Family Fun Night...Part 3

On Sunday night we had an impromtu dinner at our house. My mom and dad, my Uncle Dick and Aunt Cheryl, and my cousin David's family came over for spaghetti. Chuck had gotten me a Wii Fit awhile back and we have been enjoying it so much. We wanted to share the fun with everyone, so after dinner, we played some Wii. I have never been a fan of video games and I never played them growing up, but I have to admit that I love what the Wii has done for our family. We have spent so much quality time laughing and enjoying one another's company, not only with our family of four, but also with our extended family. There is nothing like laughing and playing together with family.

Family Fun Night...Part 2

A few weeks ago I posted about our family fun night. Last Saturday, we had another family fun night at my in -law's house. Again, we really had a great time. We had a little bit of everything going on: Wii, cards, blockus, etc. It was extra fun because my sister-in-law, Jodi, was able to join us this time (she had been out of town the first time) and Cade came along. I think we are going to make family fun night a regular thing...Nikki's house is next...! I was not going to take any pictures and just enjoy the night, but my niece, Alyssa, who is a budding photographer, grabbed my little point and shoot digital and took some great pictures. Great work, Alyssa! I am so proud of your work!

JJ's Christmas

J.J. is one of my best friends. We worked together at Shutterbugg and she was like a sister to me at that time. Even though she is in Cleveland, she always remembers my kids. Whenever their birthday or Christmas rolls around they can count on getting a special package from J.J.. Although we don't get to see her often, the kids, especially Kenzie, adore her. This year she delivered her presents to "Aunt Barb" (JJ's mom), who delivered them to the kids, along with some special gifts of her own. Barb always gives the kids handmade ornaments that they LOVE. When we put the tree up and decorate it, they have so much fun looking at "Aunt Barb's" special ornaments. Thanks Barb, JJ & Mike. The kids loved the special gifts!

This picture of Brock was blurry, but I had to post him in his hat from J.J..

Basketball

Brock started basketball this week. I wanted to get some really good pictures and I had read over my photography books to find just the right settings for the camera. When I got there and tried, it didn't go as well as I had planned. So, here are a few pics, but I am going to keep trying. I am determined to learn how to shoot in these types of settings. We were so proud of Brock's effort. He has matured a lot since he first started playing and we can see him working hard. He has great coaches this year and we feel like he is going to learn a lot from them. It was fun to watch.

It's A Date!

Every so often Chuck and I schedule "date nights" with the kids. It is just a way of making sure that we get to spend time with each one and they get our undivided attention for the night. This time was Chuck's turn to take Kenzie and I was taking Brock. Chuck decided to take Kenzie to her first Komet's game. He didn't tell her until the morning before when he brought home flowers with a note asking her to the game. Oh, my goodness, I could hear her squealing all the way at the back of the house (she LOVES to get flowers). Brock is always an easy date because he loves to go to Takaoka, so that is what I had planned for us, however, when I called for reservations I discovered that they were closed for 90 days for remodeling. Sooo...we did some quick thinking and we went to the Flat Top Grill instead. He had never been there before and really loved it! Afterwards, we went to the movies to see "Mall Cop." It was a fun night for all of us...until we got home.

When Brock and I got out of the car, we were greeted by a huge puddle of frozen water. As I opened the door I saw more water in the laundry room and I knew it wasn't going to be good. I followed the water into the kitchen where I saw a "waterfall" pouring from the dishwasher. It had run all the way across the kitchen and into the dining room. I panicked!!! I called Chuck, but his cell phone was off, so then I called Mom and Dad. They were out within minutes and helped me get the water stopped. The short story is that my kitchen floor is going to need replaced and the dishwasher had a malfunctioning part. They are coming to look at it on Monday and we can check on insurance too, so hopefully all will work out well. As Mom pointed out, it could have been so much worse, so, all in all, I am still thankful. (I had to laugh...at one point Brock leaned over and looked into the dishwasher, which had water just pouring out of it and he said, "Oh, I see the problem, Mom...there's water coming out of here." It was a good tension breaker at the moment!)

This was Kenzie's outfit for the game. She worked really hard to find orange, black, and white in her closet. I thought it actually turned out pretty cute.

Brock and I before leaving for our date.

Do You Believe In Me?

This is an amazing video! I saw that Amy had a YouTube video on her blog and I was so excited (thanks, Amy!) because I didn't know I could post those on the blog. Our principal played this video at a teacher's meeting and I was almost in tears by the end of it. This young man is SO motivating. Here, he is speaking to a room full of educators and he is so composed. If I ever get discouraged with all of the "stuff" of my job, I think of this boy and his message and I get rejuvenated and excited all over again. If you have the time to watch it, I think you will feel the same way too. Enjoy!

Snow Fun!

Today we took the kids sledding. My mom and dad and Brock's friend Kain came with us. One of my favorite memories from my childhood is going sledding with Mom and Dad. They always took time to spend with me and we had such fun together. I am so glad to carry these memories on with my own children. We all had a great time, but I especially enjoyed myself. Today I really realized how happy I am that I made the decision to have the surgery. I realized today that it is moments like these, that I did it for. There have been so many times in the kid's lives when I would have liked to join in their fun, but I either couldn't or didn't feel comfortable to... but today, I felt free to have a good time and I didn't feel self conscious at all...I could go up and down the hill without being totally winded and I could get on and off the sled without any troubles. It really hit me how this experience has changed my life. I feel so free and I am really enjoying my life, my family, EVERYTHING more. Today, I had fun WITH the kids...I didn't have fun WATCHING them. I just feel so thankful! Enjoy the fun pictures of our special day!

Happy New Year!!!

New Year's Eve was really fun this year. We had Rich, Heidi, and Alaina join us at our house. We were also lucky enough to get our neighbor, Cade for the evening. He is such a nice boy and we are so glad that he and Brock have become such good friends. Also, Mom and Dad stopped out for a little visit and my dad even played the Wii! That is really saying something, because he doesn't usually get into the gaming thing. We just had a really nice, fun and relaxing evening with good friends, family, and lots of laughs. That is how it really should be. Hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve! Our family wishes everyone all the best for 2009. Enjoy our photos from the evening!

I Love My Girl!!

Yesterday, I was sitting in my room and I room and I heard the words: "special delivery!" I looked up to see McKenzie skipping over to me with a pretty pink envelope. Inside was the nicest letter. It says, "Dear Mom, You are the nicest person I ever met. Love, McKenzie." I have to tell you that it brightened my whole day. She is so loving and thoughtful. I just love doing things with her! We went shopping together over break and had such a nice time. I really treasure our relationship! Below are some pictures of the two of us in our matching outfits. Mom got me the vest and sweater for Christmas and Kenzie was determined to find a matching set so we could wear them together. I think it is so cute that she wants to dress like me. I guess I had better enjoy it now, because in a few years I don't think she will still want to be dressing like her mom!