Music Man

What a whirlwind! It seems like we have been going nonstop since the end of April, but finally things are winding down! We are in the last two days of Music Man. The kids and I are all in it. I am a pick-a-little lady, the girls are in the big dance numbers--Shipoopi and the library scene, plus a few others. Justin is in the children's chorus and boys' band. Rehearsals have taken up most evenings and, though I am happy for the experience, I am ready for some time off. Our days are so unproductive since we are worn out from the night before. I don't recall being so tired from this experience as I was in the past, but it has been about 18 years since I've done something like this. I am adding a picture of the kids and I together back stage from last night.

Green Belt

Katherine and Justin passed their green belt tests for taekwondo today! The did a great job on their forms and both broke their boards using a back kick.

Glasses again...

Katherine is now wearing glasses, too, so now ALL FIVE OF US WEAR GLASSES or contacts!
Isn't she beautiful?

Wow...this school year is flying!

Sorry, folks! We have been so incredibly busy this school year. This is the first year I have really felt a bit overwhelmed by all of our goings on! We finally have made it through birthday marathon. Justin turned 8 in January, Katherine is 12 as of February, and Karissa is now 14. Justin is in a Hockey 101 program and loving it. He is also about to test for his green belt in Taedwondo.(I never know how to spell it) Katherine is busy dancing, doing acrobatics, enjoying her classes at SALT and testing for green belt next week as well. Karissa is really excelling in her microbiology class, enjoys singing (hooray) and dancing as well. The girls have their dance recital coming up on the 16th of May, and Katherine has her piano recital on the 26th. To top it all off the kids and I all tried out for, and are in the Music Man at the Grand Prairie community theater. We started rehearsing last week and will be performing the last of June and first weekend in July.
I am very proud of Paul. He and his staff, and another coworker, successful have the clinic certified for medicaid, which is HUGE pressure off him, and now he is re-enrolling in the MBA program he was in a while back. He is only 4 classes away. I think the entire process should be completed in about 6 months. Phew...see why I haven't written much?

December update!

Hi! It has been a while since I've updated our blog, but I realized that I sent our blog address out in our Christmas cards and there won't be any new info! The last month has been very crazy. At our co-op, Katherine tested for her green strip belt in taekwondo (not sure how to spell it ever), and all three performed in a Christmas concert. Justin was in Boomwhackers, Katherine is playing clarinet this year, and Karissa sang beautifully in show choir. Justin got to participate in a free hockey program at the Dr. Pepper Star Center. Of course, he loves it, and now we are taking donations for the Ely hockey fund :). The girls got to participate in a dance convention just before Thanksgiving. They learned all kinds of dance styles. I think hip hop is their favorite, followed by ballet. (interesting, I know!) With all that going on, we finally have made our Christmas cookies deliveries, all my shopping is done (mostly on line!!!) and all the food is purchased and waiting for us to enjoy it.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Eve!

Teeth

Thanks to my Gram, we went to the orthodontist today and had all three kids' appointments. We will have all three in braces of one form or another. Karissa will be getting her full set, plus a head gear. Katherine had her consultation today and we learned that she only needed to lose one more baby tooth. Her doctor informed her that was the "bonus tooth" and there was extra money involved. Wouldn't you know that she came home and within 20 minutes her tooth was out and she was on the phone to Paul to remind him that the "tooth fairy" had better remember her dough. Justin, on the other hand actually got a couple of braces on his top teeth. He has my cross bite problem, so they are trying to correct that while he is young so that he can avoid more extensive work later. They are very confident they can fix it. Our kids have inherited their dad's wonderful teeth and my small jaw structure.

Go McCain!

Okay, I know that the polls are all saying he is behind, but that will not influence my views! We've already voted early. I really wish there was no political polling out there. I think that it undermines the voting process. When I was in line last week the gentleman in front of me stated that he was voting, this time, for his grandchildren. Well, in a sense, I was too! People need to think before they cast that vote. Think about the lasting effects of the policies that could be implemented. Supreme Court Justices. Taxes. Education. Life. Freedoms.

Soccer Tournament

Justin played in the soccer tournament today. They were in second place and made it to the final game today. They played a very good team and were trailing 0-1 at the half. By the end of the game they were tied 1-1 and had to play overtime. They were still tied and won in a "shoot out" where the kids had to kick goals at the goalie and whoever scored the most won the game. Justin was so excited and we are all happy for him. He had great coaches and his teammates were wonderful, too.

Where is it flying to?

Time sure is flying this year! Every time Karissa stands up next to me, I realize that pretty soon she will be looking me in the eye! She is only an inch shorter than I am now! Both of my girls wear larger sized shoes than I do. Justin is in soccer again this year, and next week is already the last week of soccer. His team is currently in 2nd place and next week is the tournament. Where did the time go? It is already time for me to order the next section for history and literature for school!
I need to start stocking up on food for Thanksgiving and buying Christmas presents. Where did the time go? Life here truly does last for such a short time. Watching it go by so quickly challenges me to be a better mom, wife, friend, teacher, and whatever other role I fill.

Glasses

Okay. So, we have set our DVR to record every single "I Love Lucy" episode ever made, and on days when all our school is completed, and we are really needing a break, we watch a "new" episode. It's in black and white, so I figure, the view is a little grainy, so I think nothing of it when Justin really wants to sit close to the t.v. In the middle of hilarious laughter, Justin came back to the couch to sit with me,maybe 10 or 13 feet from the set, to snuggle with mommy, of course! I was no longer able to pay attention when my sweet boy said, "Mom, I don't get it. Is she happy or mad? I can't tell if she is smiling or frowning." Uh oh...Well, he does seem to have a hard time staying focused when he is in a big setting, like soccer, or class, but I thought that was just because he is a seven year old boy. At our first chance, we went to the optometrist, and when the doctor came out, he handed me the prescription and emphatically stated "He will see so much better now!" I had no idea! Now that I know he needs glasses, I can think back and see the signs. We picked up his glasses today at Costco. When he put them on, he looked around and exclaimed, "Woah!" He was so happy to be able to see better! It was so fun to watch him looking around at everything. He is seeing the world in a whole new way!

Rescue the poor thing...

Yes, we did it! The cute stray (whom the kids named "Cookie") was taken to a vet Thursday morning and will be taken to an animal rescue group after she has received proper medical care! I am so glad. I feel like we played a small part in blessing another family with what will be a really sweet, loving pet. I think if she would have gotten along with Ginger, I could have fostered her for up to a month until the rescue organization found her a home. I was telling Paul that would be the way to go. The rescue group pays all the vet bills and helps with expenses, and you just get to help care for the animal until it finds a permanent home. The only thing is, you don't really have time to train it and make it part of the family. There is a very big difference in behavior between Ginger and Cookie. Cookie was so emaciated when we found her, and she was always afraid that Ginger was going to take her food and snapped at Ginger whenever she was within 2 feet of her food. Ginger, although she was a good 20 pounds bigger than Cookie, was afraid of her and started to refuse going outside. So, we had to lock up Cookie in the doghouse (which was treated for fleas and ticks) and then convince Ginger it was safe to go out. Now, I have to say, we only had Cookie for about 4 days, but she was looking so much better. I am very pleased, and the kids really feel good about releasing her to a place where she won't be euthanized.

Dog Days of Summer

Well, here we are in the dog days of summer. Literally! Animal control prefers that we isolate strays in a backyard and then they will come and pick up the poor beast. We noticed a cute little stray about a week ago. Obviously female, undernourished and has had puppies sometime in the past. We called it to get it into our yard to call animal control, but it wouldn't come, so we took it food, only to discover the poor thing was covered in ticks. YUCK! It was not in the best of health. Karissa, our "animals are people, too" child, couldn't take the pressure. We returned to the park to feed it again to bring it closer, and a neighbor was with it. She just happened to belong to an animal rescue group and has 5 dogs of her own. Well, when we told her of our plan she said "Don't call animal control, I can hook her up with an animal rescue organization who will pay her vet bills and find her a family." We were very excited. This dog is doing so much better. We gave her a bath, medicine(provided by someone else) and plenty of food and water. We've also treated much of the yard and dog items with flea and tick spray. So, hopefully she will be on her way out on Thursday. She should make a great pet for the right family. Karissa is a very happy girl.