautiful sunny day, and I am so very sad. 1 yr ago today, our friends Matt and Dawn lost their 2.5yr old son Kevin. Kevin was born with many heart problems, but he survived so many problems. He was so amazing. This little boy could make anyone smile. He was so happy, so strong, he was just the most perfect little boy ever. If you just met him, you would NEVER believe everything he's been through. For me, since I never had to give him medications, the only real reminder was when you picked him up and you felt his pacemaker or his scar. Man, it was so easy to forget this strong beautiful boy had been so very sick.

I remember the last time I saw him. We didnt live in the Quad Cities anymore, so we didnt see him that often. But the last time I remember seeing him, we were over playing cards. He sat in my lap and just giggled and smiled at me. He'd snuggle in and I'd pop out his pacifier and he'd start cracking up laughing. He usually had a few of them so he'd just pop in another one. Then he'd quiet down, and slowly look up at me again and smile... POP, I'd take that one out too, and everytime I'd lay it on the take so he could pop another one back in. He would just start cracking up laughing over and over again. I wish that night could have gone on forever for all of us. The Kruse's, the Tackett's, and the Power's, and all of our fav. little man. Man, I really do miss you little guy.

Matt, Dawn, and Emily,
I love you guys very much, and I am so sorry for the loss of Kevin. I am so greatful that we got to know Kevin, and share in how wonderful he was. He is so missed by many. We are thinking about you today, and sending our love to you.

Shel, Chris,
Kathryn, Brandon, and Ashlyn.



Friday, May 1, 2009

May Day !

May day is here. I am excited about May, and also sad too.
Tomorro May 2nd, marks 1 yrs since our friends lost their son, Kevin Matthew Kruse, at age 2 1/2 yrs old. Man, this little guy was the cutest thing ever, and year later, his loss is still very strong. I miss you Kevy.
I'll write more about him tomorro.

Also May marks the last month of school for the kids. I cant WAIT for summer vacation. May 10th is Mother's day. May 19th is Chris' birthday, and all those damn April showers are going to be bringing me beautiful May flowers. My yard is already looking so purdy!

Also, I am going to try and do another month of daily posts.
We will see!

Happy May Day,
Shel

Thursday, April 30, 2009

S.H.I.T (So happy it's thursday)

Ok, so my basment is flooded, the laundry is soaked, the cat pissed on the piles of laundry so cat poop fell onto my feet, and cat pee smelling water ran down my arms, and I lost it. I was a crying mess. Now I have all the wet stuff washed and am finally starting on the dry laundry, and this morning it started raining again. The backyard is a swamp, around the house is a swamp, the driveway is a swamp. Im going to pull my freaking hair out. Add to all this, my Great Uncle Don passed away Wed. morning. So sad.

Ok, now that all that is out of the way... on to some better news.
We went home last weekend and got to meet up with some friends I had not seen in years. When I say years, I mean since high school. My friends Kelli, and Natalie met up with Chris and I and we had a BLAST. Our friends Nathan and Jeni, and Matt and Dawn came out for a while too. It was sooo nice having dinner with the Tacketts and the Kruse's. Man, I miss the whole gang. But we had a very good time. I cant wait to come home again and hang out with everyone.

School is quickly coming to an end. I cant wait for summer vacation. Ashlyn's preschool is already practicing for their "graduation". They have a few songs to sing, then she gets to bump up to a kindersprout.. It's like a 4-K prekindergarten class. I am so excited for her. She has loved meeting new friends, and playing and singing. However, every boy in her class calls her their girlfriend... Seriously? She's only 3!!!
Kathryn is excited to be going to Jr. High next year. I cant believe she will be in 7th grade. She is so smart, beautiful, and a really amazing kid. Brandon moves up to middle school, and in 4th grade has sooo many new opportunities in this new school. Choir, Drama club, basketball, all kinds of after school stuff. I am just looking forward to having them home with me every day, and sleeping in.

Ok Im outta here,
Lots of Love,
Shel

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Bring on the rain

It has been gloomy, and rainy here forever.
This weather always makes me so bummed, but I think it has that effect on everyone. I have been trying to not let it get the best of me, and Ashlyn and I will walk in the rain with our arms streatched out and our heads looking towards the sky. We twirl in circles and sing... BRING ON THE RAIN !!! I figure I would rather it rain now while I have tons of cleaning to do, than later in the week when I will be done cleaning and can go outside and enjoy the 80 degree weather we are supose to get.

I am getting sooo excited that we are getting closer and closer to the end of the school year. I am looking forward to summer vacation, sleeping in,and having all my kid's home everyday. Im also excited that my sister just accepted an offer on her house, and cant wait to start doing fun stuff with her and the kids. AND its excited that she and I are both looking to buy a new house. It will be great to be able to paint the walls and do whatever we want without having to ask a landlord for permission.

Well thats all for now, gotta get cleaning Mr. sun is poking his head out. YEAH !
Shel

Friday, April 17, 2009

Camping

I am really excited. Tonight we are going camping, and it is the first time Ashlyn will go camping. I cant wait to see what she thinks of sleeping in a tent, under the stars. We have hotdogs, and smores, and we are going with our neighbors. It should be a fun night. I just need to finish packing and as soon as Chris gets home, we are to Starved Rock. But first I need a sleeping bag, and an air mattress, and I have to pack my fan. Who camps without an air mattress and fan?? I am also excited that Chris gets to use his brand new tent.

Ok, off to finish packing.
Shel

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Easter in New Jersey

So we decided to come spend Easter in New Jersey with my Grandparents... Nannie and Pop-pop. We have never had a holiday with them and our children, and with Pop-pop's heath not being so well, I didnt want to put it off much longer. I am sooo glad we came. We have had the most wonderful time. We didnt tell Nannie we were coming, and she was quite surprised ( and a little pissed we didnt tell her). But she warmed up pretty quick when she saw the kids with Pop-pop. Kathryn is facinated by Pop-pop's history and stories he tells of his life. We could barely keep her out of his room. Pop-pop stays in his room because he gets too weak. So we went up to his room to visit him so he didnt have to worry about it. Kathryn spent most of her time at his bedside chatting away. Brandon and Ashlyn would pop in and out of his room, but they played so well and really entertained Nannie, and Aunt Peach (My mom's sister Doreen). Chris and I ran to a few stores to get Easter shopping done, and we got groceries for Easter dinner. I didnt want Nannie worrying about feeding all of us. I bought a ham, potatoes, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, cranberry's, and cantelope. (It's what Pop-pop wanted). We even bought some Humus and tortilla chips, which Nannie couldn't believe we were eating. We were supose to go to the statue of Liberty on Sat, but it poured rain till almost 6pm. Sat night Mom, myself and Doreen played Easter bunny. The kids were so afraid the Easter bunny would come to the hotel and not to Nannie and Pop-pop's house because they wanted Nannie to see them get their baskets. Brandon made everyone pray that the Easter Bunny would go there and not here.... he wasnt disapointed. Sunday, we all got dressed up and went over. Everyone was so excited to see the kids all dressed up, even Kathryn. We decided to take a drive to see the Statue of Liberty and Mom and Aunt Peach came with (good thing we have the van.) We went to Liberty State park and saw the statue from a distance.... it was still amazing to see from the distance. Chris also heard about a 9/11 teardrop memorial from the Russians and we found that too. It was very emotional to see. We made it back in time to start dinner..... Nannie actually let me cook in HER kitchen. She didnt even stand over me, she stayed out of the way. Everyone was very shocked, including me and Pop-pop. Dinner was wonderful, and Nannie thanked me for all of it. We played around for a while and then it was time to say goodbye to Pop-pop. We are leaveing early in the morning and he wont be up yet. It's hard to say goodbye, but we really did have a fantastic time, and I am really glad we finally made it back out to see them. Pop-pop was very proud of how well behaved the children were, and was amazed that the kids wanted to hear so much about him. He cant believe how much Kathryn and Brandon really look out for Ashlyn. He cant believe how much they have all grown. He gave me a hug and told me and Chris that we are wonderful parents, and that he has not been this happy in years, and that we really made his weekend. I hope we can get back out here this summer and actually get to go to the Statue of Liberty and go inside the monument... I am hoping Chris' dad will come with us too.

Anyway,
Happy Easter.
Lots of Love,
Shel

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

doing better

Things are getting better here at the Power House. Nobody else has gotten sick,and Ash is def. better. We went home over the weekend and had a great time. We had an Easter celebration with Chris' family, and a HUGE Easter egg hunt. The kids LOVED it. I think its the best Easter turn out we have had in years. Then we hung out with Barbie and her boyfriend Paul, aka Buddy. We had a great time and Cassie and Mike came along too. We played some games and really enjoyed the company. Then we had a really nice lunch at Ryan's to celebrate Grandma Milan coming home. It was a great time seeing everyone and hanging out with everyone. We even got to see our Moo Moo. Such a great weekend.

I am now doing laundry, and cleaning, and preparing to go to New Jersey this weekend to visit my Nannie and Pop-Pop. I cant wait. But anyone who reads this and knows Nannie and Pop-Pop,,,, SHHHH ! Nannie doesnt know yet, but Pop-pop does. This will be a great surprise.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter.
Shel

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Ashlyn

Well I am sitting here night 3 in the hospital with Ashlyn.
Sunday night Katey wasnt feeling very well and ended up puking on the top of the stairs, we got that cleaned up and Ash started puking. Then Katey ran "to the bathroom" and 2 mins later Ashlyn yells... "I have to poop right NOW". In a matter of 3 hrs Ashlyn was puking every 20 mins, and was up to 14x's. I took her to the ER where she pukes as we arrived and they took us straight back. Then they gave her and IV and she puked again, so they gave her some nausia medication. She was extremly dehydrated and her blood pressure was low, and her heart rate was high. Her blood came back with really low electrolights and they decided to admit her. We are now on our 3rd night here and she is still miserable. Her blood pressure and heart rate have returned to normal, but then she started spiking fevers, and her tummy is hurting her really bad tonight. I am hoping this will start getting better and we can go home tomorro. So far tonight her fever hasnt come back so maybe thats a good sign. She's very crabby, but I think she's entitled to feel crappy.

Well, I am gonna see if she will go to sleep, I am exhausted.
Shel

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Kit Kat

My poor little Katey has had this aweful rash for 2 mths now.
We went into the peds office and the nurse pract. said it was extremly dry skin and to shower less frequently and use a ton of lotion. That didnt help. Then we went back in because she had strep, they gave her antibiotics and hydrocortizone cream for the rash. Then we went back in because the rash wasnt getting better and they gave her prednizone. Then we go back in again and they said it was scabies. We treated her for scabies and it was WORSE the next day. We went to the dermatologist and she said it was NOT scabies, but she wasnt sure what it was. She gave her a steroid shot and said she would be feeling better by the time we got home.... NOPE.... We went back to the ped today for a follow up and he said its even worse than the last time he saw it and immediatly got on the phone with Children's Memorial Hospital downtown Chicago and she has an appt tomorro at 1. This is after he had to beg and pull in all the favors to get her in. The last 3 times we have been there he has waived all charges. I tell you, this is the best pediatrician I have even seen. He is totally concerned about the patient not his wallet.

I will update tomorro what they say at Childrens.
Shel

Monday, March 23, 2009

Kathryn's speech against violence

Kathryn is giving a speech today and tomorrow in all the science classes in 6th grade. She wasnt happy about how boring the bullying assembly's they have at the school and talked to her Principal about it. She told him it was very boring and repetitive, and that the kids dont even pay attention to it anymore. And she told him how important this is to her and about her cousin Adrianne. He was very impressed with her. She wrote a new speech and is giving it today and tomorrow. She's very excited about this.

Here is her speech.

Hi, Most of you know me, but for those of you who don’t my name is Kathryn, those of you who do know me, you know I am a silly, hyper, crazy person. But today I come to you to discuss something very serious.

Raise your hand, if any of you have ever not liked someone.
Raise your hand, if any of you have ever said, or heard someone say “I could just kill her or him”.
Raise your hand if you know anyone who has ever been bullied.

I am going to tell you guys about someone I know who was bullied…..my 16yr old cousin Adrianne Reynolds…. Adrianne lived in Texas and moved to Illinois to live with her dad, my Uncle Tony. Adrianne was pretty, funny, and very quickly became popular at her new school. Unfortunately, there was another girl at her school who was jealous of Adrianne’s new popularity. She started bullying my cousin. She told Adrianne she was going to kill her. She told other people at school that she hated her and was going to kill her. Nobody took her seriously because people say that and don’t mean it………. They were wrong.

Adrianne was killed when I was only 8yrs old….. Adrianne’s murder was very hard on the entire family, but try being a kid when it happens…. I would like to turn my loss into something positive to help other people. Adrianne was killed because of jealousy, and hatred. I can not imagine killing or hurting someone because of jealousy, hate, or any reason at all. I would like to do my part to encourage others to make wise choises and to be responsible for their actions, this is why I am speaking to you today.

I am choosing to stand up against violence, and to speak out to others in hopes that other people will think about what they are doing and feeling, and think about the choices they make. We are the future and we need to stop the violence together, but I can not do it alone. The future depends on you.If you know of someone who is being bullied…. speak up.If you don’t get involved they will keep getting bullied until something bad happens.. It’s easy to think that this wont happen to you, or to someone you know…. But it happened to ME, to MY family.

I am really trying to do my part to prevent this sort of violence from happening again….
But I need help.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Wednesday

Not much going on, just waiting on some lab results for Ashlyn.
We had a great weekend with my sister... aside from Ashlyn barfing all over Trysta while she was sleeping, everything was great. We went downtown to American Girl store and Trysta picked out a new doll and PJ's that match for her and her dolly. Then we caught up to the boys just in time to see them dye the river green. It was really cool. Then on Sunday Brandon sang in the choir and even had a solo. Aunt Cassie was in tears as she has never heard how good the boy could sing and she was totally surprised. Then we went to Bass Pro Shop with Mike and Cassie and found the coolest out door mall, so Chris and I went shopping with the kids. We went to Aero and to Hollister.

Last night was Kathryn's school choir concert. They meet up with the other 6 schools in the district 122, and each school sings 3 songs, then they all combine for 1 song all together at the end and they sing "This is why we sing". Truely a beautiful song.

Now, if only this week would hurry up and get over.
Lots of Love,
Shel

Friday, March 13, 2009

It's finally Friday

Yippie,
Whoop Whoop,
HURRAY!

Its Friday, Friday the 13th even, and my sister is coming for the weekend!
I am soooo excited. They will be here tonight around 7, so the kids can have a little while together before bed. Then we will be on the 8:30 train tomorrow morning headed for downtown Chicago. Tryton LOVES trains, and I cant wait to see his reaction to riding a real train. Cassie and I are taking the girls to the American Girl store, and Mike and Chris are going to watch them die the Chicago river green. We will hopefully meet up with George sometime Sat. Then Sat night we are going to have a poker night with the neighbors. Sunday morning we have to be at church because Brandon has a small solo in the choir. And it sounds like Carol and Jim will be able to come with. So this will be a really fun, busy weekend.

Lots of Love,
Shel

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Last Night

Oh My Word !
Last night was aweful.
It started out really great. Dinner was on the table when Chris walked in the door. We ate dinner and got into Jammies and were all cuddled up and watching Chuch by 6:45. Then we got everyone a ice cream cone and finished our show. We got everyone's teeth brushed and all into bed by 8:15. I went up and watched American Idol, and Chris worked for a while. He finally came to bed at 10.

11:20pm.
I had a really bad dream that Chris died, and never came home from work. I jumped away and went to reach for him, and he was GONE. I went to look for him and all the lights in the house were off. He was updating my computer, checking on our plants, and setting mouse traps in the garage. I went back to bed.

1:00am
Ashlyn came in and woke me up. She wanted to ask if she could go pee. Seriously?! If you have to go pee, just go, there is no need to wake me up at night. But she also wanted to tell me that I am the best and she loves me. Ok thanks honey. Got her tucked back into bed.

2:30am
I wake up to screaming. Ashlyn is screaming her head off. I go in and she is laying in barf. I get her undressed and give her a bath. It was so nasty, in her hair, on her face, on her arm, on her back.. and it was STINKY !! I made her a bed of blankets on the floor and accidently woke up Chris in the process. We got Ashlyn all settled in and he got her a bucket. Chris immediatly falls asleep.

3:15am
Just as I am starting to fall asleep, Ashlyn starts coughing and barfing into the bucket. I am so relieved that she actually used the bucket. I bring her to the bathroom and have her rinse her mouth out, get her back in bed.

4:00am
Ashlyn is spitting into the bucket again. I take her to the bathroom, and get her mouth rinsed out. She goes pee, and put her back to bed.

5:00am
Chris' alarm starts going off. I hear it, but dont move.

6:00am
Chris' alarm goes off again, and he is way to tired and decides to stay home from work.

7:10am
My alarm goes off to wake up Kathryn, and Brandon.
Luckily I already set their clothes out the night before, so I wake them and tell them to get dressed, eat breakfast and get ready for school. Katey sets her alarm to be out to the bus ontime and I go back to bed.

8:30am
My alarm goes off again. Time to get up and get boy out the door to his bus.
Ashlyn now wakes up and is ready for the day. Chris decides to get up and log into work.
I go back to sleep and dont get up again till 10:45.

AND I AM STILL TIRED !
Shel

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

I am sooo irritated! SERIOUSLY

Ok, so I went to lunch today with Ashlyn and Kathryn.
We were enjoying a nice lunch when this lady comes in with her older daughter whom had 2 children, and another daughter who appeared to be about 15yrs old. Terry-Ann was her name, and she had some kind of mental disability. She acted more like a 3yr old. Ashlyn waved to her and she ran over to say hello, which started them off yelling at her. They told her to stop it and to sit down. Every time Terry-Ann tried to talk to them, they would yell at her and tell her to stop it, or shut up, or if you dont behave you wont get your drink. Now, Terry-Ann was not even misbehaving, and she kept getting in trouble just for speaking. I SOOO wanted to tell them that Terry-Ann was behaving just fine, however they were being extremly loud and disruptive. I swear the whole place could hear their conversation and it got worse when they yelled at Terry-Ann. Even Kathryn was like, OMG mom what is she doing wrong? Then apparently she didnt eat her food fast enough and she asked if she could take it home and the mother PUNCHED her in the arm, and yelled at her again that she needed to behave and to shut up and eat her food.
At this point I couldnt handle it anymore and asked for the bill.
I should have called the police or something, but by the way they were acting I was not about to confront them, especially in front of my children. I am still disturbed. I cant believe she punched the girl in the arm!!!

Grrrr,
Shel

Monday, March 9, 2009

Visit to my Sisters

Well, after a horrible week, we had a WONDERFUL and much needed weekend.

We went to my sister's new place in Wisconsin. Right now they live on a lake. Its a really nice place. The lake is completly frozen so we got to do a little shoe skating and the kids LOVED it.Mike fried up fish, and hushpuppies for dinner, and I make potato salad, and cole slaw. It was SOOOO good. Apparently when he went on a fishing trip with some buddies, they forgot to bring a marinade for the fish so they soaked it in mustard just for the heck of it, and it ended up being fantastic. So he made us the mustard fried fish and it really was fantastic. It was so good, we didnt even need tarter sauce with it. The kids had a blast playing together, and when we got them all put to bed we started drinkin and playin poker. It was soooo much fun.

Then we went to Perkins for breakfast and I had the worst potato pancakes ever, and from now on, I will just stick to Chris' potato pancakes. We went back to the house to hang out for a little bit before we headed back home. All of a sudden Mike says, ummm guys it's starting to snow. We hurried up and jumped into the van to get the heck out of town, but the blizzard came way to fast. We ended up doing 35 down the interstate and in a 2 miles stretch there were 11 cars on the side of the road or in the ditch. IT WAS CRAZY !! But we made it safely home, and I cant wait to go back up for a visit.

Thanks Mike and Cassie for inviting us to your home, and haveing such a great time.
Lots of Love,
Shel

Friday, March 6, 2009

It's finally Friday

This has been a horrible week for me.
Not only did my friend from school Micah die, and I couldnt go to the funeral, but we also had to put our dog Capone down. It's been a very sad and difficult week for us.

But now, its Friday, and I am looking forward to spending the weekend with my sister Cassie. They are all moved into a house in Milwaukee and I cant wait to go see her. The house they are currently in is on a lake, and Mike cant wait to take the kids fishing. Ashlyn is looking forward to seeing her "friends". Mike now works for Harley and has bought the kids each something Harley. I havent told them yet, so he can surprise them. Cassie is getting eye surgery to correct her vision tonight, and we will be going up first thing in the morning.

Here's to a better weekend.
Shel

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Micah Neff

RIP Micah Neff
1977-2009
It is so very hard to believe that you are gone. I will always remember your smile, your eyes, your silly personalitly. Your ability to make everyone around you laugh. I will always think of biology class with you, and how you would take on any dare, including licking the fish, and putting the eyeball in your mouth. You were up for anything. You grossed me out, but I couldnt wait to see what you would do next. I was just telling my kids about you the other day. My daughter was disecting a frog in class and it reminded me of you. They laughed when I told them about you. All of my memories of you bring a smile to my face. You were smart, funny, kind, and I am really going to miss you. God Bless You Micah
Lots of Love,
Shel

March.. ok already

So its the 3rd day of March already.
I am already ready for spring already. I even got my spring cleaning done. The house is clean, dusted, and oil soaped up the wazoo. Now I need the nicer, warmer weather to hurry up and get here.

This year, unfortunatly, we will not be in the ST. Patty's day parade in the QC. Last year our float started to break on the bridge and we were trying to get about 35 people off the float before the whole bumper fell off and injured someone. Well the one guy on the commitee threw a fit, demanded us to move it, and I wouldnt move it until we got everyone safely off. He got up in my dad's face and was screaming at him and tried to get my dad arrested because we wouldnt move the float. Once everyone was off, we moved it and the parade was able to contine. Because this guy is on the comittee he punished us by not allowing us to participate this year. So since we are not going home, Chris wants to go downtown Chicago and go to the parade there. I think it will be great fun.

Well anyway, I am just wanting spring to get here and fast.
Have a great day.
Shel

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday, and I am giving up Soda for Lent.
his is def. a sacrifice for me, because I LOVE my Coke, and Dr. Pepper. But this is a good challenge for me as I am trying to loose weight. I need to drink tons more water, and this is a great start. Oh, wish me luck !!

I am happy to write that Ashlyn is healing very very well. I took her back into the doctor today because she keeps telling me she cant hear me, so I had him check her ears and her right ear is full of fluid. It's not infected, but thats why she is having trouble hearing on that side. I also had him check on her face because one part is not healing as nice as the rest, but he says it all looks good. He gave me a steroid nasal spray to help clear up the fluid in her ears, and wants to see her back in a month. If she is still having trouble hearing then they will set up a hearing test for her. This one keeps me on my toes I swear.

Brandon is having some issues at school. He has trouble with reading and spelling and is very slow with his math. He understands his math, but he's very slow at it. Now, he is starting to act like a class clown along with 3 other boys and is becomeing a behavior problem. All 4 boys were being disruptive and throwing paper wads when they had a sub. yesterday and we got a call from his teacher this afternoon. Lets just say boy is in deep trouble. He's grounded from the Wii and his friends for 1 week. For the first 3 days, he's only allowed to read and write. The next 4 days he is allowed to watch tv, and listen to the radio, and still has to read and write. He's not happy about this at all, and has been reading for almost 3 hrs now. He's not going to be happy when we all sit down to watch tv tonight and he cant. Oh well, he's gonna learn real quick that you dont mess around at school.

Kathryn is healing well, and has a ton of homework to catch up on.
She enjoyed being home with me yesterday but isnt looking forward to all this work. She's a good student though and will have no problems getting it done. She's enjoying being back in the choir, and in drama club, and is excited to have a team vs. teachers basketball game this friday.
Lucky for me its a half day Friday !!! Whooo Hoooo !

Lots of Love,
Shel

Monday, February 23, 2009

almost a week later

So much has happened since my last post.
I took Ashlyn to the plastic surgeon the day after and I questioned the "rug burn" on her face, and he said it was NOT from teeth. He said she must have fallen and rubbed against the wall, or carpet or something. It just seemed odd to us. Then on Friday, a friend of ours was over and was looking at Ashlyn and she questioned if Capone even bit her. I told her I didnt see it happen, but its just what Brandon told me. She said, to her, it looks like he pawed her face, which would make the "rug burn" make more sence. I told Chris about this and he really looked closely at her face. He said the "bite" marks, and the "rug burn" all go in the same exact direction. So its impossible that he bit her, AND she happened to rub against something to make marks that ran exactly in the same direction. But still this sounds strange to us. Well today when I went into the ped to get her stitches out, I was going to ask him if it was possible the dog scratched her, but I forgot. But he looked up at me puzzled and asked "what kind of dog did this?" I said a Great Dane. Then he looked at it some more and asked if I was sure the dog BIT her because it doesnt line up for a dog bite. So I told him I forgot to ask him about that and told him what the plastic surgeon and our neighbor said. The doctor is convinced that this is NOT a bite at all, but that he pawed her face. WHEW !

However, this doesnt leave us in the clear. He still has dominant issues when we are not there, and he still did this in a dominante manner. He growled and barked at her. I asked Brandon about this and he at first said Capone Bite her, but when i asked if it could be from his paw, and he thought about it for a min. and said he wasnt sure. I asked if he saw Capones teeth in Ashlyn's face, and he said NO. He said he heard him growl, so he yelled no and was going down the stairs when he heard Capone bark, Brandon then looked up to see Capone jump back and blood all over Ashlyn's face. So either way, Capone has some issues that need some major fixing. Luckily we have a few options. Our friend Dawn, who works for a animal welfare place back home called, and her work is willing to take him and try to place him with someone who does not have small children. So relief that Chris doesnt have to kill my dog. The other option is seeing if this place that rehabilitates aggressive animals can work with him and get him some intense training. So I am just relieved that this doesnt appear to be a dog bite, I am relieved that our friend Dawn read my blog and came to the rescue, and I am relieved that their might be a way to keep Capone and keep everyone safe. WHEW !

Ok, now on to another topic.
Today Kathryn had 3 teeth pulled. They had to put her out for this because one took was stuck in her jaw. When sh woke up and was completly "high" I was cracking up laughing at her. She was totally off the rocker hysterical, and we even video taped her first hour of being home. I cried because I was laughing so hard. She is resting now, and more comfortable. However the pain meds are now making her dizzy and slightly nautious.

Well the kids are all in bed, and I am exhausted.
I'll write more soon.
Shel

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Not a good day

Last night our Great Dane Capone bit Ashlyn in the face.
Dont worry she is ok.
Im mortified.
If it were about his food, we would understand because he gets nervous when the kids come around his food. But he had her doll and when she went to take it, he snapped one snap and it got her in the face. We took her to the ER and she had 5 puntures that didnt require any stitches, but he also got the corner of her mouth and that required 3 stitches. Im beside myself with sadness. Sadness that my poor little girl got bit, sadness that it hurt and she had to get stitches, sadness that she flintches when he is anywhere near her.. Dont worry he's locked in the laundry room and is only let out to go potty and eat.... But its not like he's an aggressive bully dog. He's a big lover, he's still a puppy, he's just trying to restablish were he ranks in the family. This is normal, and if he were a small dog he wouldnt have even broken the skin. But he's too big to take chances, and Chris is putting him down after the 10 day quarantine. There is no choice here, I understand and realize that we cant keep a dog who bits, but Im also really sad... he's MY dog. He was my mother's day gift, and I love him so much. He never is like this with me or Chris, and he loves all people who come to the house, he's even great with the kids when we are around. He just thinks he is the boss when we are not around, and thats not acceptable. Im so sad.

Shel

Sunday, February 15, 2009

What a weekend.

WOW, what a weekend.
It's a long weekend because Chris and the kids dont have school on Monday due to Presidents day. YIPPIE !!! I love long weekends. It also happened to be Valentines Day AND my sister/cousin Ellie's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLIE !!! ( I know, I know, sister/cousin?!?, she's my cousin, but I love her like my sister) We dont do much for Valentines Day, actually we dont do anything out of the ordinary for Valentines Day. Chris decided after we got married, and we were very broke all the time, that he loved me every single day, and he didnt need 1 day to tell me how much he loves me... he loves me so much every day. Also, he hates doing things because everyone else does, so we just dont do Valentines Day. However, if he brags about me or the kids at work, or to a friend, he will come home that day with flowers or surprises. It's really great. So we spent the whole day cleaning and rearranging. We dont use the basement for anything, so we moved Katey down there. It's totally finished, and you can see down to the basement from the living room, but we dont use it. Plus she thinks its cool because she has a bathroom right off of it so she says she has her own bathroom. Now Brandon and Ashlyn have their own rooms too. Nobody to get into anyone else's stuff, and everyone responsible for cleaning their own rooms. So, we have been busy hanging curtains, and hanging curtains to block you from being able to see into Katey's room from the living room. It's looking soooo cute and everyone is happy.

Well, today since everyone did such a great job yesterday, I decided to make Lobster and Shrimps for dinner. Im also making twice baked potato's, grilled asparagus, breadsticks, and my fav... sweet potato cassarole !! All's going good until we are ready to put everything on the grill and its out of propane. So off to the store Chris goes. He's back now, so Im gonna go and help grill our super yummy dinner.

Lots of Love,
Shel

Sunday, February 8, 2009

We are horribly cruel parents

So we went home this weekend to celebrate Grandma Dorothy's 95th birthday. We had a wonderful dinner with us, Dorothy, Carol and Jim, Jen and Chad and all the kids. Chad has a little girl Emma and Ashlyn just loves hanging out with her. We had a sweatshirt made with all the great grandkids pic on it. We had a decent pic taken last year on the fishing trip with all of them and I thought it would be great on a sweatshirt. Gma Dorothy just LOVED it.

Then we went to Nathan and Jeni's house and just hung out chatting. Its so nice to be able to hang out with friends and not have to worry about doing anything. Just chillin, watching some SNL and talking about everything and nothing. The Tacketts are great! (What up Jeni YO!)
I was even surprised when all of a sudden Chris got drunk dialed by George. (Love me some George!)

Then this morning we had a really nice breakfast with my parents, then we went and got the kids shoes. We were supose to get pics taken today but since it was so gloomy out, we decided to pass. So we washed the van at our fav. carwash with the 3 colored soap, and we got some Whitey's ice cream, then we went to see if there were any Eagles out by the Hampton dam. Then we decided to head on home.

Ok, now here is where we are so horribly cruel......
So we get on I-80 and head towards Chicago, well we have to go past Carol and Jims exit and we looked over to see if we could see their house and they were actually going down Hubbard road. So we start flashing our breaks and waving trying to get their attention. Then Chris notices in front of us is a semi being towed backwards by another semi. So he distracts them by telling them to watch for Gma Carol and Jim and he speeds up to get right behind the semi. He then yells OMG and I scream. The kids turn around to see a semi "heading right towards us". But its actually being towed. Brandon freaks out and braces himself, and Katey yells "WHAT THE !"
We then quickly start laughing and tell them its being towed and they were not very happy with us at all. But we thought it was great,,,,, until Brandon said it freaked him out so bad because of the car accident we were in 2 yrs ago.

So anyway, we are horribly cruel parents, but it was really funny.
Lots of Love,
Shel

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Kathryn the vegetarian

My Katey bug is 12 and is really starting to have concerns about different things. One thing she really doesnt like is that animals have to die so she can eat her dinner. She's been bothered by this for a while and finally decided to try vegetarian for a week. So far she is going great, and even has 3 of her friends trying it too. This Sat. we are having a Prime Rib dinner for Gma Dorothy's 95th birthday and she said she's going to have a small piece of that because she does like the taste of it, but she still doesnt want it to be a huge part of her every day diet. She thinks after this week she will continue to have vegetarian food, but occationally have meat. Im really proud of her for experimenting with new things, and standing up for something she really believes in. So tonight I am making corn dogs for us, and vegy corn dogs for Katey and Chris. Oh, Chris is doing the vegy for a week diet too because he wants her to feel supported.

I'll keep you updated on her progress.
Shel

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Ashlyn is a preschooler

Well, our baby is now a preschooler.
She loved it so much, but I'll let the pics do all the talking.
Enjoy,
Shel



Ashlyn and her new friend Bruno
Ashlyn and her new friend Zoey
Ashlyn and Mrs. Paige
Ashlyn exploring her new class
Circle time (going on a bear hunt)