Dead Beat Mom

I really wish that someone would come up with Cliff Notes for easier parenting...you know the one's we used to make it through Freshman English at college. You would think that I was the worst mother on planet Earth if you listened to my children talk. It doesn't seem to matter how much I do for them right now, they just don't get it! Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think this sounds like a dead beat mom's life: 7:45 get up, shower, and eat breakfast. 8:30 make Kirk3 and Konnor french toast one the stovetop (which is not a good idea for me) because "we always have a big breakfast on Sunday's". I had eaten oatmeal because it was my first official meal in 3 days. 9:00 loaded the dishwasher, pick up house, get laundry to basement. 10:30 go on internet with K3 to find 11.5 4E shoes that won't hurt his feet. I, of couse, cannot pick anything "cool" out. 11:00 make beds and get around to take the boys to DMS to shoot hoops. 11:20 start picking up friends on the way to DMS. 11:45 arrive at DMS and begin to scrap. There were 6 - fourteen year olds, 2- eleven year olds, and 1- seven year old playing basketball or riding heelies at this point. 12:00-3:15 Let the boys shoot, throw football, etc (this is the part where I actually did something for me: SCRAP on bleachers! Almost finished Konnor's sports book. 3:15 helped 6 boys (yeah, I lost a few along the way) find their shoes, sweatshirts, balls, etc. 3:20 swung by two of the boys houses to pick up PS2 games....Stopped at Little Ceasars and picked up two pizzas to feed the masses....3:30 arrived home with 8 boys to have a PS2 tournament and shoot baskets indoors. 5:00 Take all the friends home, start laundry, and dinner 5:30 catch grief from one pouty 11 year old who thinks that I'm always mean to him (this was the second time today this was addressed) . 6:00 finish cooking dinner(Steak on the grill, noodles, green beans and salad), more laundry, help with homework, more laundry, clean the kitchen from dinner. 7:30 Blog and now I get to put the laundry away and give a 7 year old a bath......and on...and on....and on!

I don't think this sounds like the glamorous day of a dead beat mom! Unless you count my 12 minute trip to the tanner, car wash, and gas station. How do you get them to see all that we do?! Maybe there isn't a way. But get REAL!!

No Furnace = No Heat

Here is one of my Jill inspired shots I took on the Snow Day. I sure could use another one today. I have sworn off eating for awhile. What goes in must come out! I'm trying to figure out how to teach from the potty today. I'm really hoping that Brown Street has a potty too, otherwise I'm going to have to bow out of my Super Scrappin' Saturday! I will be bummed. Not to mention Kirk told me we are supposed to get 4-6 inches of snow tonight. Thank God for 4 wheel drive vehicles.

Oh yeah, another of life's curve balls....our furnace went out last night. Guess we get to add that to the things that need repaired list. I can't imagine a house that is 5 years old being so needy?!

Blick um!!

Have you ever wondered what I looked like after spending the entire night on the potty? Probably not, but here is a really great example of how I feel! I haven't had an IBS attack in soooo long, I can't even remember when the last one was. All I know is YUCK!! I decided not to go to school today since my job doesn't allow me to run to the bathroom at will. I can't imagine leaving 30 3rd grade (or better yet my kindergarten) banshi's to take care of themselves while I run. I'm starting to feel a little better, but I've been up since 3, so who knows. Hopefully I can get my stuff around for Saturday and some other jobs accomplished today. Might as well make the most of a bad situation.

Ahhh...snow day fun!

Konnor and his friend John decided to go sledding after their snowmobiling. This is one of the last trips down the slope. Hey, wait for ME!!

The snow/ice dance....

Ahhh!! It's music to my ears...what's that? No school....WOW...a dream come true. We still had to go in for teacher inservice for 2 hours, but to be done at 11 with work, I could get used to that. It's not that I don't like what I'm doing...I just get so many things accomplished that would otherwise be squeezed into an evening after work. The other wonderful noise is that of the snowmobiles going around and around and around the house. Yes, I know I'm bad, but anything that keeps Konnor engaged for hours is a welcome relief. He is always in perpetual motion and he usually needs assistance for that movement which can be rather draining after awhile. Well, I'm off to clean carpets in a few rooms so I'll go for now. Talk to you later.

Taking Pictures

Konnor and I decided to brave the freezing cold tempratures yesterday and go out to take some pictures of the mini's. And by cold, I mean really cold!! Konnor and I are going to make Sue (our lovely neighbor) a scrapbook with all of her critters and barn. By the way, Jill, the pictures from the "farm" gave me lots of great ideas for other pictures I could take. I just talked to mom, they are in Elizabeth Town Kentucky. I guess my 3 month sulk can officially begin now.

Hornet Ball Boy

The onlyreason I posted this picture of Kraig as ball boy, is to let you know that I am almost caught up to season on Kraig's sports scrapbook. I have one more page to do tonight and then I am all set until basketball season starts (games start this Saturday). I think the next job will be to go back and do football and basketball seasons for Kirk3, and then his will be caught up too. Konnor informed me today that the reason I haven't started his book is because I don't like him. Get real?! If I didn't like him he would be off to boarding school by now. I'm sure I could find one that starts at 1st grade. Let me know if anyone knows of a good one!

It's beginning to look a lot like winter.....

I know I am excited that it finally snowed. Now maybe the boys will be able to start using the snowmobiles and going sledding again. It sure kept them busy for awhile at least. The WELL seems to be under control as of this hour, in this day, of this week...who knows what tomorrow will bring. We scrubbed out all of the toilets this morning and now we only have the water softener cleaning to go. I am glad the dishes and the laundry are able to be done. "Miss Dig" came to spray for the underground power lines and electrical this week, just in case we have to move forward on a new well in the near future. Chloe, of course, removed and destroyed most of their flags that they had put in the yard. We probably could have saved them the time with a little prior warning. BEWARE: Dog that eats everything!

Our nephew William!

Sorry can't the picture to post yet!!

This would be our nephew William, "Will" to close relatives. Konnor got to go stay the night at Uncle Kevin and Aunt Shirley's house after Grandma Abbie's party. He thought that was really cool. You never can get enough one-on-one time with your Aunt and Uncle. Konnor was happy that he and Will could take this picture together. Will is just starting to like Konnor, so he thinks he is some Dog Whisper or something.

Well, the WELL is doing a little better. It is now fairly clear and I was able to start laundry. Thank God!! I actually got to run the dishwasher too. It is amazing how much of your daily routine you just take for granted until it is taken away. I sure don't think I would have made a very good Pilgrim. The WELL people came yesterday after school and said we would need to have a new WELL drilled and attached to our existing WELL. How SWELL?! I guess we know where our tax return money is going this year. They won't be able to drill until sometime next week. We may just wait until the ground freezes again, so we don't have so many ruts. All that landscaping doesn't sound very appealing right now.

Chance...the good dog!

I felt so bad that all of my friends assumed that was Chloe on the bed with Konnor the other day....that was a picture of our good dog...Chance. Chance has been with us for nine years this Valentines day. He was my attempt at curbing a "baby fix" problem 9 years ago. Obviously it didn't quite fix the problem since Konnor is only 7. I don't think that Chloe would have layed still long enough for that picture to be taken?! Chance on the other hand enjoyed a whole afternoon of napping on our bed, which is usually a no-no! Notice the solid green comforter that was from the linen closet. So this, my friends, is our "good" dog Chance ( yes, he was named after the dog in Homeward Bound)

Life's little curve balls.....

Well, I know your wondering what on Earth is Kristin doing blogging in the middle of the day? Could it be that she had to stay home with Konnor who has strep throat. Yipee! The worst part is that the hospital has now rescheduled his surgery for January 26th instead of this Thursday. It is such a shame because it takes so much pre-planning to get everyone's schedules in line and then have to turn around and do it all again in 2 weeks. We have been nervously anticipating this procedure for 2 weeks now, and now we get to add another 2 weeks of waiting and wondering.

On another note (or curve ball), our well went bad this morning. Every spring we have a problem with sediments seeping into our well. Well, I know it's not spring, but the weather outside doesn't seem to realize this. We know have 3 toilets (yes, I am thankful for 3) that will have to be bailed out and cleaned. There is no washing dishes, doing laundry, or taking (clean) showers for that matter. Hopefully we caught it soon enough so we will only have to drain the hotwater heater and water softener. Keep your fingers crossed.

Shirley and Konnor

When I look outside at the sunshine, it makes me feel happy. The same is true of Konnor's Aunt Shirley. There is no one I know that can stay in a bad mood when she is around. She is funny, very loving, and a hoot to be around. For someone that hasn't had a sister, I am sure lucky to have such a sweet Sister-in-law. Konnor absolutely adores Kevin and Shirley. He loves it when he gets to visit their house all by himself. When your the youngest of three, there isn't a lot of by yourself time to be had. Shirley and I have similiar likes and dislikes which makes are relationship even neater. We can almost read each other's minds before the other one speaks. Thanks for being such a great person.

Birthday Treats

The only reason I posted this very disturbing picture of my grandma with a knife bigger than her body was to tell you about the wonderful way I got to spend my birthday. As most of you know, this was a very hard birthday for me (not that getting older is easy for any of us). It was a big slap in the face that I am quickly approaching the downward decent of the HILL. This realization may not scare some people, but I was really thrown by it. I mean, have I really accomplished what I thought I could by 40? Am I keeping myself healthy enough to make another 50 years like Big A (grandma)? Have I made a difference in my world? So many things flooded my thoughts....I really dreaded this birthday until Kandi suggested that we go scrap in Jackson. Well, whala! That made things all better. I had the best time trying to finish grandma's 90th birthday party albumn. It was not an easy task because I didn't know anyone there. Mom lovingly went through all 116 pictures and tried to identify who was who. I had typed the stories and memories that each of her friends had written for us at the party. I am almost finished. Kandi, Beth, and Jill brought way cute (homemade) cards and wonderful presents. They also took care of my birthday treat with Snicker topped brownies. They were delicious. Thanks again for the SUPER birthday treat! I couldn't ask for a nicer group of friends. Love you all! Kristin

2 more days!!

I can't tell you how excited I get when I know that a scrappin' date is coming up with my buddies from Jackson (and Lansing, if Jill get's away). I know it will be an evening full of LOL's and probably some good old razzing to boot. I don't even care if I get anything accomplished, it is just a lot of fun to get together. I love hanging out with them because they make my smile, and I do love to smile! See you on Friday.

PS I didn't think a persons hair could grow that much in a year! Sorry Beth:( I tried to down load a picture from snapfish of the Camp Scrap Alot but couldn't get it to work.

Oh, am I tired!

Wow! Boy am I tired after the first day back to work. The kids were excited to be back, but I don't think I found one teacher that was jumping for joy. The gym floor was resurfaced during break. It always looks so nice for about 2 minutes. I forgot what it was like to exercise 7 hours in a row. Maybe I should have done a little over break so it wasn't such a shock to the system. I'm already in my PJ's and ready for bed. Boy am I getting old. Just think, in 2 more weeks we will be half way through this school year. Yeah!

Hoping for a Snow Day!

I know it is a little crazy...but I am hoping for a snow day tomorrow. I don't think I'm going to get my wish because it is thunder and lightning out right now....but man is it nice to sleep in! I can't tell you the last time we got to sleep in as many days as this vacation. Tomorrow morning at 6:15 I won't be a happy camper. Glad I don't have to wake ME up. Ha, ha, ha!

I thought I would let you in on two of my New Year's resolutions. I figure if I make them public knowledge, I won't be able to weasel my way out of them and pretend I didn't make them. Firstly, I am going to start obedience training with Chloe which is way overdue. I know she has many bad habits that will need to be worked on too. But, never the less, we started our doggie boot camp yesterday. Secondly is a personal resolution. I figure I have 368 days before I am going to turn 40. I know this comes as a huge shock to most of you (ha, ha, ha) but I will be hitting the top of the hill next year. I figure it is my goal to be in the best physical shape of my life by the time that day rolls around. I think I can do it too. When you get to work out as part of your job 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, there really shouldn't be any excuses. Right?! OK, so maybe the icecream habit will have to go, and maybe the pop, but I'm definitely going to give it a college try. We'll have to wait and see if I can reach this goal by January 2007.

Ahhhhhh!!! What a RELIEF!

This is the only Christmas decoration left standing in the house. My mom actually made this for me last year ( I know it looks store bought!) I took advantage of everyone being couch potatoes yesterday and DE-CLUTTERED the house. I know the stuff is suppose to bring warm fuzzy feelings to a house, but get real, it is too cluttered! It feels so good walking downstairs and actually being able to see space. Ahhhhhh! The laundry is caught up and put away (as much as it can ever be caught up), the house is clean, and I am in control once again. Today is hurry up and do all the homework and lesson plans that didn't get touched all break. A science fair project and paper to be typed for Kirk3, writing workshop for Kraig, Reading Recovery for Konnor, grades and papers for Kirk2, and lesson plans for me! Yeap, I say we'd better get a move on and fast!

PS I figured out how to turn my photo, so my friends don't have to crink their necks!

Lemons to lemonade!

I know this picture is a little fuzzy, but it has a cute story behind it. Konnor took a sliced lemon off the serving tray at the party yesterday and put it all in his mouth....hence the sour looking face! It amazes me what they will try to get away with when we aren't looking. So here's to all my friends and family...May all your New Year wishes come true and remember "when life serves you lemons, make lemonade!"

Grandma Abbie's 90th

Today is Grandma Abbie's 90th birthday. We had a very nice party with 30 of her friends and family at Chelsea Grill. The food was great and the cake even better. She really seemed to have fun. It makes you think about where you'll be in 50 years. I just hope I have as much get up and go as she does. Not bad, since 1 year ago she fell and broke her hip. I am doing a scrapbook of her childhood and birthday party pictures. Needless to say tomorrow morning I'll be taking the pictures to Walmart. I finished the book yesterday (backgrounds). It was really a fun project and I know that she will enjoy it for many years to come. Love ya Big A!!

Blog number 28 on the 28th!

This is what you get around our house when you say "sit next to your brother so I can get a good picture of the two of you." Yes, that is Kraig's head sticking out of Kirk's armpit. You would think I wasn't asking for too much.

I wanted to post one more time today so now I have my 28th post on the 28th, OK, now I know I'm a "NUT". I also included the picture of the cat because "the cat is out of the bag" so to speak. Kandi (bless her heart) asked for my blog address because she had misplaced it. Well, Kirk 2 read the email but hasn't said anything about it. He doesn't think that blogs are impressive...so of course, that means that I shouldn't have one. My thought on the matter is this....I love keeping in touch....so blogging is what I will do. Talk later

Sledding in the rain?

Besides from the pouring down ran and mud, the boys had an awesome time sledding on Christmas Eve. Kirk and I took them to a hill that we used to sled on when we were little. The hill doesn't look as big as it did back then, must be erosion or something. Konnor decided to hit every mud puddle he could find. Needless to say everything went for a little spin in Grandma's new washer and dryer when we got home.

Red and Green make Blue

I don't want you to get the wrong idea....I really do like Christmas time and getting together with friends and family....but I really do not look forward to putting everything away (ie: presents and Christmas decorations). For those of you that know me well enough understand why this drives me "nuts". I cannot stand it when my house is a mess...and right now it feels like a BIG MESS!

Our familes were kind enough to cut back this year....but there is still a lot of things to put away. I know it will all get done, but until it does I'm a little BLUE.

What a cute picture of Konnor and the invisible Santa. His dad made that crafty thing when he was just a little boy himself....Ahhh, how sweet?! I wish I could ignore the clutter and just relax and have fun with the family...I guess that is a personality trait I definately need to work on. Perhaps a New Year's resolution is in the making.

Aunt Shirley and Uncle Kevin sure knew what they were doing when they picked out these shirts. Each one of them represented their personalities perfectly. Kraig was especially pleased with his because he thinks he such a "ladies man" right now. That pre adolesence mentality is a hoot sometimes. Kirk on the other hand is more of a food man. My dad's quote when I was growing up was "a way to man's heart is through his stomach". I hope Kirk 3 can find a woman someday that can cook better than his mom. When the smoke alarm goes off at our house, you know that dinner is ready!

Christmas 2005

Santa was very good to all of the Putnam boys (and girl) this year. I think everyone was excited to get that one special gift that they asked for. We celebrated Xmas Eve with the Putnam side (which included sledding in the pouring down rain) and Xmas Day with the Warren side. The food was awesome (yes, I do cook when I have to)! I hope that everyone had a happy day. I know we did. We are thankful for our health and spending time with each other. Merry Christmas from the Putnam's

Winter time....

Two more things I like about winter time....very big icicles that form on the house and waking up to the trees covered in frost. I especially love it when the sun hits the frost just right and it looks like everything is covered in diamonds.

2 boys, one marker

I always love the expression on Beth's face when I offer Madi markers to draw with at our house. Like I've never seen what two boys and one marker can do, let alone one little girl and a marker. This was the end result of what we thought was a brother drawing session. Obviously they forgot that the paper is what they needed to draw on, not each other. This was the first of many marker tattoos Konnor acquired last night....he thought he was going to impress Santa by that belly button drawing....I don't think he was very impressed!

PS He really isn't that plump, I think he was trying to make it stand out!

Konnor's Program

Mr. Siakel (principal) covered my class today so that I could attend Konnor's program. He was so cute. The class sang Christmas songs from around the World. The words weren't any too easy....Feliz navida (spanish), O tanabum (spelling - I believe German), and a Wiki Waka (something Hawaiin- you know the one from National Lampoons Christmas Vaction with Chevy Chase). Not to mention the song that they did sign language to. What ever happened to easy songs like Rudolph, or Frosty.....I'm still glad I got to go and listen, even if the words were hard to understand. One more day of work....thank GOD!!

Time to make the donuts....

I started to stress over trying to figure out how to turn this picture so it faces up...and then I thought why worry anyone that reads this will turn their head for you.

Time to make the donuts....made the donuts....I don't know if you recognize this commercial for Dunkin' Donuts, but it is the one where he is leaving for work and meets himself coming home from work. That is exactly how I feel right now. I'm meeting myself coming home as I am leaving home. Kirk and I shopped for 24 hours this weekend (except for the 8 hours of sleep). We got almost everything done. The kids were very hard to shop for this year....what do you get kids that have everything under the sun. My good friend Beth calls our house Disney World. And now that I think about it, it is much like Disney....too much to take in all at once.

Well, counting down the days of work (2 more). I need to start wrapping presents tonight. It will all get done eventually. Last night was clean the house and laundry night. Very exciting! At least the house is clean and the majority of laundry is washed and put away (a feat in itself).

Favorite past time

I think this might be the boys favorite past time right now. They have spent more time pulling each other behind the snowmobile than you can imagine. Besides from smelling like exhaust, it really is a great thing for them to do together. The really cool thing is the distance between the snowmobile and sled means no fighting; well, I take that back, I did see some snowballs flying the other day. The other snowmobile has not come back from the shop. It will be really neat when they can both drive at the same time.

Season finished!

I know I am wacky, but I was a little sad that Kirk's middle school basketball career had come to an end yesterday. This team only won two games all season but it was definitely a pleasure to watch and support these young men. They made so many improvements this season. If they only had a few more games to play....

Kirk told me tonight that he is not wrestling this year. I know, most moms would be jumping for joy, not having to watch their son be contorted into a million uncomfortable positions, but I LOVE wrestling. So I tried not to show my emotions, and said "great we will start hitting the weight room as a family then."

Anyways, congratulations Kirk3 on a great DMS basketball career and we look forward to watching you play JV next year!

O' Christmas Tree....

I decided this wasn't a great picture of the tree after I uploaded to the blog, but didn't know how to get it out of there, so I decided to leave it. That fuzzy blur is not a Christmas spirit but Konnor searching for another present from Florida. The Florida Santa arrived early this year. Uncle Doug and Aunt Mary sent the coolest presents this year. They were $1 bills taped together in a money machine box. You can pull one out at a time. What a cool way to send money and Konnor was totally impressed by the roll of money. The reason he opened his early was because his present got sat too close to the tree tray and got wet. He was so worried that his present would be ruined, he used all of his intellectual power to convince us that he needed to open it right away. It worked as you can see. Pretty smart boy. I might have to try that technique myself!

Frosty lives no more.....

Yes, I cheated and pulled this picture from last year. The snowman is still in his box waiting to be fixed because Chloe ate the plug off last year. Ooops! Kirk3 was home today with bronchial pnenomia, but his mega antibiotics seem to be kicking in already. We still haven't started shopping and don't know exactly when that will take place. We are anxiously awaiting Friday night when Brad, Zach, and Madi will be coming to stay. Kraig is really excited because he got invited to Corey's birthday sleepover. Which means a whole evening without little brothers getting in his space. Hopefully everyone can stay healthy until then. Have a great evening!

How many days until Christmas?

I was sitting at the computer on Sunday morning and a little thing popped up on the screen that said "13 days until Christmas". I could hardly believe it. Now I know I can subtract 12 from 25 pretty easily, but get real! I truly hadn't given it any thought. This could definitely be a big problem. We hadn't even gotten one present....what were we thinking...how did it sneak up on us that fast....wasn't it just Thanksgiving. Needless to say, I immediately got online and started letting my fingers do their magic ordering just about anything that looked like a good present. Good thing we are buying for less people this year!

All is calm....

All is calm....or least for the time being. Today was a fairly calm day around here. The boys were supposed to go with Grandma and Grandpa to the Hot Rod Christmas Party, but we felt it was more important that Konnor lay low today so he could fully recover. We did some xmas shopping on line this morning (because we haven't been shopping at ALL), did some homework, did some laundry, did some scrapping, etc. Nothing exciting, but very relaxing. Kirk3 has his last two basketball games this week. Monday night is at Albion and Wednesday night is at Stockbridge. The rest of the week looks fairly calm (knock on wood). Hope your week is calm too!

Baby it's cold outside....

I'm guessing that Frosty is thinking, this stinks....You know you have a lot of snow when the lawn ornament's head is the only thing still visible.

Here's a riddle for all...what does the 1 day of shopping a year that we get without kids and Putnam boys have in common...give up...yep, you guessed it the STOMACH FLU! It never fails, we set one day a year aside to power shop for Christmas and it never fails...one of the boys gets sick. Last year it was Kraig, this year it is Konnor. Daddy Kirk was nice enough not to call me during my "scrap" session with Beth and Gloria last night (which by the way was a complete blast! I love spending time with Beth because she makes me LOL) to tell me that Konnor started puking 5 minutes into Narnia. At least he got him out of the theater and into the parking lot before he lost it. So...needless to say...when I got home at 12 AM, I was greeted at the door with the Chlorox bleach spray and paper towel. Konnor was up until 4 this morning, but now he seems like he is coming back around. So here are the 5 Things I am thankful for( sorry Beth).....Chlorax bleach spray and Chlorax Wipes (especially in house with 3 boys), paper towel, bathroom spray(Christmas scent), the little wash tubs you get at the hospital that double as puke buckets, 7 UP and gatorade slushies.....Don't these things make parenting much easier?! I think so. Well, today's "new" plan of events....Xmas cards, laundry, and watching movies with Konnor. I am also thankful that we have a VCR and DVD player that helps pass the time.

Wishing you and yours a HAPPY and HEALTHY New Year!

Brrrr it's cold!

I know exactly how you feel Chloe. The snow is deep and the wind is cold. Just think, only 5 more months of winter. Today was the first snow day of the year. I guess that makes it a GREAT day right off the bat. We've already cleaned out our and a neighbors drive this morning. Chloe was helping us shovel. (with her nose) I know people think she is dumber than a box of rocks, but isn't she just BEAUTIFUL?!

Winter fun!

I can't believe that it has been almost a whole year since this fun day. Madison asked her mom this morning if she liked snow. I'm glad that she didn't ask me. The only two things I like about winter are Snow Days and sledding. Other than that, I really have need for winter. Especially those days that are gloomy. I think my parents have the right idea, summers in Michigan and winters in Florida. Hey, mom and dad save some room for me when you're packing your suitcases.

SWISH!

The dude was hot tonight!! Kirk had the first 6 points of the game. He totalled 15 points for this nail biter. The team played great, but was unable to pull off a 38-36 game against CC. Kirk said his total points for this season is at 84 now. He wants to try and make 100 points this season. Next week DMS will be traveling to Albion on Monday and Stockbridge on Wednesday. I hope he make his goal....he has had a great season even if he doesn't. We have completely enjoyed watching him play and we are very proud of him.

Singing talent?!

I think the Putnam men gave new meaning to Choir Boys tonight. Kraig had his first solo of his singing career. You could tell by the look on his face that he was very excited to have it over and done with. Kirk had his second solo debut tonight. His was on the lighter note....no pun intended.... because he had to say "Don't be Late!" in a chipmunk voice. He has such a great personality to do this part....people commented to Kraig that that was the biggest chipmunk they had ever seen. I would have to agree.

Grace?

I thought that I would use this picture as a first attempt creating a entry with a picture. Gier Staff played the 5th grade girls on Friday night to raise money for Outdoor Ed. We had a great time even if some of us were a little sore, more than just our egos. This particular fall, yes there was more than one that evening, was a charge that never got called. Wait until McKenna sees her report card in a few weeks. Failing gym for running over the top of teacher. I suppose that wouldn't be very nice of me, but oh what power?!

It's FREEZING....

I can't believe I didn't hit the publish button....so here I go again. We just got done putting the outside lights up on the house and in the trees. It is FREEZING out!! It is our first attempt to "get into the holiday spirit". I think I am too numb to feel any "spirit" at this point. I don't even think I feel my toes at this point. We decided to get our tree on the first open night this week. Well, it looks like Thursday is that day. Monday Kirk3 plays Western at home. It is his last home game this season. On Tuesday Kirk3 and Kraig have the Christmas Choir Concert. On Wednesday, we will travel to Columbia Central to watch Kirk3 play basketball. So that leaves Thursday ..... Kraig had basketball tryouts this morning. He is looking forward to starting another sport. The couch and TV have become his favorite past time. Konnor is playing at his friend Drew's house. Probably a really good place for him when we are working. He always wants to help, which is sometimes not a lot of help. He tries hard though. Well, my 15 minute warm up break is over. We are heading back out to put all the empty boxes and trampoline up in the other garage. Hope you have a WARM night!